Charles Dickens | The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club, 1837, first edition in book form

Dickens, Charles

The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club. London: Chapman and Hall, 1837

FIRST EDITION IN BOOK FORM, EARLY ISSUE, 8vo (210 x 124mm.), with 6 of 7 of Smith's priority first issue text points, and 14 of 28 Hatton and Cleaver first issue text points, half title, printed title-page dated 1837, 2pp. Address by the Author, 4pp. Preface, 4pp. Contents, 2pp. Directions to the Binder/Errata, engraved frontispiece, pictorial title-page and 41 plates by Robert Seymour, Robert Buss and Hablot K. Browne "Phiz", frontispiece, pictorial title-page and 25 others in first issue, modern full red morocco gilt by Bayntun (Riviere), gilt edges, marbled endpapers, cloth slipcase, some plates offset, others lightly spotted

The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club is extremely rare with the majority of the first issue points. Smith claims there are seven true first issue points, of which this present really good copy in a fine binding has six (only very few known copies with correct p. 25). Issue points are as below: 

Text:

Smith: first issues p. 260 line 29 'hodling'; p. 267 '7' in pagination raised; p. 341 line 1/2 'inde-licate' and line 5 'inscription'; p. 342 line 5 'Veller'; p. 400 line 21 'this friends'; p. 432 headline 'F' imperfect. Hatton and Cleaver: Later issue pp. 1-147, pp. 148-end majority first issue, with the exception of pp. 161, 233, 261 and 289.

Plates:

Seymour plates 1,2,4 first state second plate; 3,6,7 first plate first state. Buss plates 8-9 first 'suppressed' plates. Remaining plates Hablot K. Browne "Phiz", 2 first state first plates, 19 first plates, 2 first plate second states, 10 second plates, 1 third plate.    

LITERATURE:

Smith I: 3; Eckel pp.17-78; Hatton and Cleaver pp. 1-88

PROVENANCE:

Tabot, bookplate