Oliver Twist or the Parish Boy's Progress

New York: Wm. H. Colyer, 1839. Second American. Hardcover. Good/none as issued. Rebacked in the original boards with the original label. Much shelf wear to the corners and edges of the book, foxed / stained throughout; previous ownership inscriptions of a Johnstown, NY family to the front endpaper and the title page, 1857 and 1839 respectively. In the 1922 sale catalogue of the Dickens collection belonging to famed Dickens authority William Glyde Wilkins is found Lot no. 5 a "Very Rare Collection of Editions With the 'Colyer' Imprint" Thie edition of Oliver Twist offered here is included among those six Dickens titles published by Wm. H. Colyer between 1838 and 1843. In its description of this edition the OCLC notes that "Beginning of text on p. [13] "Among other public buildings in the town of Mudfog" indicates this edition was taken from Bentley's Miscellany. The first sentence was changed for the English edition of three volumes in 1839." Colyer and Lea & Blanchard of Philadelphia were in a race to publish Oliver Twist in America. L&B, having rushed out an unillustrated two volume edition followed by a one volume with four illustrations, eventually published an edition with all the Cruikshank art. The Colyer title while considered to be the second American edition contains four of the original illustrations, to wit: "Oliver Asks for More"; "Oliver claimed by his affectionate friends"; "Monks and the Jew"; "Mr. Bumble degraded in the eyes of the Paupers".
Books and other items ship promptly with a tracking number and (generally over $15.00) jacket protectors if applicable. Clean recycled packing material will be used when possible. The Book Shed has a been a member of the Vermont Antiquarian Bookseller's Association since 1997. An online bookseller with a bookshop sensibility!