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The Life of Charles Dickens by {DICKENS, Charles] FORSTER, John
London: Chapman and Hall, 1872. Third edition with nine new title pages printed in blank and red (New York; T. W. Lawrence, 1892; presumably the date this set was assembled), Three octavo volumes extended to nine. Extra-illustrated with the addition of 1038 plates (many sized to fit, some color and some double page). This number includes 358 portraits (of which at least 75 are portraits of Dickens). Includes a ALS from Dickens dated March 14th and written at the Fulham Hotel (recipient appears to be a Mr. Neilson), small bifolio written on two sides and signed in full. In the same volume (Vol I) is an unsigned letter from Dickens written on 'All the Year Round' stationary. In volume VI there is a signed letter from Hablot K. Browne ('Phiz'); the letter is not dated but was written from 2 Park Terrace and at the end of the letter 'Phiz' has made a very nice drawing of a devil looking upon some paintings while two cherubs try to nail down his tail. Among the other highlights are sixteen original Kyd watercolors of Dickens' characters, an original photograph of Dickens and another of Mark Lemon (founder of Punch Magazine, adaptor of many Dickens titles for the stage and personal friend of Dickens), three original broadsides for theaters mounting plays by Dickens, eleven front wrappers for various Dickens' titles that were issued in parts, the title page for 'Sunday' (Chapman & Hall, 1836) and a print of an acrostic on the late Charles Dickens composed by Charles Kent, with portrait (double page). The views themselves are incredibly diverse ranging from numerous illustrations from his many books, scenes of locales mentioned, stage actors portraying Dickens' characters, and numerous American scenes from his tour of that county (and his tour of prisons and Niagara Falls). There is no mention of whom this set was assembled for but it is surely the largest extra-illustrated set of Forster on record. Contemporary full crushed red morocco, gilt spine lettering, gilt turn-ins, pink endpapers, top edges gilt. Volume one has hinge repair. A very good set. Historian and biographer John Forster (1812-1876) Òwas the literary associate and close friend of Leigh Hunt, C. Lamb, W.S. Landor, Bulwer-Lytton, and Dickens: from 1837 on he read in MS or proof everything Dickens wroteÉHis popular literary biographies include Life and Adventures of Oliver Goldsmith [1848], Landor [1869], Dickens [1872-1874], and the first volume of a scholarly life of Swift [1875]. He is recognized as the first professional biographer of 19th-cent. England. His business acumen plus activities as a man of letters made his assistance valued by many. Landor, Dickens, and Carlyle appointed him their literary executorÓ (The Oxford Companion to English Literature). See Gimbel H187 and D80.
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