Description: DICKENS, Charles. A Christmas Carol In Prose Being A Ghost Story of Christmas. London: Chapman and Hall, 1843. SECOND EDITION. 1 vol., 6-5/8" x 4-7/16", chapter heading reading "Stave One", illustrated with 4 hand colored engraved plates by John Leech and 4 black and white illustrations by W.J. Linton, internally clean and bright. Bound in the original straight grained rose colored cloth, gilt tile and wreath to spine and front cover, yellow pastedowns and endpapers, all edges gilt, spine expertly relined, ownership inscriptions to verso of front endleaf, overall a VERY GOOD copy. Three editions all dated 1843 were published before the new year of 1844. By the end of the next year (1844) 13 editions had been printed. According to John Eckel, "A Christmas Carol" was published on December 19th, 1843 and sold 6,000 copies on the first day. Before the end of the year, eleven days later, it was in the third edition, with the combined number of copies of the second and third editions being estimated at only two to three thousand copies. This means that the second and third editions were at least two to three times scarcer than the first. Regarded as Dicken's most widely read novel and considered to be "the greatest Christmas book ever written in any language" (Eckel p. 116) selling more than 6000 copies in the few days leading up to Christmas. The work was extravagantly costly as Dickens for the first time (and incidentally his last) used color in the title-page and etchings as he wanted to make the book a beautiful gift and to be a celebration of the Christmas spirit. After the initial success, Dickens continued the series throughout the 1840's, maintaining "the Carol" philosophy to "strike a sledgehammer blow" for the poor, uneducated, and repressed. Who we are - D&D Galleries was founded in 1985. We are members of the Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America (ABAA), the International League of Antiquarian Booksellers (ILAB), and the Provincial Bookfair Association of Great Britain (PBFA). So bid and buy with confidence. Our inventory (largely English language only) is slightly eclectic and ranges from the 16th through the 20th centuries with sub-specialties in S.T.C. and Wing books, Lewis Carroll, Charles Dickens, presentation and association material as well as 17th and 18th C. British history, sets and bindings. Terms - Any item(s) may be returned with 7 days for a full refund if found to be not authentic or substantially at odds with our description or pictures. Items returned must be received in the same condition and completeness as sent.
Price: 8000 USD
Location: Somerville, New Jersey
End Time: 2025-01-07T19:08:29.000Z
Shipping Cost: 0 USD
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Item Specifics
Restocking Fee: No
Return shipping will be paid by: Buyer
All returns accepted: Returns Accepted
Item must be returned within: 30 Days
Refund will be given as: Money Back
Binding: Cloth
Origin: English
Special Attributes: 1st Edition, Illustrated
Topic: Christmas
Subject: Literature & Fiction
Year Printed: 1843
