Christmas Carol [With:] The Chimes. [And:] The Cricket on the Hearth. by DICKENS, Charles - 1843

An Excellent, Complete Set of Dickensís Christmas Books, With a First Edition, First Issue ìA Christmas Carol. With Some of the Original Cloth Bound In DICKENS, Charles. A Christmas Carol. In Prose. Being a Ghost Story of Christmas. With Illustrations by John Leech. London: Chapman & Hall, 1843. First edition, first issue: i.e., ìStave Iî; blue half-title and red and blue title. Small octavo (6 7/16 x 4 inches; 163 x 102 mm). [viii], [1] -166, [2, publisher's advertisements] pp. With four inserted hand-colored plates, including frontispiece. In-text black and white illustrations. With two pages of publisher's advertisements. Original trimmed cloth from front board and spine bound in at the back. [Together with:] DICKENS, Charles. The Chimes. A Goblin Story of Some Bells that Rang an Old Year Out and a New Year In. London: Chapman and Hall, 1845 [i.e., December 1844]. First edition. Small octavo (6 3/8 x 4 inches; 163 x 102 mm). [vi], [1]2-175, [1, colophon], [1, publisher's advertisement], [1, blank] pp. First state of the additional engraved title and frontispiece after Daniel Maclise, by F.P. Becker. Eleven in-text black and white illustrations after Doyle, Leech, and Stanfield. With the publisher's advertisement leaf for the tenth edition Christmas Carol bound at the rear. Original trimmed cloth from front board and spine bound in at the back. [With:] DICKENS, Charles. The Cricket on the Hearth. A Fairy Tale of Home. London: Printed and Published for the Author, by Bradbury and Evans, 1846 [i.e., December 1845]. First edition. Small octavo (6 3/8 x 4 inches; 162 x 102 mm). [viii], [1]2-174, [2 publisher's advertisements] pp. Engraved title and frontispiece after Daniel Maclise, by G. Dalziel. Twelve in-text black and white illustrations by various artists chiefly after John Leech. With the second state of the final leaf of publisher's advertisements for the new edition of Oliver Twist. Original trimmed cloth from front board and spine bound in at the back. [With:] DICKENS, Charles. The Battle of Life. A Love Story. London: Bradbury & Evans, 1846. First edition. Small octavo (6 7/16 x 4 inches; 163 x 102 mm). [viii], [1-3]4-175, [1, colophon], [2, publisher's advertisements] pp. With fourth state engraved title and frontispiece after Maclise by Thompson. Eleven in-text black and white illustrations after Maclise, Doyle, Stanfield and Leech. Final leaf of publisher's advertisements for Dombey and Son. Original trimmed cloth from front board and spine bound in at the back. [And:] DICKENS, Charles. The Haunted Man and the Ghostís Bargain. A Fancy for Christmas-Time. London: Bradbury & Evans, 1848. First edition. Small octavo (6 7/16 x 4 inches; 163 x 102 mm). [vi], [1]2-188, [2, publisher's advertisement] pp. With leaf of publisher's advertisements for "Works by Mr. Dickens" bound at the back. Additional pictorial frontispiece and title after Tenniel by Martin & Corbould. Fifteen in-text black and white illustrations after Leech, Stone, Stanfield and Tenniel. Original trimmed cloth from front board and spine bound in at the back. Together all five volumes beautifully and uniformly bound by Tout in three-quarter green morocco, over green marbled paper-covered boards. Morocco ruled in gilt. Spines elaborately stamped and lettered in gilt. All edges gilt. Matching marbled endpapers. Spines all uniformly slightly darkened. Christmas Carol with some mild darkening to morocco along outer hinges. Cricket with small marginal paper repairs to pages 59 and 61. Battle with faint signature at head of frontispiece. Some occasional offsetting from the bound in cloth. Overall an about fine set. Each volume housed in a full red morocco pull-top slipcase. Smith, Dickens, II, 4, 5, 6, 8 and 9. HBS 68300. $13,500