Charles Dickens | A Tale of Two Cities, first edition in the original 7/8 parts, crimson morocco pull-off case

Charles Dickens

A Tale of Two Cities. London: Chapman and Hall, 1859

FIRST EDITION IN THE ORIGINAL MONTHLY PARTS, 8 parts in 7, 8vo (225 x 143mm.), 16 plates etched on steel by 'Phiz' (Hablot K. Browne), lacking the 'Advertiser' from the last 3/4 parts, several others wanting but with substitutes provided from other issues, p. 213 correctly numbered, original blue printed wrappers (the last 3/4 parts with covers substituted from earlier parts with the part numbering and dates cleverly altered), housed in crushed crimson morocco book-form pull-off case, raised bands, lettered in gilt, some neat repairs to spines

THE UNCOMMON PARTS-ISSUE OF A TALE OF TWO CITIES, "EXCEEDED IN SCARCITY ONLY BY PICKWICK AND SKETCHES BY BOZ" (Eckel), representing the final collaboration between Dickens and his illustrator Hablot K. Browne ("Phiz"). The novel had first appeared in the weekly journal All the Year Round from 30 April to 26 November 1859.

LITERATURE

Hatton and Cleaver pp. 333-342; Eckel p.86