The Writings of Charles Dickens, 32 Volumes, 1894, Number 1 of 500

Binding Details:  Spectacular signed bindings by The Riverside Press of full morocco leather with spine treatments of raised bands and gilt ruling, gilt titling, as well as elaborate giltwork. There are gilt ruled borders to the boards with elaborate gilt floral stops at the corners as well as double gilt ruling to the edges. The front and rear inner boards contain elaborately designed leather and silk doublures that are decorated in gilt.  The top page ends are gold gilted and there are built in ribbon bookmarks. The binders stamp appears on the top of the first free endpaper of each book.

Collection Details:  This is the 32 volume “Large Paper Edition” of the “Writings of Charles Dickens” published in 1894 by Houghton, Mifflin & Company and The Riverside Press in a limited edition of 500 sets with this being number 1. The critical and bibliographical introductions are primarily by Edwin Percy Whipple and each volume is profusely illustrated with steel portraits and engravings from the original designs by Hablot Browne (Phiz), George Cruikshank, John Leech and others. Most volumes have 3 frontispieces with one them hand-colored. This is atypical since most of the other sets that were published only contained 2   frontispieces and did not contain the hand-colored frontispiece.

The titles in the collection in alphabetical order are:

A Child’s History of England

A Tale of Two Cities

Barnaby Rudge (2 volumes)

Bleak House (2 volumes)

Christmas Books (2 volumes)

David Copperfield (2 volumes)

Dombey and Son (2 volumes)

Great Expectations

Hard Times

Life, Letters, Speeched (2 volumes)

Little Dorrit (2 volumes)

Martin Chuzzlewit (2 volumes)

Nicholas Nickleby (2 volumes)

Old Curiosity Shop

Oliver Twist

Our Mutual Friend (2 volumes)

Plays, Poems, Miscellanies

Sketches by Boz

The Dickens Dictionary

The Pickwick Papers (2 volumes)

Uncommercial Traveller

Each book measures approximately 9” x 6” x 1.5” and includes a table of contents, list of illustrations, and introduction. All of the illustrations are protected by captioned tissue guards.

Bound into the book next to the limitation page that indicates that this is number 1 of 500 sets, there is a check that is filled out and signed by Charles Dickens with his full signature and elaborate underlining as was his custom when using his full signature.

Condition Report:  The collection is in exceptional condition. The bindings are in FINE condition with the most minimal of surface wear. Internally the books are very clean. Overall, this is a beautifully bound  limited edition collection of Dickens writings that is in remarkable condition and that also contains the signature of Charles Dickens as well as the distinction of being collection number 1 of the limited edition.

Photographs of the collection, the leather and silk doublures, the limitation page and signed check as they appear side by side, the signed check as it appears horizontally, as well as a few examples of the frontispieces that are contained in the book appear in the photo section of the listing.