DICKENS, Charles (1812-1870). Bleak House. London: Bradbury & Evans, 1853.

8vo (222 x 141 mm). Half-title. Engraved frontispiece, vignette title-page and 38 illustrations by J.K. Browne ('Phiz'), with the 10 'dark' plates. (Some occasional spotting or staining as usual.) Publisher's rose cloth, blindstamped in the pattern of Martin Chuzzlewit (1844), "Chapman & Hall" stamped in gilt at foot of spine (rebacked, preserving original spine, spine faded, some minor wear); cloth folding case. Provenance: Oliver Sylvain Baliol Brett, 3rd Viscount Esher (1881-1963), British peer and politician (bookplate).

FIRST EDITION IN BOOK FORM IN A RARE VARIANT BINDING not described by Eckel or Smith but possibly referred to in The Dickensian, 1 September 1943, p.175, which describes Bleak House as being in publisher's rose cloth. The undated vignette title-page corresponds with Smith's secondary binding, but the present copy has the textual variants of the first edition. Eckel, pp.64-66; Smith I:5.

Property of an Illinois collector

Property of an Illinois collector

DICKENS, Charles (1812-1870). Bleak House. London: Bradbury & Evans, 1853.