Chapman & Hall Illustrated Dickens Library, 30 volumes

A$2,000 · Offered by Harry Hartog Rare Books

A wonderful, uniform collection of Dicken’s works. This set came about due to Dickens’ wishes to create an “elegant edition to elevate the stature of his writings.” Far from the cheaper, mass-produced serial-isations that had characterised his works prior, these sets were created to appeal to wealthy subscribers. This particular set comes from the second run of these editions. The first run was limited to Dickens’ most popular novels and only featured illustrated frontispieces. This edition was expanded to include all of the works “Dickens wished to preserve.” In the years after Dickens's death, Chapman and Hall brought the works together in this Illustrated Library Edition. It was set in specially cast type on better paper than earlier collected editions and sold at the considerable price of fifteen pounds for the set. Few authors have been as closely bound to their illustrators as Dickens. This edition also includes a drastically enhanced illustration programme: each volume contains an extended range of illustrations throughout from Dickens’ most famous collaborators: Cruickshanks, Phiz, Stone, Leech, Stanfield, and others. The Full List of Titles is: Sketches by Boz Pickwick Papers, vol.I Pickwick Papers, vol.II Oliver Twist Nicholas Nickleby, vol.I Nicholas Nickleby, vol.II The Old Curiosity Shop (with Reprinted Pieces), vol.I The Old Curiosity Shop (with Reprinted Pieces), vol.II Barnaby Rudge (with Hard Times), vol.I Barnaby Rudge (with Hard Times), vol.II American Note

• Binding: Hardcover

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