Dickens, Sketches by Boz, 1836, original parts, Dickens' bibliographer's own annotated copy

DICKENS, CHARLES

Sketches by Boz. London: Chapman and Hall, November 1837-June 1839

8vo (224 x 143mm.), IN THE ORIGINAL 20 PARTS, THE BIBLIOGRAPHER'S OWN ANNOTATED COPY, 40 etched plates by George Cruikshank, publisher's imprint appears on plate 11 in part VI onwards, pagination correct on p. 83 part XIV and on p. 515 part XX, p. 526 with 'reeledbefore', with blank leaf [p. 527-528] part XX, with preliminary leaves at end part XX, with 4pp. inset announcement in part V, advertisement pages as called for by Hatton and Cleaver [part I: 8; part II: 8; part III: 4 at front, 8 at rear in variant order, on green paper, unopened, also 20pp Mechi catalogue printed in green and blue on upper cover; part IX: 4pp], additional advertisment pages not in Hatton and Cleaver [part XII: 2pp. inset advertisement; part XV inset advertisement leaf on grey paper, original pink pictorial wrappers as called for by Hatton and Cleaver [part XVI, XVIII and XIX inside back wrapper each with additional items listed], each part preserved within later paper wrappers annotated in pencil [by Thomas Hatton], part XII signed with initials 'TH', red cloth collector's folding box lettered on spine in gilt, plates generally offset and browned in margins, majority of wrappers expertly restored at backstrip and along fore-edge, those not restored with backstrip chipped, some loss at foot, wrappers generally slightly soiled or discoloured, occasionally browned at edges

ONE OF THE SCARCEST OF DICKENS' WORKS IN THE ORIGINAL PARTS, ANNOTATED BY THOMAS HATTON WHILE WORKING ON HIS BIBLIOGRAPHY. The Sketches had initially appeared in magazines and daily journals, a few being gathered into book form and published in 1836, with the remainder appearing in 1837 (see lot 7 onwards). The copyright was purchased outright by Chapman and Hall and issued in original parts, a format which had become popular, to coincide with the final part of The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club. The standard green wrappers were replaced in this instance with pink ones; this change was not well-received by advertisers, resulting in few inset advertisments. Twenty-seven of the etchings had first appeared in the earlier book form, enlarged here to match the additional thirteen supplied for the monthly parts  

REFERENCE:

Hatton and Cleaver p. 89-128; Eckel p. 15

PROVENANCE:

Thomas Hatton, protective wrappers to each part annotated, that to part XII signed with initials TH, folding box annotated 'Hatton Zeitlin 3-7-35 CSAA; Estelle Doheny, bookplate, the sale of her collection at Christie's New York, Part IV, 17 October 1988, lot 1234