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DICKENS, Charles

Dombey and Son

Dombey and Son

London: Bradbury & Evans, 1848

Illustrated by BROWNE, Hablot Knight ("Phiz")

Regular price £225.00
Regular price Sale price £225.00
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DICKENS, Charles. Dombey and Son. 

London: Bradbury & Evans, 1848. Demy octavo, recently rebound in quarter brown morocco with cloth sides, with gilt lettering, motifs and five raised bands to spine, top edge gilt, marbled endpapers.

First edition in book form of one of Dickens' greatest works and "the first one to have an explicitly contemporary setting" (ODNB). With 40 etchings by Hablot Knight Browne ("Phiz"), including the famous first published example of a "dark plate" ("On the Dark Road", at p. 547) , created by the engraver's lining machine and roulettes that tint the etched plate so as to heighten the contrast between black and white, anticipating some of the techniques of white-line engraving. Bound without the errata leaf, errata slip and half-title.

First edition, early issue, adhering largely to most first edition points, including: (1) the frontispiece without a page number (present); (2) no quotation marks for "The Party" on pp.xv, line 2 (present); (3) "shewed" and "shew" for "showed" and "show" error pp.40 lines 16 and 17 (present); (4) "Dull cooking" for "dull crying" pp.101, 9 lines up (not present); (5) "suspiciously" for "auspiciously" pp.105, 3 lines up (not present). "delight" for "joy" error pp.284 5th and 6th line from the bottom (present), (6) "Capatin" for "Captain" pp.324 final line (not present), (7) "above stairs" for "downstairs" pp.494 line 1 (not present), (8) "two" for "too" pp.497 line 29 (not present).

A handsomely bound, near-fine copy, with binding square and firm. Minor wear externally, a few hairline scratches to the top edge gilt, two penned inscriptions to prelims, some indentations to a handful of pages, and the usual foxing and offsetting throughout, although to a much lesser degree than seen in most copies. Collated as complete with all plates present, and the plates in very nice condition with only mild toning and oxidation.

Dombey & Son follows the fortunes of a shipping firm owner, who is frustrated at the lack of a son to follow him in his footsteps; he initially rejects his daughter's love before eventually becoming reconciled with her.

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