Master Humphrey's Clock by Charles Dickens - 1840

- London - Chapman and Hall, 1840 Book. Fair. Hardcover. First edition.. The first edition of Master Humphrey's Clock. The first edition of this work in book form. Master Humphrey's Clock was originally issued serially in 88 weekly numbers and in 20 monthly parts from April 4 1840-November 27 1841. Following this the work was also published in this three volume edition. In the original publisher's cloth which is rather worn. Needing a rebind but would make an attractive copy once done. With a frontispiece to each volume and numerous vignettes throughout from designs by George Cattermole and Phiz. With the pale yellow endpapers to first volume and spanish marbled endpapers to volumes II and III as observed by Smith (44-57). Collated, complete. This work contains Dickens' novels of The Old Curiosity Shop and Barnaby Rudge. Master Humphrey's Clock contained many short stories and it was believed that Dickens intended The Old Curiosity Shop to be a short story as well. However, after a few chapters he made the decision to extend it into a novel. Later editions of The Old Curiosity Shop and Barnaby Rudge were published as separate novels, forgetting the miscellany of Master Humphrey's Clock. Charles Dickens created some of the world's best known fictional characters. He is widely regarded to be the greatest novelist of the Victorian era. Condition: In original publisher's cloth bindings. Externally, worn. Heavy rubbing to the spines and extremities. Volumes I and III are lacking backstrips, with a lot of loss to the lifting backstrip of volume II. Both boards to volume III are detached but present, with final leaf attached to rear board and detached from textblock. Bumping to the extremities. Front hinge to volume I is strained. Rear inge to volume I is tender. Marks to boards. Prior owners' inscriptions to the front pastedown and to the recto of front endpaper. Internally, volumes are generally firmly bound with some straining in places. Final gathering of volume III is loosening and may detach with further handling. Pages are generally bright with scattered spotting. Overall: FAIR.