A Tale of Two Cities by Dickens, Charles - 1859

Chapman and Hall, 1859. 1st Edition. Hardcover. Very Good. London Chapman and Hall, 1859. Beautiful First edition, First Issue in the Original Red Cloth DICKENS, Charles. A Tale of Two Cities. With Illustrations by H.K. Browne. London: Chapman and Hall, 1859. First edition, first issue in the primary binding. Octavo 8 3/4 x 5 9/16 inches; 222 x 141 mm. [i-vii] viii [ix-x], [1] 2-254; Sixteen inserted plates, including frontispiece and vignette title, by Browne ['Phiz']. All eight of Smith's internal flaws necessary for the first issue present, including page 213 misnumbered 113. Publishers primary binding of deep red sand-grain cloth, covers stamped in blind, spine lettered in gilt. Edges uncut. Cloth on boards is still a rich red. Housed in a full leather decorated red morocco clamshell case. An excellent copy. A Tale of Two Cities was first serialized in Dickenss periodical All the Year Round, from April 30-November 26, 1859. Its appearance in monthly parts (July-December 1859) and book form mark Dickenss return to his old publishers Chapman and Hall, after a long stay with Bradbury and Evans. The extremely large audience for the novel in All the Year Round, however, left less than the usual demand for the parts issue and, at first, for the book, both of which are now quite rare. This title also marks the authors final collaboration with Phiz, Dickenss most evocative and most sympathetic illustrator. Smith I, 13. Hatton and Cleaver, pp. 333-342.