Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, Hardcover, First Edition (3 results)

First American edition. Small 8vo, illustrated with 8 plates after the originals by John Leech, a hand-colored frontispiece of Mr. Fezziwig's ball, three colored plates that are lithographed by P. S. Duval and four black-and-white, original brown cloth, decorated and lettered in blind and gilt on the front cover and spine, and in blind only on rear cover, by J. C. Russell, Binder. First American edition of Dickens' most popular work. replicating the first English edition, the American edition was printed by "C. Sherman, printer", as noted on the verso of the title-page. Carey & Hart's American publication was a piracy, published in blatant disregard to Dickens' impassioned plea for international copyright protection during his tour of America in 1843. The present copy is in the rare gift binding, stamped on the front cover with the binder's name, unlike in the ordinary bindings. Edgar & Vail, p. 21; Gimbel a80; McGuire Collection, 31; Wilkins, p. 38; Suzzanet Collection, p. 190, item 78 (the ordinary binding only). a short 1/8 inch closed tear at the top of the spine, slight foxing to endpapers, otherwise a remarkably fine copy of this edition, far scarcer than the English edition. Enclosed in a red half-morocco folding box.

[v] 158 pp. Illustrated with four hand-colored lithographs after engravings by John Leech, and four wood engravings. The frontispiece in this copy is "Mr. Fezziwig's Ball." 12mo, publisher's gift binding of pale blue ribbed cloth, gilt; with the imprint of J. C. Russell, Binder. Formerly considered the first US edition; now thought perhaps to have been preceded by the New York edition of the same year. Ownership signature in pencil, Christmas, 1844. endsheets darkened; some scattered light foxing. The spine is very slightly faded, with minor use at extremities and a two-inch structurally insignificant split to the rear joint. An attractive example. Title page in red and blue.

Complete set of Charles Dickens' Christmas Books, comprising the first appearance of AÂChristmas Carol in red cloth, issued to match the others, and first editions of the remaining four. Octavo, 5 volumes, original cloth with gilt titles and tooling to the spine and front panels, all edges gilt. A Christmas Carol is a tenth edition with 4 hand-colored plates, spine neatly repaired [1844]; First edition of The Chimes: A Goblin Story with the advertisement leaf for the above edition of AÂChristmas Carol, second state of vignette title-page, recased [1845]; first edition of The Cricket on the Hearth, second state of advertisement leaf [1846]; first edition of The Battle of Life with vignette title-page in fourth state without imprint (Todd's E1) [1846]; first edition of The Haunted Man and the Ghost's Bargain with p.161 numeral intact, spine ends repaired [Bradbury & Evans, 1848]. In very good condition. A very nice example. A Christmas Carol "may readily be called the Bible of Christmas. It was issued about ten days before Christmas, 1843, and 6000 copies were sold on the first day"(Eckel, 110). "It was a work written at the height of Dickensâ great powers, which would add to his considerable fame, bring a new work to the English language, increase the festivities at Christmastime, and contain his most eloquent protest at the condition of the poor" (John Mortimer). "Suddenly conceived and written within a few weeks, [A Christmas Carol] was the first of Dickensâ Christmas books (a new literary genre thus created incidentally) it was an extraordinary achievementâ "the one great Christmas myth of modern literature.".