Oliver Twist; or, The Parish Boy’s Progress.

DICKENS, Charles.

Item Number: 131694

London: Richard Bentley, 1838.

First edition, first issue of Dickens’ classic work. Octavo, three volumes, bound in full calf by Zaehnsdorf, gilt and tooling titles to the spine, raised bands, triple gilt ruled to the front and rear panels, top edge gilt, marbled endpapers, inner dentelles, with 24 plates by George Cruikshank, original cloth bound at the rear of each volume. In near fine condition. An exceptional example.

"Dickens turned in Oliver Twist to the novel of crime and terror Some characters are drawn with humorous realism, but for the most part humor is dimmed by gloomy memories of the author’s own neglected childhood and sensational scenes are shrouded in an atmosphere genuinely eerie and sinister That Dickens shared with his contemporaries the conviction that the novel should be an instrument of social reform is evident in Oliver Twist" (Baugh).