Oxford Dickens: Wanted!

Hi Everyone! What a great forum--as a longtime Folio addict I happened to come across the Franklin Oxford Pickwick Papers and Nicholas Nickleby at my local used bookshop and just had to have them! (Pickwick IS my favorite Dickens--I'm a sucker for English picaresques--and Nickleby is another cherished favorite). The red and blue leather was beautiful and I loved the little gilt-stamped characters on the cover.

Anyway, I've gone searching for more volumes online--eBay, abebooks, etc, and sadly found only a couple complete collections, which are sadly out of my price range, and a few single volumes retailing for around 600.00 (when complete sets sell between 1200 and 2400!)

But if anyone is selling, or knows where to purchase, additional SINGLE volumes, I'd be much obliged! Would especially love to own Our Mutual Friend (2nd favorite Dickens), Bleak House, Dombey and Son, and Tale of Two Cities--and willing to negotiate a reasonable price.

After Dickens I think I'll start looking for a reasonably priced version of the Oxford Tom Jones--blue leather and Thomas Rowlandson prints? Oh baby...

>1 uncultured: trust me I owned some Oxford full leather books, sold a few but kept Anna Karenina (now going for $495). These books are unsurpassed for quality and beauty. I see 2 new or near new complete sets going for $1,200 on Abe's. If you have to borrow the money do so. EP makes books of this quality as Deluxe Limited Editions at $200-$500 a novel. If you are a Dickens fan grab this set. By the way the red Dickens set by EP is lovely too. Here is a new Oxford/franklin on Abe's.

http://www.abebooks.com/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=5931996627&searchurl=kn=Oxf...

Also check out some of the Franklin GBWW.

It's so close to what I want...but alas I already own some of the volumes they've listed-- I sent the seller an email though, asking if they were interested in selling individual volumes, as the set is an incomplete one anyway. Here's hoping...

>3 uncultured: missed that. Here is the complete 21 volumes at the same price.

http://www.abebooks.com/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=11863634928&searchurl=kn=Fr...

I do not know what you have, but if you have a mixed set with Franklin and EP like I do and want a compete set, sell your mixed set a volume at a time on eBay And get the complete.

Haha ironically your mention of EP had me looking at some of their editions and I LOVE their David Copperfield

http://www.abebooks.com/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=18040085744&searchurl=pn%3D...

Apparently it's a reprint of the individual issues with all the Victorian ads etc left in...I'm a sucker for that sort of thing--nothing like ads for cocaine infused wine (real thing: see Vin Mariani, as endorsed by the pope) and Frye's Cocoa! Alas only 400 made--the listing above has scuffed gutters and is selling for 400; eBay has two for 699 and 775...ack...! Wonder what they costed new? Or what the Franklin Dickens and other Oxford books costed (adjusting for inflation from the 80's though)

I myself have Pickwick, Oliver Twist, Nickleby, Curiosity Shop, Chuzzlewit, Dorrit, and Great Expectations in Fine condition in the Franklin Oxford edition, nothing in the Easton Press line, though I also have a couple of Folio Society's Nonesuch repros which I'm very very fond of as well.

>5 uncultured: ah, I see your problem....you already have some Franklin Oxford. The regular Franklin and EP Dickens are quite nice. The EP red set is pretty fancy since many are reproductions of their Limited Edition Club and Heritage Society from the 50s and 60s. Minimally you have to add Tale of Two Cities, Christmas Carol and David Copperfield. Though their DLEs are pricey. Good luck.

I just purchased 11 of the Oxford Dickens Library series at a local book store for a bargain. Incredible books! I am excited to start reading them. Suggestions on the first book? I have only read "A Tale of Two Cities".

Barnaby Rudge
Little Dorrit
Hard Times
The Pickwick Papers
Great Expectations
The Old Curiosity Shop
Our Mutual Friend
Christmas Books
Master Humphrey's / Child's History
A Tale of Two Cities
Nicholas Nickleby

I don't think the order matters, as each story has different characters and stands on its own. Great Expectations is probably the most popular. Little Dorrit is the one chosen for inclusion in the second edition of Britannica's Great Books of the Western World set.

Congratulations on your acquisition and your good taste!

If you hang in there and ask eBay to notify you when these books get listed you might find a deal. Yesterday 15 mint unread volumes went for $560.

I had posted the following thread on the Easton Press forum just now and thought useful to re-post here:

I was on the sidelines for quite a while between purchasing either the:

1) Folio Society 16 Volumes NoneSuch Dickens (the burgundy quarter leather edition) with the original illustrations by Phiz, etc.
2) Franklin Library/Oxford 21 volume Dickens quarter bound with red leather
3) Easton Press 21 volume Dickens (preferablbly the first version without the Dicken's photo in the front)
4) Franklin Library/Oxford 21 volume full dualtone premium leather leather (the set is shown in the photo in this group's home page on LibraryThing)

In terms of pricing, the first one, the Folio Society version, costs about 1/2 of the prices of the last two and the second one, the quarter leather Franklin Library/Oxford costs about 1/3. The price difference between the last two is about a few hundred dollars with the Franklin Library/Oxford full leather usually costing a bit more.

After reading this forum and doing my own research, I opted for what I feel is the holy grail of these sets, the full leather Franklin Library/Oxford version. I know if I had bought either of the first two, my mind would always be occupied with trying to get the better sets. If I got the Easton Press, I would think why didn't I pay a bit more to get, what I think in my opinion, is an even nicer set produced by the Franklin Library/Oxford at its highest quality era.

I had been patiently waiting on eBay for almost a year to find a complete set in near fine/fine condition that costs less than $2,000 USD. I found one on eBay several days ago. I made an offer of $1,800 Canadian dollars (~$1,350 USD) that was accepted by a Candadian seller. Six of the 21 volumes are still sealed. I had the seller send me additional photos of the set to confirm it was in fine condition.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/113522530614