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MYSTERY OF EDWIN DROOD

MYSTERY OF EDWIN DROOD

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MYSTERY OF EDWIN DROOD

by DICKENS, Charles

  • Used
  • first
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About This Item

1870. DICKENS, Charles. THE MYSTERY OF EDWIN DROOD. With Twelve Illustrations by S. L. Fildes, and a Portrait. London: Chapman & Hall, [April - September] 1870. First edition. A total of 14 illustrations, including a portrait of Dickens and a vignette title-page. Octavo. [viii,1]-190,[2] pp. In the original six monthly parts, as issued, in blue paper wrappers. Housed in a green three-quarter leather pull-off case in a green cloth chemise. Wrappers show some general light wear but,some minor expert repair and are very good overall. The front wrap on Part 1 has a small ink spot near one edge and shows a bit more wear than the other wrappers. Almost all advertisements are present, including the rare cork ad in Part 2, lacking only four pages (nos. 7 - 10) of the "Edwin Drood Advertiser" in Part 3 and the eight-page Chapman & Hall catalog in Part 5. Another minor difference, the eight-page Chapman & Hall catalog in Part 1 is not completely unpaginated; pages 2 and 3 are marked as such. Part 6 has the "Eighteenpence" slip pasted over the original price on front wrap as found in the earliest issues. Some plates show mild light foxing. Text leaves are clean. This was Dickens' last work; it was left unfinished at his death in June, 1870. (Hatton & Cleaver, pp. 371-384).

Synopsis

The Mystery of Edwin Drood marked the last of Charles Dickens novels, and was left unfinished in its publication. It follows the story of an orphan, Edwin Drood who worked as an engineer for his adoptive father’s firm, and his betrothal to fellow orphan Rosa Bud. As they come to age there is recognition that their love has been replaced by friendship, and the engagement is soon broken off. Shortly afterwards, in the middle of a storm on Christmas Eve, Edwin disappears, leaving nothing behind but some personal belongings and the suspicion that his killer was his jealous uncle John Jasper, or a fellow orphan Neville, who were both  madly in love with Rosa. The fantastical story intrigues the reader with the darkness the opium dens within the sleepy cathedral town of Cloisterham, and the sinister double life of Choirmaster Jasper, whose drug-fuelled fantasy life belies his respectable appearance. Charles Dickens passed before the novel could be completed, leaving a tantalizing mystery that will never be solved. 

Read More: Identifying first editions of MYSTERY OF EDWIN DROOD

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Details

Bookseller
Boston Book Company US (US)
Bookseller's Inventory #
83093
Title
MYSTERY OF EDWIN DROOD
Author
DICKENS, Charles
Book Condition
Used
Quantity Available
1
Date Published
1870

Terms of Sale

Boston Book Company

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About the Seller

Boston Book Company

Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Biblio member since 2006
Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts

About Boston Book Company

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Glossary

Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:

First Edition
In book collecting, the first edition is the earliest published form of a book. A book may have more than one first edition in...
Vignette
A decorative design or illustration placed at the beginning or end of a ...
Octavo
Another of the terms referring to page or book size, octavo refers to a standard printer's sheet folded four times, producing...
Leaves
Very generally, "leaves" refers to the pages of a book, as in the common phrase, "loose-leaf pages." A leaf is a single sheet...
Wrappers
The paper covering on the outside of a paperback. Also see the entry for pictorial wraps, color illustrated coverings for...
Cloth
"Cloth-bound" generally refers to a hardcover book with cloth covering the outside of the book covers. The cloth is stretched...

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