The Personal History, Adventures, Experiences, & Observation of David Copperfield the Younger. Twenty issues bound in 19 monthly parts (Complete)
London: Bradbury & Evans, 1849–1850. First edition. Softcover. Octavo. Original illustrated light blue green wraps with black lettering on covers, housed in green half Morocco over green cloth slipcase with gilt ruling at edges, gilt lettering and ruling on spine; raised bands. Contains inner green, pebbled cloth chemise.
First edition of the original twenty numbers, with some issues in later states, bound in nineteen monthly parts, eighteen of them priced one Shilling, the double issue, parts XIX and XX, at two Shillings, with most of the points called for by Hatton & Cleaver (pp. 253-272). The later states as noted by additional inserted material.
Dickens' most autobiographical novel exploring social conditions of the nineteenth century with the protagonist David Copperfield narrating his journey from infancy to adulthood. Contains thirteen inserts (slips and full page inserts), the misprint "Lile" instead of "Life" on the third page of front ads, the folding plate of "Lett's Diaries for 1850" and six specimen (included in variant numbers) in volume VIII. In volume XII the fourteenth inserted slip called for is substituted with two pages of "Hydropathic Establishment Sudbrook Park, Near Richmond, Surrey."
Missing are the advertisement in Vol. II, the first two pages of front advertisements in Vol. VIII, and pages 5 and 6 in the Waterlow & Sons advertisement in Vol. X. There are some substitutions and additions, e.g. four leaves of ads in volume XI, not called for in Hutton & Cleaver. See detailed description below.
All plates are present. The design of the wrappers and all forty plates executed by "Phiz." "The forty designs were etched in duplicate, and, though the steels are not numbered, the plates are distinguishable by the changing signature of "Phiz," as well as by other slight variations... When printed, the duplicate plates were again distributed indiscriminately, so that no two sets are alike, and several copies of the nineteen parts would be required to complete a collection of the eighty plates. " (Hatton & Cleaver).
List of issues with pagination and variations compared to the description in the Hatton & Cleaver bibliography:
No. I. Issue: 32pp., 2 plates, 32 (4)pp. Two leaves of advertisements at rear bound in reverse order, first "The Theory of Musical Composition...," then "The Journal of Design," 2pp. each.
No. II. Issue: 12pp., 2 plates, 33-64pp., 10pp. Front wrapper without printed No. 2 (inked) and June, but price "1 s." printed, inside front cover blank, missing Heal & Sons ad. Plates bound in reverse order. Back wrapper (inside) "January... E. Moses and Son" (called for in issue IX) instead of "Opinions Of The Press..."
No. III: Issue: 12pp. 2 plates, 65-96pp., 4pp. Plates bound in reverse order.
No. IV. Issue: 8pp., 2 plates, 6pp. Back wrapper (inside) "A Sketch for the Spring... E. Moses & Son" (Called for in part XI) instead of "The Vaunting Marts..."
No. V. Issue: 4pp., 2 plates, 129-160pp., (20)pp. Back wrapper (inside) "To Old Neptune... E. Moses & Son" (Called for in part III) instead of "My Sea-Side Trip..."
No. VI. Issue: 8pp., 2 plates, 161-192pp., (22)pp. Back wrapper (inside) "The Lady and the Peacock... E. Moses & Son" (Called for in part XVII) instead of "Twenty Years Ago." Advertising at back with 20 pages by A. Hall, Virtue & Co., not called for, instead of eight pages by "Waterloo & Sons. Two additional pages by J. & D. A. Darling, printed in orange, are also not called for.
No. VII. Issue: 8pp., 2 plates, 1 slip, 193-224, 8pp. Back wrapper (inside) "The Dog-Days... E. Moses & Son" (Called for in part XV) instead of "The Whale in the Tames. The called for slip "This day is published... Punch' Pocket-Book..." is present.
No. VIII. Issue: 3-12pp., 2 plates, (4), 225-256pp. 6 specimen pages and one page folded in five, "Lett's Diaries for 1850" of advertising. Back wrapper (inside) "The Powdered-Headed Gentleman... E. Moses & Son" (Called for in part XIV) instead of "The Proper Field..." Advertisement (front), pages one and two missing. Point of first issue, page 3 of advertisements has the misspelt word "Lile" for "Life" and four green pages "New Weekly Illustrated Periodical for Ladies" bound in after plates. Advertisement (Back): "Lett's Diaries for 1850," a sheet folded in five, with six specimen leaves of diaries, dated from 1846 to 1849. These specimens are a varying quantity, generally eight pieces, our issue has six.
No. IX. Issue: 12pp., 2 plates, slip. 257-288pp., (22)pp. Plates bound in reverse order. Light green slip to follow plates present (New Weekly Miscellany).
No. X. Issue: 12pp., 2 plates, 289-320, 8pp. Plates bound in reverse order. Missing leaf with pp. 5 and 6 of Waterlow & Sons advertisements at rear, remnants visible.
No. XI. Issue: 8pp., 2 plates, slip, 321-352, (8)pp. Includes three advertisements at rear (eight pages) not called for: including one leaf for "Illustrated Weekly Journal for Ladies" on pink paper, one leaf for Penny Maps, and two leaves of the most remarkable publications of the day. Plates bound in reverse order. Slip following plates "Familiar in their Mouths as Household Words..." present.
No. XII. Issue: 8pp, 2 plates, slip, 353-384pp., 2pp., (8) 8 (2)pp. Back wrapper (inside) "The Winter of 1814... E. Moses & Son" (Called for in part X) instead of "On an old Picture." Slip to follow plates present, Household Words. Instead of slip called for at rear (Visit to the Exhibition...) the issue includes two pages not called for, entitled "Hydropathic Establishment Sudbrook Park, Near Richmond, Surrey."
No. XIII. Issue: 8pp., 2 plates, slip, 385-416pp., slip. Back wrapper (inside) "The Powdered-Headed Gentleman... E. Moses & Son" (Called for in part XIV) instead of "'So-So.'" Plates bound in reverse. Green slip "The Household Narrative" bound in following plates, numbered on verso, and slip "New Illustrated Weekly... The Ladies' Companion" bound in at rear as called for.
No. XIV. Issue: 8pp. 2 plates, 8pp. insert, 417-448pp., (2)pp. Plates bound in reverse. Eight small green pages of the weekly "Household Words" bound in.
No. XV. 4pp., 2 plates, 2, 449-480pp., (8)pp.
No. XVI. Issue: Slip, 4pp., 2 plates, 4pp., 481-512pp., 8 (1)pp. Slip preceding advertisements at front "Punch's Holidays" and four small green pages "Household Words" following plates are present. Eight pages of advertisement by Waterlow & Sons and one yellow leaf of "Eliza Cook's Journal" at rear not called for in Hatton & Cleaver.
No. XVII. Issue:4pp., 2 plates, 513-544pp., (2)pp. Plates bound in reverse order.
No. XVIII. Issue: 8pp. 2 plates, 545-576pp., 8 (1)pp. Plates bound in reverse order. Waterlow & Sons ads at back missing pages 5 and 6, torn out with remnants visible.
Nos. XIX and XX. Issue: 16pp. slip, 4 plates, slip, 577-624pp., xiv (i)pp. 8 (4), 8pp. Back wrapper (inside) "Daniel Lambert's Suit" (Called for in part XVIII) instead of "To the Statue on Bloomsbury Church." E. Moses & Son.
Slipcase with light wear along edges. Bookplate on inside front cover of chemise with very light staining. Wraps generally with light wear along edges, small chips, occasional light staining. Foxing of plates in vol. II., other volumes with foxing or damp staining in margins, hardly affecting image, about half of them in good condition. Names inked to top margins of front covers of vols. I, V, IX–XI. Good to very good condition. Item #50859
Price: $4,500.00