Oliver Twist

First issued in 1837-1839, this novel follows an orphan born in a workhouse who is named Oliver Twist and apprenticed to an undertaker before he runs to London. There he falls in with the pickpocket gang of Fagin, the violent burglar Bill Sikes, and the street boy the Artful Dodger. Oliver's face and manner draw the interest of the kindly Mr Brownlow and, later, of people who have reasons to keep his parentage hidden. The settings are the parish workhouse, the thieves' den, and respectable London houses. It is a social novel about how a child is used by both official charity and the criminal trade.

Quarter-bound in grey cloth with pattern printed grey cloth sides. 23 black and white illustrations. Cloth slipcase.