Dickens, The Extraordinary Gazette, 1837, Bentley's Miscellany, original state

[DICKENS, CHARLES]

"The Extraordinary Gazette. Speech of his Mightiness on Opening the Second Number of Bentley's Miscellany, edited by "Boz". " [at the end of:] Bentley's Miscellany, edited by Boz. Illustrated by George Cruikshank.... March 1837

8vo (230 x 138mm.), 16pp. further publisher's advertisements at the end, original printed wrappers, housed in brown cloth chemise and matching quarter morocco slipcase, minor browning, spotting to wrappers, wrappers slightly stained and torn on spine

RARE IN THE ORIGINAL STATE, AS ISSUED. Most copies of "The Extraordinary Gazette" which appear on the market are found in disbound form.

This is the larger size version of the supplement, which does not contain the list of contents of the Miscellany or the press reviews. (See lot 37 for the smaller format; also Gimbel, p303, recording both formats).  Bentley had started the monthly magazine in January 1837, appointing Dickens as first editor. This third issue contains the second installment of Oliver Twist but also this self-promotional supplement written in the style of a royal proclamation in which Dickens affirms his aim to "promote merriment in your hearts; to set before you, the scenes and characters of real life in all their endless diversity; occasionally (I hope) to instruct, always to amuse, and never to offend". Dickens refers to The Pickwick Papers (which he was writing simultaneously) but also to a new work "still in progress" (in fact Oliver Twist had already appeared in the second issue of the Miscellany, and publication continued until April 1839).

REFERENCE:

Eckel p.173; Gimbel E33 (copy excised from Bentley's Miscellany)