Footnotes

W.H. COLLIS'S "SECOND SET" OF PICKWICK IN THE ORIGINAL PARTS. All the text, illustrations and wrappers are present in first and early issues and states, part 9 onwards being largely first issues.

Except for those in part 1, the plates are all in varying states of the first issue, whilst the text in parts 11-19/20 is first issue, and the remainder later. The wrappers are all dated 1836 except for part 18 (1837, no priority); of these parts 9-19/20 are the first issue as in Hatton & Cleaver, while parts 1 and 6 are later issues with the 'Crusader' advertisement on the inside front wrapper, and parts 2-5 and 7-8 are early issues. 'The Pickwick Advertiser' is present in parts 9-19 (not present in parts 4-8) and parts 8 and 11-19/20 have the rear advertisements where called for. The Addresses are present as called for in parts 10, 15, 17, 18, 19/20, whilst those for parts 2 and 3 are supplied amongst the loose spare parts.

The publication history of 'Pickwick' is notoriously complicated. Only about 400 sets of part 1 were issued on the day of publication, from a print-run of 1000, and subsequently only 500 sets of part 2 were printed, explaining its rarity in early form. Both eventually sold out, necessitating reprints of both parts before publication of part 3. The text to parts 1-8 was reprinted many times very quickly, leading to textual variations with older plates having to be re-etched. As the work's popularity increased advertisements were swapped and added - all of which led to a complex series of issue points for text, plates and advertisements, making it impossible for collectors to find a complete original set.

As was common practice for Collis and collectors of his generation, the present set was painstakingly assembled, largely deriving from two sets described on Collis's additional wrappers as "Lot 84" and "Coumin". A letter from Hatton and Collis's draft reply (loose in part 12) gives a fascinating glimpse as to how sets of Pickwick were made up and business transacted, Hatton writing "Can you help me out of a hole? I sold when last in Los Angeles, a copy of Pickwick. It was lacking the No.2 Slip in Part 9, and the Advertiser in Part 12. I gave a solemn undertaking to supply these two missing items within a short time... I want to go out again at the end of January, but I dare not show my face without my having fulfilled my bargain... If you have not got spares, I wondered if you would loan me these two items from your spare set... under a penalty of some fixed sum you like to name". Collis's draft notes confirm that he could help on one of the two counts: "I should be pleased to let you have on loan out of my 2nd. set... Part 12 [which] will have to be taken to pieces. If you approve I propose to send this part to Morrell to be dissected, the Advertiser to be forwarded to yourself & the rest retd here. Morrell will debit you with his charges". Hatton was given a year to send a replacement, which he presumably did as it is present here, presumably having been inserted by Morrell.

Notes on individuals parts

Part 1: plates later issues; without advertisements; text block loose in 'Crusader issue' wrappers (added to set 1933, spine repaired).
Part 2: wrappers without Seymour's name on front, both blank on inside.
Part 3: with Buss plates; without advertisements and address; wrappers without Buss's name on front, both blank on inside.
Part 4: plates in H & C's "second state of original plate"; early issue wrappers with 'John Horner' advertisement (as part 8).
Part 5: without advertisements; early issue wrappers, blank on inside.
Part 6: plates in second corrected state; 'Crusader issue' wrappers (replaced 1933).
Part 7: without 'Phrenology Made Easy' slip; second issue wrappers with variant p.3.
Part 8: with 4pp. Henekey advert, variant on yellow paper; text block loose in repaired early (not first or second) issue wrappers with insides blank (p.4 "This day is published").
Part 9: with single Henekey advert leaf (H & C calls for 2 leaves as in part 8 but ours distinct and appears complete), second leaf only of 4pp. 'Parterre' slip loosely inserted, without the very rare Mann slip; text block loose in repaired wrappers.
Part 10: H & C's "first plate" of 'The Goblin and the Sexton', "second plate" of 'Christmas Eve at Mr Wardle's' (but an additional "first plate", with dog and kitten, loosely inserted); Address leaf in second state, without 'Literary Announcement' advertisement, James Fraser one loosely inserted.
Part 11: H & C's "second plates" (but additional "first plates" of each loosely inserted).
Part 12: H & C's "first plate, second state"; with 22-page Mechi booklet.
Part 13: H & C's "first plate", without the very rare Pigot's advertisement.
Part 14: H & C's "first plate"; contents loose in sections within repaired wrappers.
Part 15: H & C's "first plate"; 'Caledonia Illustrata' 4pp. inset loosely inserted; spine repaired.
Part 16: H & C's "first plate"; loose in sections within repaired wrappers, staining to lower cover.
Part 17: H & C's "first plates" (one oxidised), advertisements present but Amesbury sheets bound out of order.
Part 18: H & C's "second plate" (but additional "first plate" of 'Mr Bob Sawyer's mode of travelling' supplied loose); 'Advertiser' loose (slightly smaller); wrappers dated 1837.
Part 19/20: all 4 plates H & C's "first plate".
Spare loose first issue oddments, comprising: the plates and text from parts 1-2 (including the four Seymour plates in first state, removed from a volume and foxed); six leaves of text from part 3; eight leaves of text from part 6.