Dickens, Charles | “God bless us every one!”

Property from the Workman Collection

Dickens, Charles

A Christmas Carol. Philadelphia: Carey & Heart, 1844

12mo (157 x 95 mm). Frontispiece ("Mr. Fezzwig's Ball") and 3 plates hand-colored by P.S. Duval after John Leech, and 4 woodcut plates after Leech, half-title printed in blue, title-page printed in red and blue; tear to frontis and title neatly repaired. Original rib-grain green cloth, cover decoratively ruled and stamped in gilt, spine and upper cover gilt-lettered, spine with elaborate floral motif in gilt, yellow coated endpapers; some slight rubbing. Housed in custom red morocco and marbled paper-covered board clamshell case.

This has often been described as the first American edition, but Walter Smith's recent bibliography of the first American editions of the Christmas Books now assigns that to the New York Harper and Brothers edition which was published on 24th January 1844. According to Smith the Carey & Hart edition did not appear until 19th April.

REFERENCE:

Gimbel a80

PROVENANCE:

Elizabeth P. Gray (early ownership inscription to front free endpaper)