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Scarce first edition book: Oliver Twist; or, The Parish Boy's Progress, Vols. I–III, by Charles Dickens. First edition, first issue, with "By 'Boz'" on all three title pages and the 'Fireside' plate at the end of Vol. III. London: Richard Bentley, 1838. Hardcover, 5.25 x 8.25, 953 pages. Book condition: G-/None, with chipping to spine ends (heaviest to Vol. II), edgewear with a split to cloth along the edge of Vol. III), bumped corners, a few plates detached but present, tears to a couple of plates, mottled browning to textblock extremities, and bookplates affixed to front pastedowns.
From Charles Dickens in the Original Cloth by Walter E. Smith: '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 ('Rose Maylie and Oliver'—the final plate in vol. III). Dickens had Cruikshank design a new plate (the Church plate) which retained the same title. 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 pages. He voiced these objections prior to publication and the plate and title page were changed between November 9 (publication date) and 16.'
Oliver Twist stands among Dickens's most influential novels, pairing unforgettable characters—Oliver, Fagin, Nancy, Bill Sikes, and the Artful Dodger—with a searing portrait of poverty, crime, and the workhouse system in early Victorian England. Its famous plea, “Please, sir, I want some more,” became one of the defining scenes in English literature, while the novel’s blend of melodrama, social criticism, and vivid urban atmosphere helped establish Dickens as the great chronicler of London’s underclass.
