27 AUGUST 1892, Page 26

Oliver Twist. By Charles Dickens. (Macmillan.)—The Intro- duction by Charles

Dickens the younger is particularly interesting Oliver Twist was written under great pressure. It was, indeed, produced concurrently with the latter part of "Pickwick." It had a great success ; so much so that, in June, 1840 (the first complete edition having been published in October, 1838), "the remaining stock of the second edition and the copyright" was bought back from the publishers for £2,250. It was shamelessly pirated, one audacious freebooter putting on his title-page, "Copyright secured by Act of Parliament." In this respect, certainly, public morals or manners have improved. The editor does not solve the problem so often set by curious readers,—What was Fagin hanged for ?