Master Humphrey's Clock by Charles Dickens - 1840

London - Chapman and Hall, 1840 Book. Good. Hardcover. First edition.. The first edition (in book form) of this Dickens classic. Illustrated throughoutwith engraved vignettes by George Catermole and Hablot Knight Browne. Master Humphrey's Clock was a weekly periodical edited and written entirely by Charles Dickens and published from April 4, 1840 to December 4, 1841. It began with a frame story in which Master Humphrey tells about himself and his small circle of friends (which includes Mr. Pickwick), and their penchant for telling stories. This features the gilt clock to the front boards, whose hands point to the appropriate volume numbers. Several short stories were included, followed by the novels The Old Curiosity Shop and Barnaby Rudge. It is generally thought that Dickens originally intended The Old Curiosity Shop as a short story like the others that had appeared in Master Humphrey's Clock, but after a few chapters decided to extend it into a novel. Complete in three volumes. Condition: Rebacked in cloth with the original boards and backstrips preserved. Externally, sound, though with some bumping and wear to the extremities. Some marks to the boards also. 1 hinge has been reinforced, and 1 hinges is strained (with cords visible). Internally, generally firmly bound although strained in places. Pages have some instances of foxing. Ink signatures to title pages. Overall: GOOD..