Dickens, The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club, 1837, first edition in book form

DICKENS, CHARLES

The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club. London: Chapman and Hall, 1837

8vo (224 x 138mm.), FIRST EDITION IN BOOK FORM, EARLY ISSUE, with 6 of 7 Smith priority first issue text points, 21 of 28 Hatton and Cleaver first issue text points, half-title, printed title dated 1837, 2pp. Address by the Author, 4pp. Preface, 4pp. Contents, 2pp. Directions to Binder/Errata, engraved frontispiece, pictorial title-page and 41 plates by R. Seymour, R.W. Buss and H.K. Brown ["Phiz"], 23 in first issue state, original purplish-black fine-diaper cloth, covers stamped in blind with linear border enclosing central triple-line panel, spine lettered in gilt, with 5 linear rectangular panels, pale yellow endpapers, collector's brick-red cloth folding case, spine lettered in gilt, short tear to fore-edge of half title, short tears in margin and fore-edge leaf E1, plates slightly browned, some offset onto text leaves, cloth slightly rubbed at extremities, spine lightly faded      

The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club is extremely rare with the majority of first issue points. Smith claims there are seven true first issue points, of which this present copy has all except the correct page 25 (known by only a very small number of copies). Issue points are as below:

Text

Smith: first issue p.260, line 29 'hodling'; p.267, '7' in pagination raised; p.341, line 1/2 'inde-licate', line 5, 'inscription'; p.342, line 5 'Veller'; p.400, line 21, 'this friends'; p.432 headline 'F' imperfect. Hatton and Cleaver: Later issue pp.1- 120, pp.121-end first issue except for p.233 and 261

Plates

Seymour Plates 1-4 first state, second plates; plates 5-7 first state. Buss plates 8-9 first "suppressed" plates. Remaining plates H.K. Browne ["Phiz"], first state plates 12, 13, 16-21, 23, 25, 26 (first state), 30 - 35, 39; second state frontispiece and pictorial title-page, plates 10-11 (original plate), 22, 24, 27 (first plate), 28, 29, 36, 37; third state plates 40, 41; plates 14-15, 38 later issues

REFERENCE:

 Smith I:3; Eckel pp.17-78; Hatton and Cleaver pp. 1-88