For sale is a fine and rare FIRST ISSUE CLOTH-bound first edition of the original parts of A Tale of Two Cities, by Charles Dickens. Published London: Chapman and Hall, 193, Piccadilly; And At The Office Of All The Year Round, 11, Wellington Street, North. MDCCCLIX. 254p.p. A full suite of illustrations by H.K. Browne. Tall 8vo. Complete with the rare 32p.p. publisher subscriber's catalogue to the rear, dated November, 1859.

Beautifully bound in fine red morocco over the publisher's primary cloth boards. The spine with elegant raised bands in blind, with the title and author's name directly in gilt, and gilt motifs to the panels. Original yellow-coated endpapers. 

This wonderful example has p.213 correctly numbered, which, in our experience is significantly more rare than the mispaginated issues, and even more so when found, as here, with the publisher's primary cloth boards, and with the terribly scarce catalogue to the rear.

Externally it remains in really very pleasing order; the morocco is fresh and the gilt crisp and bright, and the boards also. Occasional trivial extraneous rubbing, but this does not hinder its handsome finish. Internally, this example is without doubt one of the cleanest examples of this title we have handled; only a tiny amount of light spotting to a few leaves. The impressions to the plates are extraordinarily bright and bold - making them a very early, and important, set in the print run of the plates.

The provenance is wonderful, as it boasts the very smart armorial bookplate of Samuel Courtauld to the front pastedown. To the FFEP, is the name of his father, George Courtauld, 1859, in ink, and to the bookplate are the initials of James Courtauld, in pencil. Samuel Courtauld founded the Courtauld Institute of Art, London, in 1932 and, following a series of gifts during the 1930s, bequeathed his collection to it upon his death. Interestingly, we can pinpoint precisely where George purchased this book, as it bears the blindstamp for W.H. Smith and Sons, The Strand, London. This very store was just along the road from Somerset House, where the Courtauld Institute is based.

Overall, this is a volume not to be missed; the condition is outstanding throughout, and it is indeed one of the hardest-to-find and sought after of all of the first editions in the Dickens canon. It would grace any collection and comes very highly recommended.

Should you have any questions relating to this item, please do not hesitate to contact us. Further images are also available upon request.

Our items are packaged extremely securely and sent via tracked and insured Royal Mail Airsure overseas, and tracked and insured Royal Mail Special Delivery within the UK. We do not profit financially from the postage of our items, always charging less than the actual cost, covering the difference ourselves.

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