CHARLES DICKENS-MASTER HUMPHREY’S CLOCK-IN THREE VOLUMES

£350.00

29% Off

Illustrated by George Cattermole and Hablot Browne

Published 1840-1841

First edition
Three large octavo volumes
Stock number: RG7467/0121
Price: £495

First edition in three volumes of Charles Dickens, Master Humphrey’s Clock, in the publisher’s embossed cloth, ornate gilt spine and gilt clock decoration front covers. Interestingly, the clock face dial indicates the volume, so volume one is at one o’clock, two at two o’clock and three at three. Plain white end papers. A very unusual copy in this state. Almost all copies were issued by the publishers with marbled edges. Contains the first appearances in book form of The Old Curiosity Shop and Barnaby Rudge. A Very Good Minus set, Vol. III with back cover and part of the spine loose, but still attached, slight wear at spine ends to all three volumes with 1/4″ loss of cloth, widely scattered toning, corners rubbed and bumped. The inside of the first volume is inscribed with the names of the family who have owned this set.

Master Humphrey’s Clock was a weekly serial that contained both short stories and two novels (The Old Curiosity Shop and Barnaby Rudge). Some of the short stories act as frame stories to the novels so the ordering of publication is important. Although Dickens’ original artistic intent was to keep the short stories and the novels together, he himself cancelled Master Humphrey’s Clock before 1848, and described in a preface to The Old Curiosity Shop that he wished the story to not be tied down to the miscellany it began within. Most later anthologies published the short stories and the novels separately. However, the short stories and the novels were published in 1840 in three bound volumes under the title Master Humphrey’s Clock, which retains the full and correct ordering of texts as they originally appeared.

I have priced these competitively in view of the condition of the cover and spine of volume three. I can get these restored at cost to you or you can arrange your own restoration if you so wish.

THE KERAMIC ART OF JAPAN BY AUDSLEY & BOWES-TWO VOLUMES

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