Illustrated by Barnett Freedman
Oliver Twist, subtitled The Parish Boy's Progress, is the second novel by English author Charles Dickens, published by Richard Bentley in 1838. The story is about an orphan, Oliver Twist, who endures a miserable existence in a workhouse and then is placed with an undertaker. He escapes and travels to London where he meets the Artful Dodger, leader of a gang of juvenile pickpockets. Naively unaware of their unlawful activities, Oliver is led to the lair of their elderly criminal trainer Fagin.
Oliver Twist is notable for Dickens' unromantic portrayal of criminals and their sordid lives. The book exposed the cruel treatment of the many orphans in London during the Dickensian era. The book's subtitle, The Parish Boy's Progress, alludes to Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progress and also to a pair of popular 18th-century caricature series by William Hogarth, A Rake's Progress and A Harlot's Progress.
An early example of the social novel, the book calls the public's attention to various contemporary evils, including child labor, the recruitment of children as criminals, and the presence of street children. Dickens mocks the hypocrisies of his time by surrounding the novel's serious themes with sarcasm and dark humor. The novel may have been inspired by the story of Robert Blincoe, an orphan whose account of hardships as a child laborer in a cotton mill was widely read in the 1830s. It is likely that Dickens' own early youth as a child laborer contributed to the story's development.
Oliver Twist has been the subject of numerous film and television adaptations, and is the basis for a highly successful musical play and the multiple Academy Award winning 1968 motion picture made from it.
About the author
Charles John Huffam Dickens (7 February 1812 - 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded as the greatest novelist of the Victorian era.
Features
Includes all the classic Easton Press qualities:* Premium Leather
* Silk Moire Endleaves
* Distinctive Cover Design
* Hubbed Spine, Accented in Real 22KT Gold
* Satin Ribbon Page Marker
* Gilded Page Edges
* Long-lasting, High Quality Acid-neutral Paper
* Smyth-sewn Pages for Strength and Durability
* Beautiful Illustrations
A wonderful bright clean copy free of any markings, writings, or stamps. Sharp corners that are not bumped. Tight and square spine. Unread book. No attached bookplates or indication of any removed.
- Publisher:
- Easton Press
- Edition:
- Easton Press 1967
- Binding:
- Leather Bound (Full genuine leather)
- Illustrator:
- Limited Edition
- Dimensions:
- 9 "x 6" x 2"
![Easton Press, Fred Kaplan "Dickens" Leather Bound Collector's Edition [Very Fine]](https://cdn11.bigcommerce.com/s-eohzfjch7f/images/stencil/500x659/products/1755/6209/ep7088-2__34298.1601671530.jpg?c=1 "Easton Press, Fred Kaplan \"Dickens\" Leather Bound Collector's Edition [Very Fine]")
