The Pickwick Papers - Publication

Publication

The novel was published in 19 issues over 20 months; the last was double-length and cost two shillings. In mourning for his sister-in-law Mary Hogarth, Dickens missed a deadline and consequently there was no number issued in May 1837. Numbers were typically issued on the last day of its given month:

• I – March 1836 (chapters 1–2);
• II – April 1836 (chapters 3–5);
• III – May 1836 (chapters 6–8);
• IV – June 1836 (chapters 9-11);
• V – July 1836 (chapters 12–14);
• VI – August 1836 (chapters 15–17);
• VII – September 1836 (chapters 18–20);
• VIII – October 1836 (chapters 21–23);
• IX – November 1836 (chapters 24–26);
• X – December 1836 (chapters 27–28);
• XI – January 1837 (chapters 29–31);
• XII – February 1837 (chapters 32–33);
• XIII – March 1837 (chapters 34–36);
• XIV – April 1837 (chapters 37–39);
• XV – June 1837 (chapters 40–42);
• XVI – July 1837 (chapters 43–45);
• XVII – August 1837 (chapters 46–48);
• XVIII – September 1837 (chapters 49–51);
• XIX-XX – October 1837 (chapters 52–57);

It is interesting to keep the number divisions and dates in mind while reading the novel, especially in the early parts. The Pickwick Papers, as Charles Dickens's first novel, is particularly chaotic: the first two numbers featured four illustrations by Robert Seymour and 24 pages of text. Seymour killed himself and was replaced by R W Buss for the third number; the format was changed to feature two illustrations and 32 pages of text per issue. Buss didn't work out as an illustrator and was replaced by H K ‘Phiz’ Browne for the fourth issue; Phiz continued to work for Dickens for 23 years (he last illustrated A Tale of Two Cities in 1859).

As a testament to the book's popularity, many other artists, beyond the three official illustrators, created drawings without the approval of the author or publisher, sometimes for bootleg copies or hoping that ‘Extra Plates’ for the original issue would be included in later issues. The artists included William Heath, Alfred Henry Forrester ("Alfred Crowquill"), Thomas Onwhyn (who sometimes signed as "Sam Weller") and Thomas Sibson. In 1899 Joseph Grego collected 350 Pickwick Paper illustrations, including portraits based on stage adaptations, with other notes and commentary in Pictorial Pickwickiania