It was created in 1827 and published first in Geneva, Switzerland in 1837 as "Histoire de Mr. Vieux Bois", then in London in 1841 by Tilt and Bogue editions as the book "The Adventures of Mr. Obadiah Oldbuck", and then in New York, U.S., in a newspaper supplement titled "Brother Jonathan Extra" No. IX (September 14, 1842), followed by an 1849 republication as a book titled "The Adventures of Mr. Obadiah Oldbuck", published in New York by Wilson & Co. The English-language editions were unlicensed copies of the original work as they were done without Töpffer's authorization.