Dickens, Charles

8vo, first English book edition, mixed issue (with signature 'E' on p.25, pagination on p.26, 'indelicate,' 'inscription' and 'S. Veller' on pp.341-2, 'this' on p.400, 'F' in headline p.432 unbroken, frontispiece and vignette title in the first state, plates 1, 2 and 4 in the first state of the second Seymour plate, plate 3 the second state of the first Seymour plate, plates 5-7 in the first state, plates 8-9 are the 'Phiz' plates, plates 12-13 and 17-21 are in the first state, 10-11 and 14-15 are in the second state, 23-24 and 28-29 are the second plate and the remainder are first plates)  half title, etched frontispiece and vignette title-page and 41 other plates by Robert Seymour, R.W. Browne and H.K. Browne ('Phiz'), publisher's full maroon morocco, pale yellow endpapers, edges gilt, occasional spotting and offsetting, hinges cracked, covers slightly scuffed, spine slightly faded, some wear to joints

John Clowes, armorial bookplate

Eckel, pp.17-58; Hatton & Cleaver, pp.3-88; Smith I:3; Grolier, English Hundred, 78

Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing, where appropriate.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

In the rare publisher's full leather binding. Chapman & Hall offered the Pickwick Papers in three bindings, full leather, half leather and cloth. Dickens wrote to Mrs Henry Belcombe on February 8, 1838 presenting her with a copy of the book, possibly in this full leather binding, describing it as "one of a few copies ... which the zeal of his publishers has put into a much smarter dress than his own modesty might have suggested as an appropriate costume" (Letters, vol.1, p.368).