Charles Dickens - Little Dorrit

Bradbury and Evans 1857

With 40 illustrations by Phiz (incl. frontispiece and vignette title page)

First Edition in Book Form, Early State

This is the first edition (in book form) of Charles Dickens' most outspoken novel Little Dorrit; a masterly evocation of the state and psychology of imprisonment and one of the supreme works of Dickens's maturity.

The title bears all first issue points, still retaining signature "B2" on page 371 and "Rigaud" mistakenly substituted for "Blandois" on pages 469-74.

Condition Report

Half-bound in brown leather with cloth-covered boards (possibly silk). Several raised bands and gilt lettering to spine. Leather and boards worn, especially around extremities, with small chip at the head of the spine. Corners quite bumped. Edges tanned.

Ex-library embosser stamp on page 1 of the book. Some pencil inscriptions within which could be easily erased. Significant amount of foxing within the book, as expected considering its age. Spotting and marking throughout, with minimal signs of previous use. 

Collated as almost-complete, with all plates present, but with the following mention; the leaf with pages 45-46 was mistakenly attached twice in the text block in the binding process and unfortunately, the leaf with pages 43-44 was missing. The previous owner very neatly removed the duplicate leaf (which is now stored as a paste-down at the back of the book), handwrote the text of pages 43-44 on an empty piece of paper and pasted it in the correct spot. While this likely makes the book less than perfect in the eyes of the keen collector, we feel it adds a certain charm to this wonderful book.

All pages are tightly bound within. Content is clean and legible.

Sporadically, some very small page tears in places, likely from handling, however with minimal, if any, loss (and no loss from text or illustration). Some earmarks and creases to be expected.

A wonderful copy for its age. We have taken as many photos as possible, but there is a limit to how many eBay allows us to include in the listing. Should you want any additional pictures, please do contact us. We would be more than happy to help. We also have other Charles Dickens first editions in our shop, so please feel free to have a look.

Please consult all photos before purchasing to make sure you are happy with the condition of the book(s). Should you have any questions or want more photos , please do not hesitate to reach out. 

All our books come from a smoke-free, climate-controlled library.

Packing and Shipping

As keen collectors ourselves, we understand the value of the wonderful books we list. We always wrap and box our items very carefully to ensure they will arrive to you in the condition described. We try to keep our wrapping materials as planet-friendly as possible, so you can always recycle or reuse them.

Shipping is available both domestically and internationally, the latter through the eBay Global Shipping Programme. Books are despatched within a working day of purchase and sent in the UK, unless otherwise stated, with a tracked 48-hour service (free) or tracked 24-hour service (for a small additional charge). Personal collection from Colchester is equally welcome.

Returns

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Combined Shipping

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For international buyers, as items are shipped through the eBay GSP program, we will need to combine multiple listings into one, so please do contact us before purchasing to let us know which books interest you, and we will take it from there.