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Offered together are two original 1847 publisher’s prospectuses issued by Chapman & Hall to promote the authorized “Cheap Edition” of the Works of Charles Dickens, produced during the author’s lifetime and under his direct supervision.
These two pieces represent distinct variant states of the same promotional leaflet, documenting two different moments in the publication history of the Cheap Edition:
an advance / launch announcement, and
a subsequent “now publishing” issue produced once circulation had commenced.
Publication Details
Publisher: Chapman & Hall, 186 Strand, London
Date: 1847
Format: 4-page printed prospectus (3 text pages plus final specimen leaf)
Printer: Bradbury & Evans
Language: English
Contents (both examples)
Each prospectus includes:
A printed “Address” by Charles Dickens, signed in type CHARLES DICKENS, explaining and defending the introduction of a cheap, mass-market edition of his works while still living
A detailed list of titles included in the Cheap Edition (Pickwick Papers, Nicholas Nickleby, Oliver Twist, etc.) with pricing
A specimen text leaf from The Pickwick Papers (Chapter XIII, page 20), showing the layout and typography of the Cheap Edition
Variant Differences
Example 1: Uses wording indicating the Cheap Edition “will commence” on 27 March 1847 — a pre-publication / launch announcement
Example 2: Uses wording stating “Now publishing” — a post-launch promotional issue, reflecting active circulation
Together, the pair provides a clear documentary record of both the introduction and early rollout of Dickens’s Cheap Edition, a significant development in Victorian publishing and mass readership.
Condition:
Both pieces show expected age-related wear, including edge losses, toning, and handling wear consistent with mid-19th-century publisher ephemera printed on inexpensive paper. Text remains legible throughout. Please review images carefully for full condition prospectuses of this type were utilitarian and rarely preserved, making surviving examples uncommon. Offered as a matched pair of variant states, this grouping is of particular interest to collectors of:
Charles Dickens
Victorian literature
19th-century publishing history
Literary ephemera
A strong, research-worthy pair documenting a key moment in Dickens’s career and the history of affordable literature.
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