# Oliver Twist (1838)/Volume 3

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BENTLEY's
STANDARD LIBRARY
of
POPULAR MODERN LITERATURE,
NEATLY BOUND, PRICE SIX SHILLINGS EACH VOLUME.
The First Volume, containing
MR. MAXWELL'S WILD SPORTS OF THE WEST,
WITH FIFTEEN ILLUSTRATIONS, NOW READY.
The encouragement which "The Standard Novels," now including the chefs-d'œuvre of almost everymodern master of fiction, has received from the public, has induced the Proprietor of that popular Series to undertake the present Collection, the purpose of which is to present, at the same very moderate price, a Library of rare entertainment in the departments of Historical Memoirs, popular Biography, Voyages and Travels, and works of a miscellaneous character, all of which have, been stamped by public approbation.
Modern literature is very rich in Historical Memoirs and general Biography. By them the reader acquires experience in that which "comes home to the business and bosom" of every one: his curiosity will be aroused and gratified by remarkable instances of adventure; he may trace to their source the secret motives which, either for good or for evil, have impelled his fellow-creatures in their career; and may thus form some acquaintance with that intricate mystery, the human heart.
The present age abounds in accounts of Voyages and Travels. They are works to which we bid welcome at all seasons, and to which we recur again and again with never-ending delight. Voyages and Travels, even when penned by inferior spirits, and avowedly fictitious, have always been popular reading; nay, the very form is popular; hence, of all the wild and wonderful traditions recorded in the Arabian Nights, the voyages of Sinbad the Sailor are those to which we refer with the greatest delight.
​But independently of the amusement which we derive from works of this class—we owe to them deep and lasting obligations. They make us acquainted with humanity in all its various aspects, convince us that "there are livers out of Britain," and that we are not the only enlightened people on earth, for that others also are making rapid strides in civilization. They enlarge, strengthen, and mellow our understanding, and help to rid us of many of those national prejudices, which our insular position and exclusion from the Continent, during the late war, have engendered in our minds.
In the selection of works, the greatest care will be used. None will be admitted but such as have already been stamped by popular approbation. When, in addition to this, the public is assured that the Library will be brought out in the most convenient form, and at a price which will render it accessible to all readers; moreover, that it will comprise within one volume the matter previously contained in two or more, at five times the cost—when all these advantages are taken into consideration, it is confidently hoped that this Collection will meet with adequate encouragement, and become a permanent favourite with the public.
The price of each volume will be the same as that of its companion Library, "The Standard Novels;" viz., Six Shillings, and it will thus be placed within the means of the great body of English readers.
Vol. II. (to be published on 1st Jan.) will contain
THE BOOK OF THE SEASONS,
by
WILLIAM AND MARY HOWITT.
Vol. III. will contain
WASHINGTON IRVING'S ASTORIA;
or
ADVENTURES BEYOND THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS.
COMPLETE IN ONE VOLUME.
To be followed by other Popular Works.
The Last Chance.
OLIVER TWIST;
OR, THE
PARISH BOY'S PROGRESS.
BY "BOZ."
IN THREE VOLUMES.
VOL. III.
LONDON:
RICHARD BENTLEY, NEW BURLINGTON STREET.
1838.
WHITING,
BEAUFORT HOUSE.
* Chapter XXXVII
* Chapter XXXVIII
* Chapter XXXIX
* Chapter XL
* Chapter XLI
* Chapter XLII
* Chapter XLIII
* Chapter XLIV
* Chapter XLV
* Chapter XLVI
* Chapter XLVII
* Chapter XLVIII
* Chapter XLIX
* Chapter L
* Chapter LI
This work was published before January 1, 1929, and is in the public domain worldwide because the author died at least 100 years ago.
Public domainPublic domainfalsefalse