Charles Dickens, Signed (516 results)

First edition, presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the half-title "William Haldimand Esquire With the cordial remembrance and regard of Charles Dickens Twenty ninth March 1849". A former director of the Bank of England and a Member of Parliament for Ipswich, William Haldimand (1784-1862) was the brother-in-law of William de Cerjat, one of Dickens's lifelong friends and correspondents. Dickens met Haldimand during his visit to Switzerland in 1846, where Haldimand had retired in 1828. This was a time of some mental frustration for Dickens, and he gained some relief by reading the first number of Dombey and Son to Haldimand and Cerjat. Haldimand's friendship was evidently of some significance to Dickens - he named his seventh child Sydney Smith Haldimand Dickens. The Haunted Man, published on 19 December 1848, was the fifth and final of Dickens's Christmas books. "As soon as he returned from Broadstairs to London, he started work on the Christmas Book he had for so long been contemplating, a book about lost time. The Haunted Man and the Ghost's Bargain is concerned with the power of memory, with family life which is destroyed and replaced only by the wretched anxieties of a distinguished but solitary man. the theme itself revolves around Dickens's belief that memory is a softening and chastening power, that the recollections of old sufferings and old wrongs can be used to touch the heart and elicit sympathy with the sufferings of others. It has been said that in this autobiographical fragment Dickens is only suppressing his feelings of hurt and jealous rage, but it seems more likely that he was actively involved, after Fanny's death, in the process of transcending them" (Ackroyd, p. 553). Provenance: the Comte Alain de Suzannet, with his bookplate to front pastedown (this copy not recorded in the catalogue for the sale of his collection at Sotheby's, 22 November 1971); the collector Michael Sharpe, morocco book-label to front pastedown; the Lawrence Drizen Collection of Charles Dickens. Eckel p. 124; Smith, II, 9, pp. 68-70. Peter Ackroyd, Dickens, 1990. Octavo. Original red cloth, titles and decoration to spine and front cover in gilt, frame stamped in blind to covers, yellow endpapers, gilt edges. Housed in a custom red half morocco box and chemise. Frontispiece, engraved title page, and 15 illustrations in the text, by Leech, Stanfield, Tenniel and Stone. Neat early ownership signature to front free endpaper. Wear at spine and joint ends, top of backstrip loosening, light soiling and rubbing to cloth, front hinge starting, initial leaves loosening but stitching holding; still a very good copy in the original cloth.

First edition, first impression of Dickens' rarest novel. Octavo, three volumes bound in full royal blue crushed levant morocco by Bayntun Bindery with gilt titles and tooling to the spine in six compartments within raised gilt bands, gilt ruling to the front and rear panels, gilt turn-ins and wide gilt inner dentelles stamp-signed by Bayntun, all edges gilt. The earliest impression of Dicken's rarest novel. This copy agrees in all points with Margaret Caldwell's extensive analysis of the differing impressions in the Clarendon edition of Great Expectations. As in the Lawrence Drizen copy sold in 2019 at Sothebyâs and in the Clarendon edition, the third volume here contains the numeral â3â in the pagination on p. 103, and the initial âiâ in âinflexibleâ on p. 193, which are sometimes missing in copies of the first impression of the third volume, indicating thatÂthe present copy is among the earlier printings of the first impression. Smith comments that âthe rarity of the firstÂissue ofÂGreatÂExpectationsÂhas been attributed to the probable small binding-up of copies with theÂfirstÂtitle-page, coupled with the fact (according to C.P. Johnson, âHints to Collectorsâ) that âtheÂfirstÂedition was almost entirely taken up by the libraries.â Only 1,000 copies of theÂfirstÂissue and 750 copies of the second were printed and that probably most of theÂfirst and more than half of the second (1400 copies in all) were purchased by Mudieâs Select Library. Eckel, pp. 91-93; Sadleir 688; Smith I:14. In fine condition. An exceptional example of one of Dickens' great masterpieces. Dickens' penultimate novel, Great Expectations, was written in "the afternoon of [his] life and fame" (G.K. Chesterton). The novel contains some of Dickens' most memorable scenes, including its opening, set in a graveyard, when the young orphan Pip is accosted by escaped convict Abel Magwitch. Upon its release, the novel received near universal acclaim. Although Dickens' contemporary Thomas Carlyle referred to it disparagingly as "that Pip nonsense," he nevertheless reacted to each fresh instalment with "roars of laughter." Later, George Bernard Shaw praised the novel, as "all of one piece and consistently truthful." During the serial publication, Dickens was pleased with public response to Great Expectations and its sales; when the plot first formed in his mind, he called it "a very fine, new and grotesque idea.".

Signed "Charles Dickens (with a large flourish) Washington, D.C. Seventh February 1868." Large oval portrait photograph measures 13 inches by 13 inches. Matted in a walnut frame which measures 24Âinches by 27 inches. ÂOn his Washington tour Dickens met President Andrew Johnson and signed this photograph on the date of that meeting, February 7, which also happened to be Dickens' birthday. HeÂdiscussed in a letter to his friend and agent John Foster regarding that day, "This scrambling scribblement is resumed this morning, because I have just seen the President: who had sent to me very courteously asking me to make my own appointment. He is a man with a remarkable face." From the Library of The Cosmos Club in Washington, D.C. Portrait photographs of this size signed by Dickens are exceptionally rare, especially with such noted provenance. Charles Dickens was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian era. His works enjoyed unprecedented popularity during his lifetime, and by the twentieth century critics and scholars had recognized him as a literary genius.

Hardcover. Condition: Near Fine. 'Believe me, my Lord, that I am deeply sensible of this high token, and that I shall ever regard the title with a pride and pleasure much too deep for words.' A letter in which a young Charles Dickens writes from the Royal Hotel, Edinburgh, expressing his gratitude to the Lord Provost of Edinburgh (Sir James Forrest) for the distinguished honour of granting the young novelist the freedom of the city in June 1841. Claire Tomalin writes 'He left an unseasonably cold London to travel north with Catherine, to a warm and enthusiastic welcome. Crowds gathered round their hotel, and over 250 gentlemen attended the public dinner in his honour' ( Charles Dickens, A Life - Viking 2011) 1 page, 7 x 4.5 inches, in excellent, near fine condition, with a main crease through the centre and the remains of a small area of guard to the reverse where it was formerly mounted in a Victorian album. A unique letter displayed in a removable leather frame which is itself housed in a custom full morocco solander box. The box is complete with gilt lettering and a gilt Scottish thistle motif. Signed by Author(s).

Full Description: DICKENS, Charles. Great Expectations. In Three Volumes. London: Chapman and Hall, 1861. First edition in book form, first issue. Three octavo volumes (7 1/2 x 4 3/4 inches; 190 x 122 mm). [4], 344; [2], 351, [1, printer's imprint]; [2], 344 pp. Bound without advertisement. With all first issue title-pages and all the internal flaws for the first issue called for by Smith, including the two points in Volume III that Smith notes only appeared in Sadleir's copy ("3" missing in page number on p. 103, and first "i" missing in "inflexible" on p. 193, four lines up). Also impressively, this set has all first issue points called for by Clarendon with the except of just a few. Volume II, page 127, line 4, there is a speck at the end of the line. Also, page 282, lin 3, there is no ink between "seemed" and "hardly." Volume III, page 39, line 5 there is no ink between "you" and "feel"; page 217, line 3, there is no dot in the semi-colon. There are four other points which Clarendon mention, in which they state that the Bodleian copy of Vol III in 1st impression emends the following faults: page 193, line 23, 195 line 2, page 220, line 16 and 192, line 11-12 which reads "himself very/ carefully." These four faults match this present copy as well. According to Clarendon, "these changes suggest a later state of Vol. III within the 1st impression." So to clarify, this present Vol III like the Bodleian copy is a first issue, but a later state withing the first issue. Three volumes uniformly bound by Proudfoot in contemporary half red morocco, over red cloth boards. Boards ruled in gilt. Spines stamped and lettered in gilt. Top edges gilt. Marbled endpapers. Some minor toning and finger-soiling to a few pages. A few instances of light "dog-ear" creasing to upper corners. Vol. I with a tiny closed tear invisible repaired at bottom margin of page [1], not affecting text. Volume III with a closed tear to the bottom margin of page 296, just touching one letter. Some light rubbing to spines. Four previous owner's bookplates on front endpapers, including the signed bookplate for Jean Hersholt. Overall a very good set. One of only two Dickens novels never issued in monthly partsâ"the typical method since Pickwickâ"Great Expectations is also one of only two of his novels whose first editions weren't illustrated (in both cases, Hard Times is the other). Great Expectations first appeared in England in the pages of Dickens's popular magazine, All the Year Round, beginning on December 1, 1860 (though two American magazines, Harper's Weekly and the American All the Year Round began serializing it slightly earlier, technically jeopardizing Dickens's British copyright). "The rarity of the first issue of Great Expectations has been attributed to the probable small binding-up of copies with the first title-page, coupled with the fact (according to C.P. Johnson, Hints to Collectors, p. 33, and others later) that âthe first edition was almost entirely taken up by the libraries.' Patten, pp. 290-92, states that 1,000 copies of the first issue and 750 of the second were printed and that probably most of the first and more than half of the second (1400) copies in all) were purchased by Mudie's Select Library" (Smith I, p. 104, note 5). Each volume contains the bookplate of Jean Hersholt, signed in ink by Hersholt. Hersholt is a Danish-American actor, and humanitarian, famous for starring in roles such as the grandfather alongside Shirley Temple in "Heidi." Because of his humanitarian efforts, the Academy Awards created a Governor's award in his honor entitled "The Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award" who's purpose is to be "Given to an individual in the motion picture industry whose humanitarian efforts have brought credit to the industry by promoting human welfare and contributing to rectifying inequities." (Oscars dot org). Recipients include Michael J. Fox, Oprah Winfrey, Audrey Hepburn and Elizabeth Taylor. Gimbel A146. Smith, Dickens, I, 14. Eckel, pp. 91-93. Clarendon, Cardwell. HBS 69206. $30,000.

Large oval portrait photograph measures 20 inches by 16 inches. Matted in a contemporary frame which measures 25.5 inches by 29.5 inches. Signed "Charles Dickens (with a large flourish) Boston Sixth March 1868."ÂIn 1867, Charles Dickens began his second American reading tour at Boston's Tremont Temple, where an enthusiastic audience delighted in some of his most notable works, members of the audience included legendary literary stars such as Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and Ralph Waldo Emerson. Although Dickens was in declining health, he embarked on an ambitious travel schedule across the United States. Dickens returned to Boston once more before concluding his U.S. tour in New York City. When Charles Dickens arrived in Boston on November 19, 1867, the celebrated English author spent several days at the Parker House hotel recuperating from the voyage. As conscientious a performer as he was a writer, Dickens had prepared diligently for his performances, redrafting and memorizing key passages from his books especially for these engagements. He used a book only as a prop; he was so familiar with the material that he could improvise with ease. However, during his 1867-1868 tour he was plagued with Flu-like symptoms, insomnia, and an inflammation of his foot, which forced him to walk with a cane. During his last tours in 1868, Dickens confined much of his performances to the New England area. Dickens was grateful for the income he desperately needed from his readings, which generated $140,000, close to $2,000,000 today; but he longed for home. On April 8, 1868, Dickens gave the last performance of the tour. Prolonged applause followed the reading. He closed by telling the audience, "In this brief life of ours, it is sad to do almost anything for the last time. Ladies and gentlemen, I beg most earnestly, most gratefully, and most affectionately, to bid you, each and all, farewell." He died two years later, having written 14 novels, several of which are considered classics of English literature. A desirable piece of Victorian literary history.     Charles Dickens was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian era. His works enjoyed unprecedented popularity during his lifetime, and by the twentieth century critics and scholars had recognized him as a literary genius.

Hardcover. Condition: Near Fine. 1st Edition. First Edition, First Printing. This book has the First issue point with the 'Fireside' plate and the author credited as 'Boz' to the title page. This copy is SIGNED by Charles Dickens on a laid in envelope. An attractive copy with light wear to the spine and edges. The bindings in all three books are tight, bound in the ORIGINAL publisher's cloth. The pages are clean with light discoloration. There is NO writing, marks or bookplates in the book. Overall, a lovely copy of this (3) Volume First Edition SIGNED by the author. We buy Charles Dickens First Editions. Signed by Author(s).

[5], v, 141, [1] pp. Binder's blanks at front & rear. Frontis of Menken. Facsimile of Dickens' "letter", which is actually comprised of portions from 2 letters Dickens sent Menken [cf. LETTERS, v. 11]. Cuts as head- tailpieces. Sq 12mo. 5-1/2" x 4-1/4" Dickens knew Menken through her 1864 performances at Astley's, during which time she was accepted by the London Bohemian crowd, holding 'literary salons' at her suite at the Westminster Palace Hotel. Her aspirations toward literature resulted in this modest volume of poetry, which she decicated to "Charles Dickens", a gesture the Inimitable accepted with 'great pleasure'. This particular copy comes from a prominent Detroit businessman's collection, gathered in the 1920s, and only now, 100 years later, coming onto the market. Spine sunned to a mellow golden tan. A handsome VG+ copy. Early 20th C. 3/4 green morocco binding with marbled paper boards & eps. TEG. Original publisher's green cloth binding bound-in at rear 1st edition thus (Gimbel B295), i.e., with the lithographic plate reproducing Dicken's letter. This copy SIGNED by Dickens, in blue ink, on the original ffep, "Faithfully yours / Charles Dickens [flourish]". We posit it was signed by Dickens during his 1868 tour of America.

Hardcover. Condition: Fine. Cruickshank, Phiz, Cattermole (illustrator). One of 750 sets of the National Edition. With illustrators that include George Cruikshank, Hablot Knight Browne ("Phiz"), George Cattermole and many others. Bound in full red morocco with five raised bands on the spine, with spine panels ruled, lettered, and decorated in gilt. Full red and black morocco front and rear inner covers with five perimeter gilt rules and floreate corner decorations in gilt. Edges of spine and covers are decorated in gilt. Top edge gilt. A few volumes skillfully rebacked. Cancelled check signed by Dickens, dated 1864, mounted on the leaf preceeding the half title. Liberally illustrated with engravings laid onto heavy stock with captioned tissue guards. Occupies six linear feet on the shelf. The most authorative Dickens set with a stunningly beautiful full leather binding.

Soft cover. Condition: Fine. 1st Edition. First Editions, First Printings in the ORIGINAL MONTHLY PARTS SIGNED by Charles Dickens on a laid in check. A superb set in the publisher's green pictorial wrappers with minor wear to the spines and edges. These ORIGINAL wrappers include 27 additional plates with the rare suppressed plates by R. W. Buss in part 3. A total of 70 plates present, with the 27 additions showing different versions of the original 43, some plates being variants not mentioned in Hatton and Cleaver. "These three artists (Seymour, Buss, "Phiz") etched, in all, 92 plates for the completed work; of which 43 are the "Originals" as they appeared in the first issue of the monthly parts, 4 are "Replacements," 2 are "Substitutes," and 24 are "Duplicates" of the originals: total 73. The remaining 19 are not dealt with in this bibliography" (Hatton and Cleaver pp 17). Fourteen of the front wrappers and twelve of the back wrappers are first issue (the wrappers, like the plates, can be found in a number of variants). The text has issue points in twelve of the nineteen books, in this set two of the parts show first issue text and ten show later issue text. The Pickwick advertiser is present and complete in eleven of the sixteen parts which call for it. The set also retains five of the seven "addresses" that were issued in the course of publication. Back ads present are Parts IX, one ad;, part X, one ad; Part XIII, two ads; Part XIV, one ad; Part XV, seven ads; Part XVII, three ads; Part XVIII, four ads; and Part XIX-XX, four ads. This shows twenty-three of the thirty-four ads called for in Hatton and Cleaver. Not complete as for the advertisements, but still with many more ads here than most copies in recent years. An overall excellent set documenting the progression and development of the illustrated plates and their variations housed in a custom clamshell slipcase for preservation SIGNED by the author. Signed by Author(s).

Hardcover. Condition: Near Fine. 1st Edition. First Edition, First Printing. This is the TRUE FIRST EDITION with the First issue point with page 213 miss-paginated. The publisher's catalog is present and dated November 1859. This copy is SIGNED by Charles Dickens on a laid in check dated 1859, the same year this book was published. A wonderful UNRESTORED copy bound in the ORIGINAL publisher's Red Cloth. The binding is tight with light wear to the boards. The pages are clean with minor discoloration to the endpapers. There is NO writing, marks or bookplates in the book. Overall, a lovely copy of this First Edition SIGNED by the author. We buy Charles Dickens First Editions. Signed by Author(s).

A fine portrait boldly signed by Dickens at the foot; Edward Goodwyn Lewis's portrait of 1869 was the last major portrait of Dickens, executed a year before his death. The existence of similar examples indicates Dickens signed a small number for presentation. Lewis (1827-1891) was known for his portraits of prominent Victorians, as well as Biblical and Shakespearean subjects, with works in many collections including the British Museum,the National Portrait Gallery and the Folger Shakespeare Library. The original artwork for this portrait is now in Princeton. Hand-finished lithograph, 25.5 x 34 cm, in original mount 58 x 45.5 cm. Overmounted and presented in late 20th-century gilt frame with conservation acrylic glazing. A few spots to front of original mount, lithograph taped into original mount on verso. In good condition.

62 : 102 mm. Nice Carte de visite of Dickens, his head turned to his left. Photograph by John & Charles Watkins, London. Signed and dated by Dickens Charles Dickens | To Dr. Muspratt / January 1865". Signed photographs of Dickens are of the utmost rarity. - Together with a signed carte de visite of the recipient, Dr Muspratt. A remarkable pair of signed photographs. Very rare. Dr James Sheridan Muspratt (1821-1871), Irish born research chemist, lived in Liverpool where his father had an industrial chemical company. He organised a visit to Liverpool by Dickens's amateur theatre company in 1847.

Hardcover. Condition: Fine. 1st Edition. First Editions, First Printings of this two volume set. A wonderful copy SIGNED by Charles Dickens on a handwritten letter by Dickens laid into the book. The books are bound in the publisher's original green cloth. The bindings are tight with NO cocking or leaning with minor wear to the edges. The pages are clean with NO writing, marks or bookplates in the books. A superb copy SIGNED by the author. We buy Dickens in the original parts. Signed by Author(s).

4 x 5 inches laid down to 4 1/4 by 6 1/2 inch printed board. Rare 4.25 x 6.5 cabinet photo of Charles Dickens in a regal full-length pose, published by J. Gurney & Son in 1867, boldly signed on the reverse in blue ink, "Charles Dickens, First May 1868." Reverse is imprinted: "Carte Impériale by J. Gurney & Son, 707 Broadway, N.Y." In very good to fine condition, with scattered light foxing and soiling to the signed side, and mottling to the image itself. After an initial 1842 visit to the USA, Dickens returned in December 1867 for a second tour. Shuttling between Boston and New York, he conducted over 70 readings of his works and netted approximately £19,000 in royalties.

A superb memento of Dickens's theatrical high-water mark, his bravura performance as the "craven and boastful" Captain Bobadil in his own "strictly private" production of Ben Jonson's comedy Every Man in his Humour. The invitation card - in effect a ticket to the performance - carries his characteristic flourished signature on the verso and a holograph entry in his hand, requesting the pleasure of Miss Holskamp's company at the first night, seating her in number 44 in the "Boxes, Second Circle". The success of Dickens's performance is attested by a portrait of him in the role, painted by C. R. Leslie in 1846 and lithographed by Thomas Maguire. The playbill is annotated to give a virtually complete cast list and in this regard may well be unique. "Stimulated after giving a reading of The Chimes to a small audience of friends [at Christmas 1844], [Dickens] resolved to organize some amateur theatricals of his own. Returning from a spell of residence in Italy, 'he flung himself with the passionate fullness of his nature into' gathering a cast and choosing a play. On 20 September 1845, Ben Jonson's Every Man in his Humour was played to a private audience at Miss Kelly's Theatre, 'with a success that out-ran the wildest expectation', as Forster recalled, 'and turned our little enterprise into one of the small sensations of the day'" (V&A Dickens centenary catalogue 1970). The attendee, a Miss Holskamp, was one of four sisters, all born in the Somers Town area of London, near St Pancras. The most likely to have been invited to this performance would be Margaret Holskamp (18271908), cited as a correspondent of Kate Dickens by Lillian Nayder in her biography of Dickens's wife: "In May [1846], Catherine's description of their trip [to Italy] was more definitive, particularly in regard to its southern boundary, a line that she herself drew [the Dickenses disagreed about the ultimate destination of their year abroad]. 'We are on the move again,' she wrote Margaret Holskamp, who knew the de la Rues and had discouraged the advances of Augusta [de la Rue]'s brother William" (The Other Dickens: A Life of Catherine Hogarth, 2011, p. 139). The friendship with the de la Rues is a minor but intriguing episode in Dickens's life: "In Genoa [in 1845] and elsewhere he became intensely involved in using, either directly or long-distance, the power of mesmeric healing he discovered in himself to alleviate the condition of Mme de la Rue, an Englishwoman who suffered great distress from hallucinations. This strange intimacy with Mme de la Rue caused Catherine considerable uneasiness, not surprisingly. Dickens's response was righteous indignation (eight years later, when he again met the de la Rues abroad, he wrote home to Catherine admonishing her that he thought it would become her now to write Mme de la Rue a friendly letter, which she obediently did). The Dickens family were back in London in July 1845 and Dickens energetically set about organizing a production of Jonson's Every Man in his Humour to be given by a band of his literary and artistic friends, the Amateur Players. This took place on 21 September [sic] in a private theatre in Dean Street, Dickens's own virtuoso performance as Captain Bobadil winning many plaudits" (ODNB). The playbill is annotated in another hand, listing all performers (bar two minor parts), and this is important as it sheds light on the roles taken by Dickens's siblings and friends: Henry Mayhew as Knowell, Fred Dickens as Edward Knowell, Mark Lemon as Brainworm, Dudley Costello as George Downright, T. J. Thompson as Wellbred, Forster as Kitely, Dickens as Bobadil, Douglas Jerrold as Master Stephen, "Leach" (John Leech) as Master Mathew, Augustus Dickens as Thomas Cash, Percival Leigh as Oliver Cob, Marcus Stone as Justice Clement, Frederick Evans as Roger Formal, "Charles" as William, "Jerrold Jun[io]r" (Blanchard Jerrold) as James, Miss Fortescue as Dame Kitely. "It is important to note that the rest of the cast - Mark Lemon, John Leech, Henry Mayhew, Douglas Jerrold, Gilbert a'Beckett [who appears not to have performed on this first night but is named on the ticket] - came from a specific group, a little band of journalists known as the 'Punch brotherhood' to themselves and as 'those Punch people' to outsiders" (Peter Ackroyd, Dickens, 1990, p. 470). It was an extraordinarily lavish evening at Miss Kelly's Theatre: Jonson's comedy was to be preceded by the overture to Rossini's William Tell and followed by silver-fork novelist Catherine Gore's one-act farce, A Good Night's Rest; or, Two O'Clock in the Morning (a two-hander, the characters being "Mr. Snobbington" and "The Stranger"), which itself was to be preceded by the overture to another Rossini opera, La Gazza Ladra - better known as The Thieving Magpie. Dickens had recently returned from Italy and in Pictures from Italy (published in May 1846) notes several visits to the Carlo Felice theatre in Genoa, where a "second-rate opera company" was performing. It is interesting to speculate that this may have given him the idea of punctuating the theatrical proceedings with Rossini's irresistible music. Both ticket and playbill are from the collection of celebrated bibliophile William E. Self, who formed a fine Dickens library; he recorded that the names of the players was "filled in by Mrs. Charles Dickens" (the items once appearing in the market with a copy of the note, since lost). The fact that Catherine Dickens contributed to the production in some small measure is attested by Lillian Nayder: "Catherine had seen the first performance, at Frances ('Fanny') Kelly's Royalty Theatre, in September, writing many of the invitations herself" (ibid.). In fact, in September 1850 Catherine appeared as Bridget in Jonson's comedy during rehearsals for another performance by Dickens's troupe, scheduled for November at Knebworth House, the home of Edward Bulwer Lytton (an onstage accident prevented her appearance). It is not wholly fanciful.

62 : 102 mm. Nice Carte de visite of Dickens, his head turned to his left. Photograph by John & Charles Watkins, London. Signed and dated by Dickens Charles Dickens | Christmas 1863". Signed photographs of Dickens are of the utmost rarity. One small impression to the upper border of the image. From the collection of Dr. James Sheridan Muspratt (1821-1871), Irish born research chemist, who lived in Liverpool, where his father had an industrial chemical company. He organised a visit to Liverpool by Dickens's amateur theatre company in 1847.

Hardcover. Condition: Fine. Thick 8vo., bound in three quarter dark blue levant morocco, raised bands, lettered in gilt; top edge gilt. Early printing of the trade edition, without date in Roman numerals on copyright page. A stunning copy of a classic of American literature, awarded the Pulitzer Prize posthumously ----- Extra illustrated edition -- Inserted within the text are approximately 80 portrait engravings and 50 documents signed by Henry Adams s circle of associates, including: (page i) Henry Adams, 4-page autograph letter signed (ALS) to C.W. Ernst, April 24, 1894, critiquing HA's "History of the United States"; (viii) Henry Cabot Lodge (HA's close friend), affixed signature; (5) James K. Polk, 1-page document signed; August 7, 1845, regarding a land transaction; (10) Louisa Catherine Adams (HA's grandmother), 1-page ALS, July 8, 1845, regarding a fire at the Adams home; (19) Joshua Johnson (HA's great-grandfather), 3-page document signed, July 1, 1799, regarding a dispute between neighbors; (20) William P. Hunt (JQA's pastor), 1-page ALS to N. Hale, May 9, 1842, regarding a possible story publication; (22) John Quincy Adams II (HA's brother), 1-page ALS to President Andrew Johnson, November 2, 1867, requesting assistance for a friend; (26) Charles Francis Adams (HA's father), 1-page ALS to R. B. Clark, July 10, 1856, demanding payment for services rendered; (34) Horace Mann (HA's hero ), 21-page ALS to G. B. Upton, December 20, 1844, regarding a visit to a school; (41) Charles Francis Adams, Jr. (HA's brother), 2-page ALS, no date (nd), declining a speaking engagement; (50) Caleb Cushing (CFA s diplomatic colleague), 1-page ALS, nd, regarding a lecture; (60) Louis Agassiz (HA's Harvard teacher), 1-page ALS to Franklin B. Sanborn, nd, requesting assistance; (72) Charles Dickens (English novelist whom HA admired), 1-page document signed, June 12, 1866, check; (86) Clarence King (HA's close friend), 1-page ALS, nd, defending a friend against slanderous charges; (90) Giuseppe Garibaldi (HA's hero ), 1-page ALS to George N. Sanders, April 11, 1854, regarding the destiny of Italy and his role; (100) Henry Winter Davis (CFA's political colleague), 1 ½ page ALS, nd, regarding his home, along with a sketch of his garden; (104) Richard Hildreth (CFA's colleague), 1 ½ page ALS to his publisher, March 9, 1855, regarding his "History of the United States"; (108) Horace Gray (HA's law mentor), 1-page ALS, nd, accepting a dinner invitation; (124) Richard Monckton Milnes (HA's English political friend), 1-page ALS, nd, regarding poetry; (136) Benjamin F. Butler (Massachusetts politician disliked by the Adams family), 1-page TLS to O. D. Barrett, August 12, 1887, regarding a weekend visit; (148) William M. Evarts, (secretary of state and HA's friend), 2-page ALS, April 11, 1862, discussing a recent court case; (158) Lord Lyons (British minister to US and CFA's colleague), 3-page ALS to J. Carlisle, March 1961, regarding patents and citizenship; (164) Benjamin F. Butler (Massachusetts politician), 1-page ALS to O. D. Barrett, January 24, 1884, regarding litigation of a paving company; (184) James Mason (Confederate Trent commissioner; CFA's adversary), 1-page ALS, August 29, 1848, regarding a financial settlement; (192) George Grote (Classical historian whom HA admired), 1-page ALS, August 6, 1831, regarding life insurance; (200) Samuel Wilberforce (English bishop with whom HA socialized), 2-page ALS, October 25, 1845, regarding sales of his "History of the Protestant Episcopal Church"; (206) George Canning (British statesman included in HA's "History of the United States"), 2-page ALS; January 6, 1853, regarding a misunderstanding; (210) Francis Barlow (Lawyer-politician in HA's circle), 2-page ALS, nd, regarding a book; (214) Thomas Woolner (HA's English sculptor friend), 1-page ALS to William Gladstone, June 4, 1864, regarding a statue at his studio; (244) (Continued at # ABE-12664270773.). Signed by Author(s).

Original Autograph Letter Signed (ÒRichd. H. Dana Jr.Ó) written to DanaÕs English publisher, Edward Moxon describing the amazingly warm response of Americans to Charles Dickens visiting Boston. An absorbing letter showing DanaÕs wonderful narrative abilities of which more than half is devoted to DanaÕs account of DickensÕs stay in Boston during the English authorÕs celebrated first trip to America in 1842. Moxon was the British publisher of DanaÕs Two Years Before the Mast and the recently issued The SeamanÕs Friend. Ò. We have Dickens here with us, & the whole town is crazy [the author and his wife arrived in Boston from England on 22 January]. I doubt if a literary man ever made such a ÔprogressÕ through a country as he is making through ours. Indeed, I am certain it will be an era in literary history . From the moment the steamer was sighted, up to this hour. The whole community has been in a high fever . he is obliged to refuse all visitors except at certain hours, & then he holds a regular levee. The other day, when he went to sit for his portrait, on coming out, he found the ante room, staircase, etc., lined with people, young & old. One old lady asked him to stand still & let the ladies form a ring round, so that all could see him. This was too much for his risibles, & he laughed out, & told her eager ladyship that he was sorry, etc., but was in a hurry Ñ & was going off; when the ladies called out to the artist, ÔDo, Mr. A. stop him! DonÕt let him go!Õ In the meanwhile the standard men of literature & wealth are paying him every attention, & like him exceedingly . I have met him several times & like him very much. How full of life he is! . He told me much, in the way of answering questions, about yourself, Ô our friend,Õ as you call him, Capt. Ives, & others of whom I was curious to inquire . Dickens has told us many anecdotes of [Charles] Lamb, some of which are not yet published, & which interested us very much. You donÕt know what a feeling there is here about Lamb .Ó BostonÕs adulatory reception of the English writer reached its climax the next day (1 February) with a great banquet held in his honor which Dana also attended. DickensÕs visit to the United States (he returned to England in June) resulted in his American Notes for General Circulation (1842). Written in brown ink on a bifolium of gray paper with small embossed stamp of T. Groom, Boston; address panel, postmark, and remnants of red sealing wax. A rare view of Dickens in America through the eyes of a significant American writer.

The original playbill, and a ticket signed by Dickens, for the amateur performance of Ben Jonson's Every Man In His Humour in which Dickens starred. The playbill (250 x 200mm) attractively printed in green, red and gold. The ticket (95 x 130mm), titled "Strictly Private" and inscribed in Dickens's hand for "Miss M. Holskamp", and offering her seat no. "40" in "Boxes. Second Circle". The ticket is also signed by Dickens to verso. In excellent condition, the playbill once lightly folded. Now both items mounted, framed and glazed, with a window mount to verso showing Dickens's signature. An excellent relic of a extravagant evening of amateur dramatics, both organised by and starring Charles Dickens. Dickens had warmed to the idea of himself as a performer after giving a small reading of The Chimes in 1844. By the following September he had organised and cast the evening's entertainment remembered here, the highlight of which was Dickens's own performance as Jonson's Captain Bobadil. Jonson's play was both preceded by and followed by the performance of Rossini overtures, with the evening concluded by Catherine Gore's one act farce A Good Night's Rest. Attendance at the private performance at Miss Kelly's Theatre was by invitation only, with both the playbill and ticket titled "strictly private". The "Miss M. Holskamp" of Dickens's inscription is Margaret Holskamp (1827-1908), a correspondent of Dickens's favourite child Kate.

Original pen, ink and wash on card. Signed by the artist in the lower right hand corner and below the painting in Rackham's hand is the caption, "Mrs Cratchit brings in the Christmas Pudding, Dickens' A Christmas Carol" and a further full signature. 22.8cm x 17.8cm. The image in very good condition indeed, with a little browning to some sections of the background. Arthur Rackham and Charles Dickens are perfect companions to provide a Christmas cheer. LITERATURE: A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (Heinemann, 1915) p.88. Also used as the dustwrapper artwork for an American edition of the same title.

Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. 1st Edition. First edition 1839, with most first issue points, Smith 5, p.41/42. Rare and early signature, Faithfully Yours Charles Dickens, signed two days after publication  in October 25th, 1839 tipped in between plate and title page. Dickens signatures are scarce but this early is scarcer still. Contemporary half-calf binding, rubbed, with slight bumping to corners and extremities. Internally clean, some spotting to plates, occasional tears or marginal loss, most repaired and not affecting illustrations. Final leaf pp.623-624 torn with loss affecting text, otherwise complete. 8vo. Signed by Author(s).

Hardcover. Condition: Good. 1st Edition. London: Richard Bentley, 1838. First Edition, First Issue with Boz on the title pages (replaced with Charles Dickens in later states) and with the Fireside plate (later replaced with the Church plate). WITH AN AUTHENTICATED SIGNED LETTER bound in a folder in the same style as the volumes from Dickens to Mrs [Georgiana] Morson, Matron of Uriana Cottage; AUTHENTICATED BY Dr Leon Litvack, THE Principal Editor of "THE CHARLES DICKENS LETTERS PROJECT" and Reader in Victorian Studies at The School of Arts, English and Languages at Queen's University, Belfast. The letter is unrelated to the volumes. Autograph letter signed ("Charles Dickens"), to Mrs [Georgiana] Morson, responding: "Yes, to both of your enquiries", 1 page, folded, very light dust-staining, 8vo, Tavistock House, 20 January 1853. From DICKENS TO THE MATRON OF URANIA COTTAGE, the home for 'fallen women' that he had established with Angela Burdett-Coutts at Shepherd's Bush, just outside London, and in which he took an active interest, often visiting several times a week. Georgiana Collin was born in Merton. She married James Morson, a doctor for St George's Hospital, in 1838. Shortly after their marriage, James Morson was appointed as Chief Medical Officer for the Brazilian National Mining Association. He died in 1848, leaving Georgiana with three children to provide for by her own efforts. In 1854, Morson would resign from her post as matron of Urania Cottage in order to marry George Wade Harrison, a printer and bookseller, and they settled in Sevenoaks. On 26 May 1846, Dickens wrote Burdett-Coutts a lengthy letter stating his desire to open an asylum for girls and women working in London's streets as prostitutes. The letter included planning for the asylum ranging from finding a property in London to a detailed process of rehabilitating fallen women. For example, Dickens suggests introducing a marks system and probationary period for asylum residents. Dickens located a home for the asylum originally named Urania Cottage in Shepherd's Bush, Middlesex in 1847. Georgiana Morson served as a dedicated matron of Urania Cottage from 1849 to 1854. In her book, Charles Dickens and the House of Fallen Women, Jenny Hartley describes how, "Georgiana Morson proved herself the best matron Urania ever had. she taught the girls to read and write, as well as all the household skills a servant needed. She presided over the dining table, and made mealtimes a social occasion the girls had not known before. They ate the good food she had taught them to cook and chattered about their future prospects." Oliver Twist; or, the Parish Boy's Progress. By "Boz." In Three Volumes. Vol. I. [II. III.] London: Richard Bentley, 1838. Rebound in three half leather volumes with a slipcase bound in the same style containing the letter. First edition, first issue, with the title-page author stated as "Boz" instead of Dickens and with the "Fireside" version of the final plate. Three octavo volumes (approximately 7 ¾ x 5 inches; 19.7 x 12.5 cm.). Volumes I and III in twelves (gathering of twelve pages), volume II in eights (gathering of 8 pages). Walter E Smith wrote an authoritative bibliography on all of Dickens works and these volumes have been compared to his collation: Vol I [ii Smith states iv this volume lacks the half title], [1], 2-331, [lacking 4 pages of advertisements as is often the case when books are rebound], all other first edition points are present save the Bentley imprint at the base of the 10 illustrations which have been trimmed historically; colophon Printed by Samuel Bentley to the final printed page; Vol II [ii Smith states iv this volume lacks the half title], [1], 2-307, [308]; all other first edition points are present (including for example, on page 151, line 3, a gap between the r and unning , and Chapter XXIX printed XXVIX) save 2 points and the Bentley imprint at the base of the illustrations which have been trimmed historically, 7 p. Signed by Author(s).

8.5 x 5.25, full gilt ruled crushed gold morocco with raised bands; aeg, SIGNED BINDINGS BY BAYNTUN-RIVIERE, 254 pp + List of Plates, covers a little rubbed, hinges a little loose, pp toned with a little finger soiling else a finely bound beautiful copy of the FIRST ED with "affetcionately" on p 134, missing "lf" on p 166, and "113" on p 213.

Soft cover. Condition: Fine. 1st Edition. First Editions, First Printings of All 20 original parts bound in 19 wrappers SIGNED by Charles Dickens on a check laid into volume 1. A wonderful set in the publisher's green printed wrappers with minor wear to the spines and edges. The pages are clean with minor wear. Otherwise, a beautiful set housed in a custom clamshell slipcase for preservation SIGNED by the author. We buy SIGNED Dickens First Editions. Signed by Author(s).

IIllustrated with wood and steel engravings printed from the original blocks or plates; the title-page device by Lynton Lamb. One of 877 sets. 23 text volumes and the fold-over box in deep purple cloth containing the original engraved steel-plate. Large 8vo., a good set in original variously coloured buckram (either apple-green, black, blue, brown, dark green, fawn, maroon, orange, red or yellow), black leather lettering-labels to spines, top edges gilt on the rough, others uncut. A little fading to some of the spines and two very small holes and a small stain on the spine of Our Mutual Friend but generally in good condition. The original engraved steel-plate by "Phiz" is a good one being from Little Dorrit: "Visitors at the Works" and comes with the original letter of authentication signed by Arthur Waugh, the Deputy Chairman of Chapman and Hall, and a print from the plate. The text illustrations are printed from the original steel plates or wood-blocks (except in a few cases where the original wood-blocks had split and consequently those illustrations were reproduced from electro-typed facsimiles or from photographic reproductions). The text used for this edition was that of "The Charles Dickens Edition" of 1867-1875, printed by R. & R. Clark using a new type-face specially designed by Francis Meynell. The Nonesuch edition of Dickens remains one of the greatest of all collected editions in textual accuracy, design and quality of manufacture. The decison to disperse the original plates for the entire set of novels was bitterly resented, even by people closely connected with the Press. David Garnett attacked it as "an act of vandalism" in "The New Statesman and Nation" and Alice Meynell's disapproval was voiced so vehemently that she ended up having to resign as secretary. It is extraordinary that such a publishing venture should have been launched in the middle of a depression with a massive level of advertising. By June 1938, of the 877 sets 314 had been sold in the US and 237 in the UK.

Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. 1st Edition. SIGNED on a laid in paper bearing only Dickens' clear signature, First Edition of his immortal Oliver Twist, the first Victorian novel with a child protagonist. First published as a serial from 1837 to 1839 and released as a three-volume book on November 9, 1838 before the serialization ended. 3 vols. Volume one with the plate list inserted after title (not found in all copies); Bound in later 19th century 1/2 calf over marbled boards, with marbled page ends. FIRST EDITION, FIRST ISSUE in book form, meeting all points as per Eckel and Smith, including the later canceled "Fireside" plate in volume 3. Smith 1, 4; Eckel 59. Ownership inscription of Grace Pfeifer to front endpapers. In 2008, Christie's sold a signed first of Oliver Twist, inscribed directly to the book for $229,000. Book #Cv2105. $10,000. We specialize in Rare Ayn Rand, history, and science. Signed by Author(s).

23 vols and etched steel plate in box, 8vo (255 x 158 mm), without the Nonesuch Dickensiana; uncut, volumes and box bound in original coloured full buckram by the Leighton-Straker Bookbinding Co., Ltd., gilt morocco lettering-pieces on spines, top edges gilt; a little light wear and occasional soiling, spines of a few volumes lightly sunned; a very good set, from the library of Laurence Olivier.Limited edition of 877, of which 66 sets were destroyed when a bomb hit the bindery in September 1940, so at most 811 complete sets survive (Dreyfus, Nonesuch Press, 108). The steel plate included with this set is number 605, "Solemn reference is made to Mr. Bunsby" from Dombey and Son (Chapter 23, facing p.458), engraved by H. K. Browne ('Phiz'), with the typed letter of authenticity on Chapman & Hall headed paper, signed by Arthur Waugh.Intended as a definitive edition of Dickens' works the Nonesuch Press edition was printed using the original steel plates and woodblocks created by Chapman & Hall for the illustrations in the first editions of the books. Each set of the works was accompanied by one of the original engraved plates or woodblocks, of which there were 877. The original steel-engraved plate in this set is by 'Phiz' (Hablot Knight Browne), who was Dickens' friend and the most highly regarded illustrator of his works. G. K. Chesterton once remarked, "no other illustrator ever created the true Dickens characters with the precise and correct quantum of exaggeration. No other illustrator ever breathed the true Dickens atmosphere, in which clerks are clerks and yet at the same time elves" (from ODNB). Dreyfus 108. Language: English.

First Thus. The National Edition. Limited to 750 sets printed for England and America, this set unnumbered. Forty large octavo volumes. With approximately 1,000 illustrations, with plates by Cruikshank, Browne, Leech, et al. Title-pages printed in red and black. With many reproductions or the original parts wrappers on colored paper. Volume I with an envelope signed by Dickens and an ALS by John Foster, Dickens' biographer. On the first blank of volume I is a mounted small envelope addressed by Dickens to Edward Chapman (his publisher), and signed by Dickens on the lower left corner. Facing that page is a mounted autograph letter signed by John Foster (Dickens' friend and biographer) addressed to George Cattermole, the artist who illustrated The Old Curiosity Shop. Foster letter is on stationery and is dated 21 September, 1860. Two sixteenmo pages on one octavo sheet, folded. Set is uniformly bound by Riviere & Son in half brown levant morocco over brown cloth. Morocco double ruled in gilt. Spines lettered in gilt and compartments triple-ruled in gilt. Top edges gilt, others uncut. Spines slightly sunned and some occasional minor rubbing and shelfwear. Overall a very attractive and near fine set.

First Edition. First Edition. 8vo, (9 x 6 inches). David Ogle: OB-003-96, pictured full-page and color, on pg. 201. THE ONLY KNOWN SIGNED KINDER BINDING, with Kinder's monogram "LK," stamped to inside back cover on the lower dentelle, as well as Roycroft's "orb and cross mark" to side dentelle. The signature is a sort of cuneiform mark, "made from four sequential impressions of the same binder's tool, shaped like the parenthesis symbol. impressed in the order to form an approximation of the initials "LHK. This mark was first discovered in an inlaid full leather specimen of 'The Holly Tree,' (i.e. our copy) and no other examples of the mark are presently known. David Ogle ("On a High Shelf", pg 59). A striking Kinder binding in full light green crushed morocco with repeating gilt-tooled circle design motif highlighted by inlaid circles and squares (on end) in ochre and dark green morocco on both covers. Spine with similar, though linear, gilt and inlaid motif. #17 of 100 copies on Japan Vellum, Signed and Numbered by Hubbard. Colored title page and full-page border designs by Samuel Warner, prominent early Roycroft artist who designed Elbert Hubbard's first personal bookplate. Decidedly, a great rarity, and certainly a cornerstone to any serious Roycroft collection. Fine condition.