DICKENS (CHARLES) The Adventures of Oliver Twist; or, The Parish Boy's Progress, FIRST SEPARATE EDITION IN THE 10 ORIGINAL PARTS, Bradbury & Evans, 1846DICKENS (CHARLES)The Adventures of Oliver Twist; or, The Parish Boy's Progress, FIRST SEPARATE EDITION IN THE 10 ORIGINAL PARTS, the half-title, contents leaf and preface in the final part, 24 engraved plates by George Cruikshank (occasional pale browning but generally very clean), with all the advertisements called for by Hatton and Cleaver ("The Oliver Twist Advertiser" in parts 1 and 2, and single leaf advertisement printed on yellow paper at end of part 10), publisher's blue-green pictorial wrappers with a design by George Cruikshank (some very skilfully rebacked to match, a few small repairs, a few split along the joint, small loss to blank tip of lower fore-corner of part 1), preserved in cloth solander box, gilt morocco lettering labels on upper cover and spine [Hatton & Cleaver, pp.216-224; Gimbel A38], 8vo, Bradbury & Evans, 1846AN EXCEPTIONALLY GOOD SET - THE STARLING-SELF COPY."COMPLETE SETS OF THE TEN PARTS CAN, WITHOUT EXAGGERATION, BE DESCRIBED AS THE UTMOST RARITY, whether in fine, modern or poor condition. The very scarcity alone, of the book in parts, gives added zest to the tracking down of copies, but many would-be owners are doomed to disappointment in their efforts to effect a capture, in face of the very limited supply available" (Hatton & Cleaver). Oliver Twist originally ran as a serial in Bentley's Miscellany from 1837-1839, concurrently being published in the three-volume issue. For this parts-issue ("New Edition, Revised and Corrected") Cruikshank's plates for Bentley's Miscellany were re-touched, re-bitten, and added to by an etcher named Findlay.Provenance: G. Tottenham, ink signature on first part; Stephen M. Dryfoos, bookplate; Kenyon Starling, bookplate; Sotheby's, The William E. Self Family Collection Part I. The Kenyon Starling Library of Charles Dickens, 2 April 2008, lot 52 (described as "undoubtedly the finest copy to appear at auction in the last thirty years").