Charles Dickens | A Christmas Carol. London: Chapman & Hall, 1844, first edition, trial printing

Charles Dickens

A Christmas Carol. London: Chapman & Hall, 1844.

FIRST EDITION, FIRST ISSUE, FOURTH STATE, 12mo (162 x 100mm.), upper cover with 14-15 mm gap between blind-stamped border and central gilt wreath, unbroken serif of 'D' in Dickens, red and green title-page, 'Stave One' on p.1, uncorrected text throughout, half-title, engraved frontispiece, 3 hand-coloured plates and 4 woodcuts in the text by John Leech, 2pp. advertisements at end, original cinnamon vertically ribbed cloth stamped in blind and gilt, yellow endpapers, gilt edges, collector's brown cloth-backed folding case, light spotting and browning, hinges cracked, upper cover ink stained, rebacked with original spine pasted on

THE RARE PRE-PUBLICATION "TRIAL ISSUE" OF A CHRISTMAS CAROL. Dickens initially specified that the half-title and title-pages should be printed in bright red and green, with matching hand-coloured green endpapers. However, it seems that he was dissatisfied with the result, and ‘had the title-page changed to red and blue, the half-title to blue, the date on the title-page changed from 1844 to 1843, and the endpapers changed to yellow, which did not require hand work’ (Smith II, p. 22).

LITERATURE:

Smith II: 4; Eckel pp. 116-120

PROVENANCE:

Bookseller's label of Charles Muskett, Norwich