CELEBRATED NAVAL AND MILITARY TRIALS

Pp. [viii]+400(last blank); cr. 8vo; red cloth, spine lettered and decorated in gilt, boards with decorative blind borders, boards a trifle canted and slightly soiled, fore-corners lightly bruised, the spine slightly chipped and split at extremities; uncut; upper hinge cracked and lower hinge starting, text block faintly browned, outer leaves lightly foxed; Wm. H. Allen & Co., London, 1866. First edition. *Charles Dickens' copy, with his bookplate and the posthumous book label 'from the Library of Charles Dickens, Gadshill Place, June, 1870' on the upper pastedown. Most recently from the library of David Levine, Sydney, whose book label is also on the upper pastedown. Gadshill Place was the country home of Charles Dickens for the last 14 years of his life. He wrote Great Expectations and Our Mutual Friend there, and the unfinished Mystery of Edwin Drood. In his will he bequeathed his library to his son Charley. The house and contents were to be sold at auction: the pictures being sold by Christies in July, the furniture and wine on August 1, and the house itself on August 5. Charley Dickens purchased the house, funding the acquisition by selling his father's library (see Catalogue of the library of Charles Dickens from Gadshill &c., edited by J. H. Stonehouse). The label recording the provenance was affixed to each book sold.