[Dickens (Charles)], "Boz". The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick

[Dickens (Charles)], "Boz". The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club, first edition, most first state in the original 19/20 parts, all first issue except parts 1, 2, 3, 7, and 9, 43 engraved plates, all but 5 'first plate, first state', Pickwick Advertiser present in all which call for them, except parts 5 and 8, front slips to parts 1 and 3, but lacking in part 13, rear slips or advertisements in all that call for it except parts 3, 5, 7, 8, part 9 with 4 (of 5) advertisements, addresses present when called for except in part 2, occasional browning or scattered spotting, all but parts 2, 3 and 8 in first issue original printed wrappers, few spines and covers with light repairs, few upper covers with ink ownership inscription to head, occasional light staining or browning, chipping and wear to extremities, preserved in modern morocco-backed cloth drop-back box, [Hatton & Cleaver, pp. 3-88], 8vo, Chapman and Hall, 1836-37. *** Rare in original parts and notoriously bibliographically complex. Seemingly one of the more complete copies to appear at auction, with most of the first issue parts. The complexity of Pickwick in parts is a consequence of the initial unpopularity of the work when the first issues were published, but soon publishers had to meet the demands when it become a phenomenal best-seller, resulting in random and careless assembly of the individual parts and reprints. Assembling original first issue parts from scratch is practically impossible. There is no record of a perfect set of parts to exist. A detailed listing of the relevant issue points of the present work is available upon request

Estimate:£2,000

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