[Dickens], The Library of Fiction, [1836-37], 6 of the original parts

[DICKENS, CHARLES]

The Library of Fiction, or Family Story-Teller; consisting of Original Tales, Essays, and Sketches of Character... Numbers I – Iv, Vi And Viii. London: Chapman and Hall, [1836-37]

8vo (208 x 134mm.), SIX OF THE ORIGINAL PARTS, 12 plates by Hablot K. Browne (“Phiz”), R. Seymour, R.W. Buss and others, 8pp. advertisements in number I and 4pp. advertisements in number III, original printed grey wrappers, collector’s black cloth chemise and black morocco-backed folding box, some spotting and browning, upper wrapper, adverts and two plates becoming loose in number III, holes to final five leaves and lower wrapper of number VI, wrappers worn with some minor loss and tears

THE VERY RARE FIRST APPEARANCE OF TWO OF DICKENS’S EARLIEST “SKETCHES”, IN THEIR ORIGINAL PERIODICAL PUBLICATION.

Eckel noted the “complete and perfect sets of the fourteen parts are very, very scarce”. So too are incomplete sets. The current six parts include all of Dickens’s contributions and also the illustration by Phiz in number VI for Edward Mayhew’s 'John Smith'. With a character dressed in a striped waistcoat, this plate has been identified as a visual prototype of Tony Weller (see Kitton, Dickens and His Illustrators, p. 62).

The lower wrapper of each number carries an advertisement for the serial publication of The Pickwick Papers.

REFERENCE:

Gimbel E121; E122