£150 - £200
Dickens (Charles) & Browne (Hablot Knight, illustrator), Bleak House, first edition in book form, first impression, either issue one or two (of two), London: Bradbury and Evans, 1853, half-title discarded - apparently as issued, frontispiece, etched and letterpress title-pages, with the full compliment of 38 plates as called for - including the 10 'dark' plates - of which the plates 'The little old Lady' at p. 23 and 'Miss Jellyby' at p. 31 have partially-bleached margins - just affecting the image in places, pp. 591-612 with creased lower corners, typical foxing in places, some off-setting and toning, original publisher's blind-stamped green cloth over boards, starting to split in places and just holding, creased spine, head and foot chipped, yet the latter never dated in gilt Roman numerals like other variant issues, tartan papered endpapers, split, yet holding, 8vo
Provenance: J.B. Carter, Elm House, Chapel Allerton, [Leeds]; ffep with contemporary ownership inscription.
With the three canonical first edition, first impression points as called for, i.e. 'elgble' in lieu of eligible on p. 16 line 6; 'chair' instead of hair on p. 209 line 23; and 'counsinship' rather than cousinship on p. 275 line 22. This copy being one of the two issues of the first impression with p. 230 numbered '30' and p. 620 without 'received' at line 24: unable to determine precedence thus.
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24% inc VAT*
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