Works of Charles Dickens [Library Edition] by Dickens, Charles - 1858-1859

London / Boston: Chapman & Hall / Ticknor & Fields, 1858-1859. First Library Edition. "Best Edition," as stated by Dickens on dedication leaf, Vol. I, The Pickwick Papers. Hardcover. Very Good/No DJ as issued. Complete set of 22 small 8vo volumes (8 11/16 x 5 1/2 inches; 221 x 141 mm). Bound in contemporary full tan polished calf. Covers with gilt single fillet border, spines elaborately tooled in gilt in compartments with five gilt-dotted raised bands and red and green morocco gilt lettering labels, turn-ins decoratively tooled in gilt, marbled edges, marbled endpapers. Titles include The Pickwick Papers, Nicholas Nickleby, Martin Chuzzlewit, The Old Curiosity Shop, Reprinted Pieces, Barnaby Rudge, Hard Times, Sketches by Boz, Oliver Twist, Dombey and Son, David Copperfield, Pictures from Italy, American Notes, Bleak House, Little Dorrit, and Christmas Books. Dedication leaf in Vol. I of The Pickwick Papers reads, "This best edition of my books is, of right, inscribed to my dear friend John Forster, biographer of Oliver Goldsmith, in affectionate acknowledgment of his counsel, sympathy, and faithful friendship during my whole literary life." Only illustrations are frontispieces in all volumes except Old Curiosity Shop (two volumes), Barnaby Rudge (two volumes), and Oliver Twist, which were bound without them. Scare first issue of the Library Edition. Overall, set is in very good condition for its age. All volumes inscribed on title page by early owner, Wickliff E. Baldwin. Some rubbing to extremities. Two volumes have some damage... David Copperfield, Vol. I: spine and front board separated from block. Oliver Twist: ffep missing, spine and front board separated from block, front hinge torn halfway up from tail to 1-inch closed tear in calf facing of front board. Save for the missing ffep in Oliver Twist, these damages have been expertly repaired in order to preserve the integrity of the volumes.

"The Library Edition came about largely because of the suggestion of Forster that while Dickens's works were available in volumes in the Cheap Edition and in reprints of the serial parts, there was no high-quality edition that would appeal to the wealthy. Dickens eventually came round to the idea that an elegant edition could raise the stature of his writings. He faced a complication, in that the rights to the works were divided between Chapman and Hall and Bradbury and Evans. Consequently, the volumes contained the imprints of both publishers. With a dedication to Forster, the Library Edition appeared in 22 volumes in 1858-9 at 7s 6d per volume. Titles included Pickwick, Nickleby, Chuzzlewit, Old Curiosity Shop, Reprinted Pieces, Barnaby Rudge, Hard Times, Sketches by Boz, Oliver Twist, Dombey, Copperfield, Pictures from Italy, Bleak House, Little Dorrit, and Christmas Books. The only illustrations were the frontispieces. Between 1861 and 1874 this edition was reissued in 30 volumes with the addition of Tale of Two Cities, Great Expectations, Our Mutual Friend, The Uncommercial Traveller, A Childs History of England, Christmas Stories, and Drood." (Oxford Reader's Companion to Dickens, pp. 205-206). ~ ~ ~ Shipped from a real bricks-and-mortar bookstore. Books are securely packaged to prevent damage in transit. Within the U.S., we ship USPS Priority Mail with insurance against loss or damage. Tracking number provided. Please note: This is a heavy set. Additional shipping charges will be incurred.