The Mystery of Edwin Drood by DICKENS, Charles (1812-1870), [FILDES, S. L., illustrator]

London: Chapman and Hall, 1870. [Crime / Mystery] FIRST EDITION in book form. Large octavo (23 x 15cm), pp.viii; 190 [34]. With 12 wood engraved illustrations after Fildes, as well as a steel engraved frontispiece and vignette title page. Publisher's green cloth, recently re-backed with the original cloth spine laid over. Gilt titles and black decorations to spine and boards. Yellow coated endpapers. Spotting and light browning throughout. Moderate wear to board edges and original spine cloth, area of lighter cloth to upper board where a label has been removed. Restored to a robust usable condition. Good. Unfinished at the time of Dickens' death, 'Edwin Drood' is a dark and bleak mystery novel that remains fascinating partly because of its unfinished status, generating never-ending speculation. It focuses on John Jasper, a choirmaster-come-opium addict who is Drood's uncle.