Description

The Famous Tasmanian Pickwick: Henry Dowling, a Launceston printer, pirated Dickens’ Pickwick Papers and released it in parts throughout 1838 and 1839, capitalizing on the huge demand for the London printing. Clifford Craig’s book, “The Van Diemen’s Land Edition of the Pickwick Papers,” describes it as highly coveted by Australian collectors and rare in collections of Dickens in Europe and America.

Illustrations and Artists: The illustrations, offered for sale after publication, were used for finished volumes. Initially attributed to Jack Briggs or Wainwright, recent research suggests they may have been created by Robert Hawker Dowling, the publisher’s brother.

Publication Details: The title-page is dated 1838, while the pictorial title-page is dated 1839. The lithograph plates are ‘A’ variants identified by Craig, with some plates known in two distinct versions (‘A’ or ‘B’). A contemporary advertisement praised the colonial production of the lithographs despite significant obstacles.