Bleak House by Dickens, Charles - 1853

London, Eng.: Bradbury and Evans, 1853 xvi, 624 p.: frontispiece, added engraved title page, and 38 additional leaves of plates; 22 cm. (8½ inches). The first edition in book form, with the Bradbury & Evans imprint dated 1853 on the added engraved title page. A lovely Bickers & Son full polished calf binding with six spine compartments between raised bands. Red morocco label in the second compartment reading: Bleak House. Black morocco label in the third compartment reading: Charles Dickens. Small red morocco label at tail of spine bearing publication date: 1853. Gilt-tooled ornamentation in the other four compartments. Gilt-ruled borders and corner rosettes on both boards. Gilt-rolled ornamentation on edges of both boards, with gilt-tooled ornamentation continuing on the turn-ins. All page edges gilt. Grey endpapers, with small binder's stamp on verso of front free endpapers. First edition points include: the 5-line errata statement on p. xvi; on p. xiii the final "i" is slightly elevated in the printing of the page nummber; on p. 516, 16 lines from the bottom, "it" has been omitted after "think"; on p. 620, at the end of the third full paragraph, is found "relieved" for "received." Smith, I:10. In Near Fine condition: joints, ends of spine, and raised bands are lightly rubbed; leather separated along front joint at tail of spine for approx. ½ cm. (¼ inch); frontispiece has left a light shadow on the added engraved title page. All 38 internal plates are resent. A beautiful copy. . First Edition in Book Form. Near Fine. Illus. by Browne, H.K..