A Tale of Two Cities. With illustrations by H. K. Browne.
by DICKENS, Charles
- Used
- Hardcover
- first
- Condition
- See description
- Seller
-
London, London, United Kingdom
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
London, Chapman & Hall, 1859. . First edition, first issue; 8vo (220 x 150 mm); 16 engraved plates (including additional title and frontispiece) by Hablot K. Browne, very occasional light spotting to plates but in the main, unusually clean and bright; near-contemporary half-calf over marbled boards, matching endpapers and edges, worn and rubbed at extremities but sound; otherwise a very good copy indeed.
A first issue with p. 213 mispaginated as 113 and signature 'b' on 'List of Plates' leaf and 'affetcionately on p. 134, line 12
With one of the most famous opening sentences in history, A Tale of Two Cities ranks among the novelist's finest, anatomising the conflict between democratic and aristocratic principles during the French revolution.
An 'intensely cold mist' covers the land 'like an evil spirit'. After 18 years as a political prisoner, Doctor Manette is released and reunited with his daughter, the beguiling Lucie, who captivates the affections of two suitors, an aristocratic Frenchman named Darnay and the English lawyer, Carton. This tale of two cities (London and Paris) is also a tale of three lovers, with a plot-twist of self-sacrifice inspired by Wilkie Collins' play The Frozen Deep, in which Dickens acted.
Epic in historical scale, it is also an intimate book, showing how the personal and political intermingle and what the causes and effects of violence are, including the struggle to retain one's sanity under systemic abuse. Dickens focuses throughout on two sets of relationships: between father and daughter, and between subject and state. Those facing the guillotine do not hope to gain the "pity of the people", but it is a measure of Dickens's skill that he makes us feel sympathy towards them.
Eckel, pp.86-90; Smith I, pp. 96-98.
A first issue with p. 213 mispaginated as 113 and signature 'b' on 'List of Plates' leaf and 'affetcionately on p. 134, line 12
With one of the most famous opening sentences in history, A Tale of Two Cities ranks among the novelist's finest, anatomising the conflict between democratic and aristocratic principles during the French revolution.
An 'intensely cold mist' covers the land 'like an evil spirit'. After 18 years as a political prisoner, Doctor Manette is released and reunited with his daughter, the beguiling Lucie, who captivates the affections of two suitors, an aristocratic Frenchman named Darnay and the English lawyer, Carton. This tale of two cities (London and Paris) is also a tale of three lovers, with a plot-twist of self-sacrifice inspired by Wilkie Collins' play The Frozen Deep, in which Dickens acted.
Epic in historical scale, it is also an intimate book, showing how the personal and political intermingle and what the causes and effects of violence are, including the struggle to retain one's sanity under systemic abuse. Dickens focuses throughout on two sets of relationships: between father and daughter, and between subject and state. Those facing the guillotine do not hope to gain the "pity of the people", but it is a measure of Dickens's skill that he makes us feel sympathy towards them.
Eckel, pp.86-90; Smith I, pp. 96-98.
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Details
- Bookseller
- Shapero Rare Books (GB)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 107781
- Title
- A Tale of Two Cities. With illustrations by H. K. Browne.
- Author
- DICKENS, Charles
- Book Condition
- Used
- Binding
- Hardcover
- Place of Publication
- London, Chapman & Hall, 1859.
Terms of Sale
Shapero Rare Books
30 day return guarantee, with full refund including original shipping costs for up to 30 days after delivery if an item arrives misdescribed or damaged.
About the Seller
Shapero Rare Books
Biblio member since 2020
London, London
About Shapero Rare Books
Specialising in rare books on Travel & Voyages, Natural History, Literature (including modern first editions), Children's Books, Guide Books, Judaica & Hebraica, titles of Russian interest, and Islamica.
Glossary
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- Marbled boards
- ...
- 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...
- Edges
- The collective of the top, fore and bottom edges of the text block of the book, being that part of the edges of the pages of a...