4. Oliver Twist (Charles Dickens)

Cover page of Oliver Twist

Synopsis from Amazon UK:
The story of the orphan Oliver, who runs away from the workhouse only to be taken in by a den of thieves, shocked readers when it was first published. Dickens's tale of childhood innocence beset by evil depicts the dark criminal underworld of a London peopled by vivid and memorable characters - the arch-villain Fagin, the artful Dodger, the menacing Bill Sikes and the prostitute Nancy. Combining elements of Gothic Romance, the Newgate Novel and popular melodrama, Dickens created an entirely new kind of fiction, scathing in its indictment of a cruel society, and pervaded by an unforgettable sense of threat and mystery.

My rating: 5 stars

Publication information:

• First published as a book in 1838
• Publisher: Richard Bentley, London
• First edition: Three Volumes. By "Boz. " Illustrated by George Cruikshank. 8vos., original embossed fine-diaper cloth. With all half-titles, advertisements, and first issue points, including the "Fireside" plate. When Bentley decided to publish "Oliver Twist" in book form prior to the completion of its run in his magazine, George Cruikshank had to complete the last few plates in haste. Dickens did not review the new illustrations until the night before publication and he objected to plate #8 in volume three (facing page 313), better known as the "Fireside" plate, which depicts Oliver standing by Rose Maylie with Harry and old Mrs. Maylie gathered near the living room fireplace. Dickens had Cruikshank draw a new plate depicting Oliver and Rose standing before a tablet put up in the church in memory of his mother. This plate was subsequently inserted into later copies of the book and also used in the final issues of "Bentley's Magazine. " This set has the uncommon "Fireside" plate. Dickens not only objected to the "Fireside" plate but also to having the pseudonym "Boz" on all the title pages. Later copies of the book have "Charles Dickens" on the title pages. This set has the earlier "Boz" imprints in all volumes. One of Dickens' most famous works and in its earliest format and original binding. With a mounted photographic plate with a reproduction of Dickens tipped to the rear pastedown of volume three.