"If one cannot enjoy reading a book over and over again, there is no use in reading it at all. "
— Oscar Wilde
The Life and Adventures of Martin Chuzzlewit.
London: Chapman and Hall, 1844. [Classic Literature] FIRST EDITION, bound from the parts with '100£' to engraved title page. Octavo (22 x 14cm), pp.xvi; 624 [2]. With a total of 40 engraved plates by Phiz, including a frontispiece and decorated title page. Contemporary black half calf, with raised bands, gilt titles to red label, and further gilt decoration to spine. Marbled paper over boards, and all edges and endpapers marbled. Upper hinge split, but holding firmly, with some coloured-over abrasion marks. Plates show moderate toning and spotting, with some thumbing to fore-edge. Heavy wear to boards and bumping to corners; lighter wear to spine. Very good. Dickens regarded Chuzzlewit, his final picaresque novel, as his best work. Among its memorable cast of characters are Seth Pecksniff the plagiarising architect, Mrs Gamp the matronly alcoholic, and the definitive patriarch Old Martin Chuzzlewit. Item #63926
Price: £250.00
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See all items by Charles DICKENS, H. K. 'PHIZ' BROWNE