# Is "Oliver Twist" by Charles Dickens a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens (Richard Bentley, 1838) is identified by: Three volumes, published as 'by Boz', with 24 etched plates by George Cruikshank. The 1838 UK three-volume first ('by Boz') precedes the US edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Three volumes, published as 'by Boz', with 24 etched plates by George Cruikshank
- The central plate point concerns the final plate in volume III: the FIRST issue has the 'Fireside' plate (which Dickens disliked), and it was SUPPRESSED and replaced by the 'Church' plate in the reissue printed days later
- The first issue therefore has the 'Fireside' plate, not the 'Church' plate
- First-issue title pages read 'by Boz'; the reissue substitutes 'Charles Dickens'
- Copies mixing 'Boz' title pages with the later 'Church' plate are made-up or transitional and not a pure first issue
- Publisher imprint reads Richard Bentley
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Charles Dickens |
| Publisher | Richard Bentley |
| Year | 1838 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Three volumes, published as 'by Boz', with 24 etched plates by George Cruikshank |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
Three volumes, published as 'by Boz', with 24 etched plates by George Cruikshank. The central plate point concerns the final plate in volume III: the FIRST issue has the 'Fireside' plate (which Dickens disliked), and it was SUPPRESSED and replaced by the 'Church' plate in the reissue printed days later. The first issue therefore has the 'Fireside' plate, not the 'Church' plate. First-issue title pages read 'by Boz'; the reissue substitutes 'Charles Dickens'. Copies mixing 'Boz' title pages with the later 'Church' plate are made-up or transitional and not a pure first issue.

## Is this the true first?
The 1838 UK three-volume first ('by Boz') precedes the US edition. The two distinguishing points are the 'Fireside' (first) versus 'Church' (replacement) plate in volume III and the 'Boz' versus 'Charles Dickens' title-page attribution.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later single-volume editions and any naming Dickens on the title page are not the 1838 first issue; the 'Church' plate marks the later state.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Oliver Twist* by Charles Dickens a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/oliver-twist
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-04.