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The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby (Volume 2 of 2): Reproduced in Facsimile from the Original Monthly Parts of 1838-9 with and essay by Michael Slater and extra illustrations
The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby Reproduced in Facsimile from the Original Monthly Parts of 18389 with and essay by Michael Slater and extra illustrations - Volume 2 of 2 Author:Charles Dickens, Michael Slater Like many of Dickens' major novels, Niceklby was issued in monthly installments at the price of one shilling. Each part consisted of about twenty thousand words of text, two Phiz illustrations, and a profusion of advertisements--the "Nickleby Advertiser" -- for everything from new books and telescopes to false teeth and miracle pills. The first ... more »part appeared in April 1838 and sold fifty thousand copies; succeeding numbers led to a great success for young Dickens, who delivered the twentieth and final installment in late September 1839, barely ahead of the printer's deadline.
Most modern readers of Nickleby have never been privy to the delicious suspense that its original readers enjoyed. This facsimile not only represent a wonderful literary curiosity, but adds an additional dimension to our understanding of the craft of novel reading and writing. The beginning of Nickleby could not be reconsidered in light of the ending, and each part had to end ona note of suspense to carry the interest of the reader on to the next.Yet these factors were offset by the readers' enthusiastic response to each part, influencing and encouraging the author as the tale unfolded.
A superb literary gift for any lover of Dickens, this edition is a marvelous way to experience Nicholas Nickleby: in serial form, as it was written and first read.