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DICKENS, CHARLES.
A Christmas Carol.
Hand-colored etched frontispiece
and three plates by John Leech, four wood engravings in the text by W.J. Linton after
Leech. Half-title printed in blue, title-page printed in red and blue, verso printed in blue, 2
page publisher’s advertisement at end, yellow coated endpapers. 8vo, original vertically-
ribbed brown cloth, all edges gilt, spine and front cover gilt-stamped, spine with minimal
uniform discoloration, corners lightly bumped; Charles Ogden bookplate and discreet
bookseller’s label to front pastedown, small inked numeral to front free endpaper, otherwise
contents clean with colors bright.
London: Chapman & Hall, 1843
[5,000/7,500]
A SUPERLATIVE COPY OF THE FIRST EDITION
,
second issue with “Stave One” as the first chapter
heading, and balance of text uncorrected.With Todd’s first binding state (the closest interval between
blind decorative border on the left and the left extremity of the gilt cartouche measuring 14-15 mm
and the “D” of Dickens unbroken).
“Dickens’ changes of mind [regarding the production] led to a period in December of 1843 when
there were on hand at the printers and the binders different endpapers, title-pages, half-titles and text
pages already printed, though not yet cased—a situation that led to copies going out with mixed fea-
tures” (Lee Biondi, Firsts, September 1997, p. 30). Eckel pp.110-115; Smith II:4.