Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens (1937 Heritage Press edition) is a handsomely produced version of Dickens’ classic 1838 social novel, blending the publisher’s signature accessibility with period-appropriate artistry. This edition features:
The complete unabridged text of Dickens’ gritty coming-of-age story about the orphan Oliver’s journey from workhouse misery to London’s criminal underworld. Twelve full-color plates by Cruikshank, the original 19th-century illustrator whose iconic images (like “Oliver Asking for More”) became forever tied to the novel. A substantial introduction discussing Dickens’ crusade against child labor laws and the New Poor Law of 1834. Typical Heritage Press production values: sturdy buckram binding, slipcase, and quality opaque paper that does justice to the illustrations
Published during the Great Depression, this edition gained poignant relevance as its themes of poverty and institutional cruelty resonated with 1930s readers. The volume represents Heritage Press’ mission to make classics affordable without sacrificing aesthetic merit – positioned between cheap reprints and deluxe limited editions.
For collectors of Dickensiana, this 1937 printing holds particular interest as it preserves both the complete text and Cruikshank’s controversial illustrations (which Dickens later claimed exaggerated the novel’s melodrama). While lacking the gilt-stamped luxury of Easton Press editions, it offers superior scholarly apparatus.
Comparable Heritage Press editions from the same period include their David Copperfield (1935) and A Tale of Two Cities (1938), forming a Depression-era Dickens trilogy that brought Victorian social commentary to modern audiences.
