Lot 108•
DICKENS (CHARLES) The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club, BOUND FROM THE ORIGINAL PARTS AND EXTRA-ILLUSTRATED, WITH FIRST ISSUE TEXT in 16 of the 20 parts, Chapman & Hall, 1837
Ending from 19 November 2025, 12:00 GMT
Online, London, Knightsbridge£800 - £1,200
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DICKENS (CHARLES)
The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club, BOUND FROM THE ORIGINAL PARTS AND EXTRA-ILLUSTRATED, WITH FIRST ISSUE TEXT in 16 of the 20 parts, half-title and Directions to the Binder leaf, etched frontispiece, vignette title and 41 plates by Robert Seymour, R.W. Buss and H.K. Browne, EXTRA-ILLUSTRATED with the insertion of the first 21 (of 32) plates by Thomas Onwhyn bound-in at the relevant page (some signed "Sam Weller" or "TO"), text with occasional light foxing, plates with some foxing, occasional offsetting and customary oxidisation at edges, pencilled note regarding different states on verso of each plate, contemporary black half calf, rebacked preserving most of original gilt and blind-stamped spine, with later gilt red morocco label, covers rubbed, wear to corners [Hatton & Cleaver pp.3-88; Miller & Strange pp.1-65; Smith I:3], 8vo (209 x 128mm.), Chapman & Hall, 1837
Footnotes
AN EXTREMELY EARLY AND UNSOPHISTICATED COPY OF 'PICKWICK' - NOTABLE FOR ITS MAJORITY FIRST ISSUE TEXT INCLUDING TWO OF THE RAREST 'POINTS' IN THE ENTIRE CANON.
Bound from the original parts and extra-illustrated with plates by Onwhyn, this copy boasts an exceptionally high proportion of first issue text, 16 of the 20 parts, and includes the two almost legendary errors which have been recorded in only two other copies.
Text
Part III (pp.51–82) and Parts VI–IXX/XX (pp.147–609 + additional preliminary leaves) is entirely first issue, including the errors on pages 261 and 303:
Page 261: The signature at the foot of the page is misprinted "N2" for "X2". Hatton & Cleaver state that "This 'Point' is an extremely rare one, and has not been previously recorded. Only twice has it come under the writer's notice", whilst Miller & Strange note the error and state that it was "corrected very speedily". Even the fabled Dexter copy in the British Library has "X2" corrected; the only other uncorrected example we have traced is the primary Collis set in parts sold in these rooms, 1 December 2021, lot 74.
Page 303: The second 3 is missing. Miller & Strange state that "very early the error was corrected", whilst Hatton & Cleaver fail to mention it, presumably never having come across this variant. Again, the error was present in the Collis set, and is otherwise recorded in just one other set of parts, but not Dexter's.
Plates
Of the 7 Seymour plates, the first 4 are Smith's 1st state of the 2nd plate, whilst nos. 5–7 are 1st plate, 1st state (plate 7 retouched). The 2 Buss plates in part III are good impressions of the 1st state, and of the 34 "Phiz" plates, 14 are 1st state (including frontispiece and title page) and 20 are 2nd state.