The topic for the September 2018 meeting was
Charles Dickens and 19th Century Literature.
Attendees focused mainly on the works of Charles Dickens, who is known
not only for his novels but also for his Christmas stories and religious
writings (most notably The Life of Our
Lord). Fine examples of all three literary
areas were shown during the meeting.
Novels
Several finely bound novels were presented,
including Little Dorrit and David Copperfield. Many nineteenth century collectors sent their
new clothbound books off to their binder to be dressed up in attractive leather
bindings to grace their library walls.
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| David Copperfield |
Dickens, Charles. The
Personal History of David Copperfield.
London: Bradbury & Evans, 1850.
First Edition. Illustrated by H.
K. Browne. Re-bound in nineteenth
century full brown calf with raised bands and gilt lines and title. Originally issued in 1849-1850 in 20 parts as
19 individual volumes in green pictorial wraps (parts 19 and 20 combined in one
final volume). This is the first
complete book edition with all 20 parts, originally bound in dark green
cloth. David Copperfield is considered one of the most beloved novels of
the nineteenth century.
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| David Copperfield, front illustration and title page |
Christmas Stories
Various editions of Dickens's Christmas stories
were shared, including an omnibus edition of the Christmas Books together with a fine facsimile of the first edition
of A Christmas Carol.
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| Christmas Books and A Christmas Carol |
Dickens,
Charles. Christmas Books. London:
Chapman and Hall, 1866. Three-quarter
leather with marbled boards and closed page edges. All five Christmas books in
one volume, printed with double columns, including: "A Christmas
Carol"; "The Chimes"; "The Cricket on the Hearth"; "The
Battle of Life"; and, "The Haunted Man". Only illustration is the black-and-white frontispiece.
Volume is showing wear at extremities, but still a lovely copy.
Dickens,
Charles. A Christmas Carol, in Prose: Being a Ghost Story of Christmas. London: The Atlantic Monthly Press, 1920. A facsimile of the first edition published
in 1843 by Chapman and Hall. Includes
four-color and black-and-white illustrations by John Leach. For the facsimile edition, the following
statement is opposite title page: "By special arrangement with Mr. H. S,
Nichols, of New York, The Atlantic Monthly Press issues this reproduction of
the first edition of 'A Christmas Carol.' When it was brought out by Mr. Nichols in
1914, it bore the following 'Endorsement,' signed by him: This is a genuine copy of my fac-simile edition of the excessively rare
and almost unobtainable earliest issue of the original edition, to which has
been prefixed an introduction and bibliographical data."
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| A Christmas Carol and Christmas Books |
The Life of Our Lord
The religious writing of Charles Dickens is
exemplified in The Life of Our Lord. Dickens never wanted his manuscript
published. It was written for his
children, to whom he read it aloud every Christmas. It was a sacredly guarded precious family
secret. Upon the death of his last
child, the remaining family decided to have it published. It was first published, in serial form, in
March 1934. Later that year, it first
appeared in book form, published concurrently in the UK and US by Associated
Newspapers Ltd. and Simon and Schuster, respectively. Several editions were shown, including first
printings of both the first British and American editions.
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| The Life of Our Lord, first UK edition |
Dickens,
Charles. The Life of Our Lord: Written Expressly for His Children by Charles
Dickens. London: Associated
Newspapers Ltd., 1934. First British
Edition. With a frontispiece of Charles
Dickens. In the original dust
jacket.
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| Frontispiece and title page, UK edition |
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| The Life of Our Lord, first US edition |
Dickens,
Charles. The Life of Our Lord: Written for His Children During the Years 1846 to
1849. New York: Simon and Schuster,
1934. First American Edition. With a frontispiece of Charles Dickens. In the original rather scarce dust
jacket.
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| Frontispiece and title page, US edition |
