DICKENS, Charles (1812-1870). The Personal History...of David Copperfield. London: Bradbury and Evans, May 1849-November 1850.

20 parts in 19, 8vo (25 x 143 mm). Engraved frontispiece, title and 38 plates after Hablot K. Browne ["Phiz"]. (Some plates slightly browned or with light offsetting.) Original printed blue-green pictorial wrappers (a few spines with discreet old repairs, a few tears with old repairs and small portion of lower wrapper upper margin renewed part 10); green crushed levant pull-off cases gilt (spines sunned, some light wear). Provenance: Unidentified signature part 4; William Vassall, Sion Hill (signature part 8); Rev. J.E. Rudd (signatures parts 17 and 19/20); The Brook, New York private club (bookplate, their sale Parke Bernet, 18 October 1948, sale 993, lot 115). FIRST EDITION IN ORIGINAL MONTHLY PARTS, VIRTUALLY COMPLETE WITH ADVERTISEMENTS AND INSERTED SLIPS, with the "Copperfield Advertiser" in each part and all ads listed by Hatton & Cleaver, except: back wrappers differ in parts 4, 8, and 18; with all front ads except lacking slip after plates parts 9, 13, 14, and 16, lacking all front ads part 11, and lacking 2pp. "Household Words" ad part 15; with all back ads except 2pp. "The Theory of Musical Composition" part 1, slip part 13, 2pp. "Illustrated Weekly Journal" and 1p. "Penny Maps" part 15, and all ads wanting parts 2, 8 ("Lett's Diaries", frequently lacking), and 18; part 8 advertiser in the first state with "Lile" instead of "Life." David Copperfield, written at the midpoint of Dickens' career, draws from the author's own life. The novel is scarce in parts. As Eckel notes, the printing was comparatively small, the parts were "much read and roughly handled," and "fine, clean and unrepaired copies [were] difficult to procure" even in 1932. Hatton & Cleaver pp.253-272; Sadleir 686; Yale/Gimbel A121.

Property from the Estate of Steve and Peggy Fossett, Carmel, California