Charles Dickens, Pickwick Papers, The Cosmopolitan Series No. 3 Book

Charles Dickens, Pickwick Papers, The Cosmopolitan Series No. 3 Book

This piece is titled Pickwick Papers by Charles Darwin. It was part of the Cosmopolitan Series No. 3. It was published by the Hurst & Company in New York at 122 Nassau St on July 6, 1889. 

This piece is wrapped in a plastic covering that is easily removable. It is decorated on the front with a black and white sketch of Charles Dickens along with some filigree borders along the top and bottom of the page. The back cover is composed of ads from the period. The booklet itself is fragile with extensive loss to the spine and binding. At least five pages are ripped or torn, but the pieces are still intact and legible. Several pencil markings on the piece are not original. No unusual odor. It measures H 7.5 W 5.25 D 0.5 inches. 

The Cosmopolitan Series was a reprinting company that would print popular works for a cheaper price. The series would be published tri-weekly at 25 cents per copy, or one could pay a total of $30 for a yearly subscription. This particular issue sold the highest number of copies compared to the rest of the issues published thereafter. 

Charles Dickens (1812-1870) was a British author, journalist, and social reformer who is considered one of the most influential writers of the 19th century. He is known for his ability to blend comedy and pathos, and for creating some of literature's most famous characters. Dickens' writing was driven by empathy for the poor and helpless and criticized the cruel, greedy, and selfish. The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club (1837) is the first novel by English author Charles Dickens.