Dickens, Charles

3 volumes, 8vo (7 7/8 x 4 3/4 in.; 197 x 121 mm, uncut). 32-page publisher's advertisement at the end; a few tiny spots. Original publisher's purple wavy-grained cloth, covers decorated in blind border of double fillet, inner single fillet at top and bottom, inner broad border of intertwined flower and leaves in relief against blind-stamped arabesque background, spines with blind borders of triple fillet at head and foot, title and author in relief against gilt block decorated with tendrils and small flowers, cream endpapers; extremities and covers with tiny signs of rubbing, spines slightly faded, hinges of vols 1 and 3 starting to fade. In a morocco gilt clamshell box.

Colvin (?Sidney Colvin, signature on front pastedowns) — Kenyon Starling (bookplate in box) — William E. Self (bookplate in box, sale Christie's NY, 2 April 2008, lot 169)

Eckel, p. 91-93; Sadleir 688; Smith II: 14

see cataloguing
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NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

First edition, first impressions of Dickens' masterpiece, a splendid copy. One thousand copies of the first edition were published, with most of these copies going to circulating libraries. This copy is remarkable in that of the nearly 120 points outlined in the detailed analysis found in the Clarendon edition of Great Expectations (1993, Appendix D, list C and D), almost all are the earliest state, with the following exceptions: vol. III, p.192, lines 11-12 are in state 2; p. 39, line 5 is state 3; p. 193 is state 2; page 195, line 2 is state 2; and p.217, line 3 is in state 2.