Works of Charles Dickens: Pickwick Papers, The Old Curiosity Shop, Great Expectations, Bleak House, A Christmas Carol, David Copperfield, Oliver Twist, A Tale of Two Cities, etc. The Illustrated Library Edition.

DICKENS, Charles (1812-1870), [CRUIKSHANK, PHIZ, BARNARD, et al., illustrators].

London: Chapman and Hall, 1873-1876. [Complete Works] FINELY BOUND AND ILLUSTRATED SET. Complete in 30 volumes. Octavo (22 x 15 x 117cm). An excellent edition featuring fair-sized print, good paper, and all the original engravings. Contemporary burgundy half calf, with raised bands, gilt titles and decoration to spines, and papier tourniquet over boards. All edges marbled, and papier tourniquet endpapers. Black ink ownership of Thomas Henry Rushton to half title of each volume, dated 1883. Some spotting around plates and endpapers, otherwise quite clean internally. Some volumes show a few proud gatherings and a reading lean. Moderate general wear to bindings. Spines quite roughly re-coloured, washing over the gilt. Most volumes still attractive. Good. According to Spencer, this second official Library Edition was intended to be the publisher's 'most luxurious edition', including 'all the illustrations from the original steel blocks, new larger type, and higher quality paper and binding.'. Item #64014

SPENCER, Andrew, 'Charles Dickens: A Guide to the Collected Editions' (Chesney Wold 2021), pp.20-21.

Price: £1,950.00