AINSWORTH, William Harrison. Jack Sheppard. A Romance … with Illustrations by George Cruikshank … London: Richard Bentley … 1839.
3 vols., 8vo., with a frontispiece in each volume and twenty-five other plates, a half-title in volume III, not called for in volumes I and II, the leaf of advertisements in volume I bound before the frontispiece; a very good copy, the illustrations clear and largely unfoxed, in the original green blindstamped ribbed cloth, spines lettered gilt, rubbed, slightly bumped, skilful restoration to the hinges.
First edition of Ainsworth’s celebrated ‘Newgate’ novel, based on the exploits of a famous eighteenth-century thief and prison breaker. This was the first of his novels to appear serially, and for the first three months of 1839 it shared the pages of Bentley’s Magazine with Oliver Twist, which it eclipsed in popularity, partly helped by some of George Cruikshank’s finest illustrations. When it was published in book form in October (before the serialization had been completed), Jack Sheppard sold 3000 copies in a week, inspired nine stage versions before the end of the year, and was frequently pirated.Locke, pp. 9-10; Sadleir 14; Wolff 53.
£1000
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