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Charles Dickens. A Christmas Carol. In Prose. Being a Ghost Story of Christmas. London: Chapman & Hall, 1844 [but 1843]....
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Description
A very fine copy of the very rare "trial" issue of A Christmas Carol in the earliest state
Charles Dickens. A Christmas Carol. In Prose. Being a
Ghost Story of Christmas. London: Chapman & Hall, 1844 [but
1843].8vo. With 2-page publisher's advertisement at end; hand-colored etched frontispiece and three hand-colored plates by John Leech; four wood-engravings in the text by W. J. Linton after Leech. HALF-TITLE PRINTED IN GREEN, TITLE-PAGE PRINTED IN RED AND GREEN, with the verso printed in green. Original cinnamon-brown fine-ribbed cloth, covers with decorative blind border surrounding central gilt cartouche and lettering on upper, spine lettered and decorated in gilt, edges gilt, green endpapers; full morocco folding case.
FIRST EDITION, FIRST IMPRESSION, THE RARE PREPUBLICATION "TRIAL" ISSUE OF A CHRISTMAS CAROL, with green endpapers, green half-title, red and green title-page dated 1844, "Stave I" as the first chapter heading, and the uncorrected text; first state of the binding, with green endpapers, the upper cover with the closest interval between blind decorative border on the left and the left extremity of the gilt cartouche measuring 14 mm, and the "D" of Dickens perfect.
According to Eckel: "The proof copies, which were still in their experimental stage, had the Title-page printed in Red and Green, dated 1844, with 'Stave I' as the chapter heading, and with the half-title printed in green. Both green and yellow end-papers were tried" (Eckel, p. 111). Dickens initially requested the title to be printed in red and green with green endpapers to match (as here), but was disappointed with the appearance of the green printing, and cancelled this idea in favor of the red and blue, with the half-title printed in blue. He also rejected the publisher's standard practice of dating a book for the coming year, and had it dated for 1843. The laboriously hand-painted green endpapers were also later left yellow.
The publication history of A Christmas Carol is bibliographically complex. "Dickens decided to publish the book himself... He wanted the Carol to be a beautiful gift book and took pride in its development. He stipulated the following requirements: a fancy binding, blind-stamped, with gilding on the spine and front cover; all edges gilded; four full-page hand-colored etchings; half title and title pages printed in colors of bright red and green; and hand-colored green endpapers to match the green title page... However, in examining printed copies prior to publication, Dickens was disappointed with the appearance of the green titles, which turned drab, and the hand-colored green endpapers, which dusted off and smudged, and had the title page changed to red and blue, the half title to blue, the date on the title page changed from 1844 to 1843, and the endpapers changed to yellow, which did not require hand work. Dickens' changes were completed by December 17... Since Dickens' instructions to discontinue the unsatisfactory titles and endpapers were received at the press before publication, at a time when there were on hand different quantities of endpapers, title-pages, and sheets of printed text already produced, many copies are found with a mixture of features" (Gimbel A79). The Strutz copy contains all the earliest issue points in text and binding.
Condition: Very slight wear to extremities; binding slightly leaned; some minor mottling or pale staining to cloth; front hinge cracked, but holding; rear hinge tender.
References: Philo Calhoun and Howell J. Heaney, "Dickens' Christmas Carol After a Hundred Years: A Study in Bibliographical Evidence," in: Papers of the Bibliographical Society of America, 39 (Fourth Quarter, 1945); Eckel, p. 110; Kitton, pp. 33-37; Gimbel A79; Smith II:4.
Provenance: Purchased from Heritage Book Shop, Inc., Los Angeles, 1990. From the William A. Strutz Library.
View all of [The William A. Strutz Library ]
Auction Info
2024 June 27 Important English and American Literature: The William A. Strutz Library, Part I, Rare Books Signature® Auction #6295 (go to Auction Home page)
Auction Dates
June, 2024
27th
Thursday
Bids + Registered Phone Bidders: 23
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