A Christmas Carol by Dickens, Charles - 1843

London: Chapman and Hall, 1843. First Edition. Hard Cover. Very Good/No Jacket. Illustrated by John Leech. 12mo - over 6¾" - 7¾" tall. First edition in the original cloth of one of the most beloved works ever published. In this work Charles Dickens not only re-shaped much of the meaning of Christmas for generations, but fixed such unforgettable figures as Scrooge, Tiny Tim, and the various ghosts into our collective imagination. This is the true first edition from 1843, the first issue (third state). Stave I has all first issue points, green endpapers. Compplete with all hand-colored plates and b/w illustrations. Bound in the original plum cloth decorated in gilt and blind, all edges gilt (some wear to cloth with some expert and unobtrusive restoration to extremities of cloth; spine a bit cocked; inner hinges a bit tender; minor slight smudges). Provenance: There is an ink gift inscription "To Georgiana from her Godfather - Jan 1st 1844 Stirling (illegible)." Tiny 19th-century bookseller's label of T. Sowler, Manchester.