Dickens, Charles

A Christmas Carol. Chapman & Hall, 1843, FIRST EDITION, hand-coloured frontispiece and 3 hand-coloured etched plates by John Leech, blue and red title-page, green endpapers bound in, previous ownership inscription in ink on one endpaper; The Chimes. Chapman & Hall, 1845, FIRST EDITION, additional vignette title (first issue) and frontispiece, wood-engraved text vignettes, half-title; The Cricket on the Hearth. For the author by Bradbury and Evans, 1846, FIRST EDITION, additional wood-engraved title-page and frontispiece after Maclise, wood-engraved text vignettes, half-title; The Battle of Life. Bradbury and Evans, 1846, FIRST EDITION, additional pictorial wood-engraved title-page (fourth state) and frontispiece after Maclise, wood-engraved text vignettes, half-title; The Haunted Man and the Ghost's Bargain. Bradbury and Evans, 1848, FIRST EDITION, additional pictorial wood-engraved title-page and frontispiece after John Tenniel by Martin and Corbould, wood-engraved text vignettes;

Uniformly bound in nineteenth-century red calf by Zaehnsdorf, spine gilt and decorated in compartments, all original cloth bindings preserved and bound in at end, marbled endpapers, all edges gilt, preserved in a green morocco backed folding box, spine titled and decorated in gilt, some browning, preserved bindings with some wear and soiling, binding for A Christmas Carol with some spotting to upper cover, bumped (5)

Condition is described in the main body of the catalogue, where appropriate.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

A fine set of the author's celebrated tales, in which he almost single-handedly invented the modern idea of Christmas.