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[DICKENS, CHARLES]. The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club. London: Chapman and Hall, MDCCCXXXVII. [1837].
FIRST EDITION IN BOOK FORM, early issue. Leather-bound; hardcover housed in a custom cloth-covered slipcase; octavo (21 x 13 x 4.5 cm.); pp. xiv, [1, directions], [1, errata], 609, [1, blank]. English text. Beautifully bound in 20th-century full dark blue crushed morocco by Bayntun-Riviere; gilt titles and tooling to the spine; raised bands; gilt medallion portrait of Dickens on the front panel; facsimile of author's signature stamped in gilt on the back panel; inner gilt dentelles; all page edges gilt; marbled endpapers; half-title; etched vignette title-page; frontispiece; 41 plates by Robert Seymour and H. K. Browne (all plates are present and in their early states with page numbers as called for, but with no titles or imprints - two plates by R. W. Buss were suppressed and are not present in this copy). Condition: NEAR FINE. A superb copy, externally very well-preserved, the binding remaining tight. The textblock largely fresh and clean, some plates with trivial light toning. Without previous ownership markings.
Notes: First edition in book form of one of Dickens' greatest works. Originally issued in 20 parts from April 1836 to November 1837. "From a literary standpoint the supremacy of this book has been firmly established. It was written by Dickens when he was twenty-four and its publication placed the author on a solid foundation from which he never was removed. It is quite probable that only Shakespeare's Works, the Bible and perhaps the English Prayer Book, exceed "Pickwick Papers" in circulation" (Eckel, 17). "Never was a book received with more rapturous enthusiasm than that which greeted the Pickwick Papers!" (Allibone I:500). Dickens' first novel, showcased his astounding talent for sketching charming, sympathetic characters, helped to launch his career. "Its main literary value and appeal was formed by its numerous memorable characters. The Pickwick Papers are mostly a series of humorous misadventures, with a bit of satire, that give some insight into the mores of Victorian society. You can witness Dickens here working on a few prototypes that will show up in later novels. You also see his social consciousness manifesting itself" (Inverarity). With 43 illustrations by Seymour and Phiz, the early page numbers instead of the later captions and imprints below the images, including simultaneous steels of the frontispiece and vignette title, signboard on the engraved frontispiece reads "Weller" where "Veller" might indicate a first state. As expected in the first edition in book form, many the text points are in the second state, showing corrections. An important early work that remains beloved by Dickens' fans for its sensationalism and humour. Near Fine. Smith, Dickens, I, 3. HBS 36100.
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