Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities, 1859, first book edition, author's copy, with bookplate

DICKENS, CHARLES

A Tale of Two Cities. London: Chapman and Hall, 1859

8vo (223 x 141mm.), FIRST BOOK EDITION, earlier issue with p.213 mispaginated ("113") and list of plates signed b, without the publisher's catalogue sometimes found at the end,  DICKENS' OWN COPY WITH HIS BOOKPLATE, 16 etched illustrations by Hablot K. Browne ("Phiz") including frontispiece and additional title, one gathering unopened, original deep red morocco cloth, covers decorated in blind with outer rectangular panels containing an 88 figure design, spine gilt, pale yellow endpapers, preserved in red cloth folder and quarter red morocco slipcase, hinges starting, a touch of wear to binding, chemise splitting, OTHERWISE A VERY FINE COPY

THE AUTHOR'S OWN COPY IN CLOTH OF THE FIRST BOOK EDITION OF HIS POPULAR HISTORICAL NOVEL, with early impressions of all the plates (all the captions are very legible), and with the author's own bookplate.

REFERENCE:

Smith I: 13; Eckel pp.86-90; Sadleir 701; Wolff 1811

PROVENANCE:

Charles Dickens, bookplate; Oliver Henry Perkins, bookplate, his sale, Anderson, 23 March, 1926, lot 227; Douglas C. Ewing, booklabel, sold at Christie's New York, 7 April 1978, lot 78; Richard Manney, sale of his library at Sotheby's New York, 11 October 1991, lot 100