Fine Printed Books & Manuscripts, Including Americana

8vo. Half-title printed in blue, title-page printed in red and blue with verso printed in blue, hand-colored steel-engraved frontispiece and 3 hand-colored steel-engraved plates by John Leech (a few heightened in gum arabic), 4 wood-engravings in the text by W.J. Linton after Leech; 2pp. publisher's advertisements at end. Later olive levant gilt, spine in 6 compartments with 5 raised bands, gilt-lettering in gilt, all edges gilt, AN EXHIBITION BINDING stamp-signed by Zaehnsdorf and with their exhibition logo gilt-stamped on rear front pastedown (spine sunned, original front free endpaper detached); original cloth and green endpapers bound in.

FIRST EDITION, TODD'S FIRST IMPRESSION, with "Stave I" as the first chapter heading, balance of text uncorrected, red and blue title-page dated 1843, and green endpapers. The binding has the first state "D" of Dickens unbroken, and the closest interval between the blind decorative border on the left and the left extremity of the gilt cartouche measuring 14-15mm. This copy with the unbroken "C" in the signature on p.17, which "probably indicates the earliest printing of the text" (Smith, note 3, p.26). "The greatest Christmas book from the pen of any man... it was a pronounced success and from a literary aspect it has delighted millions of readers. It may readily be called the Bible of Christmas and the Authors its Apostle" (Eckle, p.110). Issued about 10 days before Christmas of 1843, A Christmas Carol sold 6,000 copies on the first day, with 24 editions in the original format and numerous reprintings though the profits did not meet Dickens' expectations. Eckel, pp.110-115; Smith II:4; Gimbel A79.