The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby

Chapman and Hall, 1839. 1st Edition. Hardcover. Very Good. 1st edition, mixed state. Frontis and 39 plates by Hablot K. Browne (Phiz). Nicholas Nickleby was Dickens third novel and was issued in monthly installments March 1838 October 1839 before it was published as this single volume. An instant success, it both solidified Dickens voice as a social critic and marked his first of many romances. Description: Half green morocco leather over green cloth, by Birdsall of Northampton, 5 raised bands, title and author in gilt in two compartments, TEG, marbled endpapers. Xvi, 624 pp., frontis & 39 plates, 2 pp. ads including an advertisement for New Work by Boz., and another advertisement for A Paperof Tobacco.. Octovo size (8 ½ by 5 ½). Pagination: front free endpaper, [i] half-title, [ii] blank, Frontispiece, [iii] title page, [iv] copyright, [v] dedication, [vi] blank, [vii]-x preface, [xi]-xiv contents, [xv]-xvi list of plates, [1]-624, [i-ii] ads, free end paper, marble pastedown. Condition: Overall in very good plus condition, clean straight text block. Lightly bumped slightly worn corners, head bands in place, prior owners bookplate affixed to front pastedown, booksellers stamp to front blank, binders stamp (Birdsall, Northampton) to front blank, some minor toning and foxing to plates as is commonly found. Contains the following first issues points: page 18 illustration marked Chapman & Hall, flys for flies p. 245 line 10; visiters for visitors p. 272 line 2; incontestible for incontestable p.297 line 22; suprise for surprise p. 586 line 24. This is a mixed state due to lacking the following first issue points: illustrations on pages 25, 38, and 44 do NOT say Chapman & Hall; visitor has been corrected to sister on page 123 line 17; and latter has been corrected to letter on page 160 line 6 from the bottom. An attractive copy by a prominent binder that will fit nicely into any collection of Dickens works.