For sale is a VERY rare First Edition of Nicholas Nickleby, by Charles Dickens. Published by Chapman and Hall, London, 1839. A complete suite of plates by Phiz. 624p.p. 8vo.
Bound in a very scarce and fine publisher’s deluxe full morocco binding. To the spine are raised bands and panels ornately tooled, and the title, in gilt. To the boards, scrolling arabesques, within panels, in gilt. Original yellow-coated endpapers. All page edges gilt.
Externally it is in exceptionally pleasing condition, with the morocco and gilt bright, and the hinges very firm. A jot of extraneous light rubbing in places.
Internally collated as fully complete, and aside from the typical marginal browning to some of the plates, it remains pleasingly bright.
The publisher released volumes bound in cloth, half Morocco, and full Morocco.
The cloth was the cheapest option for buyers of the time of printing, and then a price premium was put on the half Morocco and full Morocco.
Owing to books then being the preserve of only the educated, relatively few were printed and bound, by comparison to volumes published into the C20th.
The half Morocco and full Morocco being expensive at the time, resulted in fewer being produced, and therefore they are far more scarce than the original cloth is even now.
Gimble, the esteemed Dickens bibliographer of the early C20th, and Kremers, who produced a fine work on Dickens a few years ago, both cover the publisher’s half Morocco and full Morocco bindings in their works.
We also have publisher’s catalogues from the time, found in some original cloth volumes, by Dickens and other authors, which describe the options for binding, along with prices. Described in these are the original cloth, the half Morocco, and full Morocco.
The publisher’s half Morocco and full Morocco were offered to subscribers of the original monthly parts, so rather than collecting them monthly, they would buy them up at the end of the run, and collect them ready-bound by the publisher.
The design of these publisher’s bindings was elegant, yet simple, and consisted of raised bands in blind to the spine, and the title lettered directly in gilt. There were options for the author’s name to be omitted all together, or for C. Dickens; Chas. Dickens, or Dickens to be added.
The raised bands in blind could be adorned with additional gilt, and also, according to the budget of the buyer, the panels could also be tooled in gilt, according to taste.
Overall, to find an example of this title is indeed rare, particularly bound in such a rare ORIGINAL publisher’s binding. One of the best-loved works of the C19th, this scarce example would grace any collection, and it comes 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. WE WILL HAPPILY COMBINE POSTAGE WHERE POSSIBLE FOR MULTIPLE PURCHASES.
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