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On the Origin of Sam Weller, and the Real Cause of the Success of the Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club. London: J. W. Jarvis & Son, 28 King William Street, Strand, W.C., 1883. Octavo. Victorian Dickensian critical pamphlet bound in cloth-backed boards with paper-covered sides. Issued anonymously and described on the title page as “By a Lover of Charles Dickens’s Works.”
The text examines the introduction of the character Sam Weller and argues for his central role in the success of The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club. The work combines literary criticism with reception history, reflecting late-19th-century engagement with Dickens’s early readership and the contemporary response to Pickwick.
Includes a facsimile reprint of Beauties of Pickwick, collected and arranged by Sam Weller, together with an index of nearly two hundred of his sayings (originally issued in 1838). The etched portrait of Sam Weller composing his love letter, credited to F. W. Pailthorpe on the title page, is present.
A contemporary handwritten note appears on a preliminary leaf, reading: “Only a limited number of copies printed – subscribed for,” followed by initials “E.E.P.” (offered as a period boards with paper-covered sides. Boards show rubbing, surface wear, corner losses, and discoloration. Some loss to head of spine with heavy wear. Pastedowns/endpapers show staining and areas of surface loss. Pages show scattered toning and foxing, heavier to the preliminary leaves. Etched plate and printed wrapper/title leaf are present. Text block is complete and sound.
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