Dealings with the Firm of DOMBEY AND SON [20 parts in 19].

Dickens, Charles

[a handsome set] Wholesale, Retail, and for Exportation. With Illustrations by H.K. Browne. [In 20-in-19 monthly serial parts.] London: Bradbury & Evans, 1846-1848. Original light blue-green pictorial wrappers.

First Edition, as issued in 20-in-19 monthly serial parts beginning in October 1846 and ending in April 1848. The serialization of this novel began upon the end of serialization of OLIVER TWIST (the scarcest of all "Dickens in parts," occurring eight years after its publication in book form); until OLIVER TWIST these monthly parts of Dickens's works were issued by Chapman & Hall, but were now being issued by Bradbury & Evans. Part XVIII of DOMBEY AND SON includes the first so-called "dark plate" (appropriately, "On the dark Road") to appear in a Dickens work -- possible due to a new process; there would be another in DAVID COPPERFIELD, followed by ten in BLEAK HOUSE and eight in LITTLE DORRIT. At the end of serialization, DOMBEY AND SON was published in book form -- the preliminary leaves for which are supplied at the end of the final monthly part.

As for issue points (there are three), this set like most is mixed: it reads "Capatin" on p. 324 (the uncommon 1st state), "if" is absent on p. 426 (1st state), and "431" is present on that page (2nd state) -- curious, in that pages 426 and 431 are in the same part. (The word "Delight" on page 284 is a faux issue point, since all copies in parts have that error.)

This is a very good-plus set -- fine in appearance, because all the wrappers (front and rear) are unusually clean; six of the front wrappers bear the small ink-stamp of "Webster & Co., 60 Piccadilly". Two of the rear wrappers (I and XVI) are "borrowed" from a different part, and all the delicate (plain) spines are expertly renewed. Notably, this set has ALL the advertisements and slips that are specified in the Hatton & Cleaver bibliography for a complete set. All the plates have varying degrees of darkening or foxing in the margins, but only Part II has plates that are significantly foxed. In all, an absolutely complete, clean set, with allowances for the "renewals." Hatton & Cleaver pp 225-250. Housed in a handsome clamshell case with morocco spine. Item #15324

Price: $3,250.00