“PLEASE, SIR, I WANT SOME MORE”: FIRST ISSUE OF OLIVER TWIST

DICKENS, Charles. Oliver Twist; Or, the Parish Boy's Progress. By "Boz." London: Richard Bentley, 1838. Three volumes. Octavo, period-style full speckled calf gilt, elaborately gilt-decorated spines, red and green morocco spine labels, marbled endpapers, with original blind-stamped brown cloth bound in at rear of each volume. $11,000.

First edition, first issue, of Dickens’ classic, with the “Fireside” plate and “Boz” title pages, uncut with original cloth bound in.

"Of the works of all great British authors of the 19th century who wrote on the social ills of the time, few can reach the same level of eloquence as Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens. In this book, Dickens attacked English institutions with a ferocity that had never since been approached, and was labelled by many critics and readers as a subversive writer, a radical, and, one may say, a rebel. Lord Chamberlain banned the book and considered it 'dangerous to public peace' (Bolton, 1987), while the Regius Professor at Edinburgh saw it as 'dangerously frank' (Aytoun, 1864), and Lady Carlisle commented on it saying 'I know there are such unfortunate beings as pickpockets and street walkers… but I own I do not much wish to hear what they say to one another' (Ford, 1955). Despite that, the book was reviewed overwhelmingly with admiration. It was read as a work of art, and the young Queen Victoria found it excessively interesting' (Collins, 1971).

Oliver Twist was first published serially between February 1837 and April 1839 in Bentley's Miscellany, and in the present three-volume book form by Richard Bentley in 1838 (six months before the initial serialization was complete). "When Bentley decided to publish Oliver in book form before its completion in his periodical, Cruikshank had to complete the last few plates in haste. Dickens did not review them until the eve of publication and objected to the Fireside plate which depicted Oliver at Rose Maylie's knee [Volume III, p. 313]… Dickens had Cruikshank design a new plate… This Church plate was not completed in time for incorporation into the early copies of the book, but it replaced the Fireside plate in later copies… Dickens not only objected to the Fireside plate, but also disliked having 'Boz' on the title page. He voiced these objections prior to publication and the plate and title page were changed between November 9 and 16" (Smith, 35). With half title in each volume (including in Volume III, which usually features two pages of publisher's ads rather than a half title), and four pages of publisher's ads at the end of Volume I. This is Smith's variant cloth binding, bound in, with horizontally ribbed cloth rather than diapered, and with no publisher name at the foot of the spines. "A genuine first issue in the original cloth covers, uncut, and with clean, unfoxed plates and leaves is very rare" (Eckel, 54). Smith 4 (especially note 3). Eckel, 51-60.

Expert cleaning to plates, scattered minor foxing and soiling to text. An attractive, handsomely bound set.