20 parts in 19, 8vo. Engraved frontispiece, engraved vignette title-page, and 38 plates after Hablot K. Browne ("Phiz"). (Slight chipping, some minor spotting and toning, part 10 final back advertisement leaf with corner loss.) Original printed blue-green pictorial wrappers (most spines repaired, slight soiling, rubbing, and chipping); pull-apart case. Provenance: Signature to part 10 front wrapper; Thomas Hatton, Bibliographer of Charles Dickens (annotations and laid in autograph note, see below).

THE THOMAS HATTON COPY, WITH ANNOTATIONS BY HIM in pencil as follows: "D.C. 1" on p. 19 of the Advertiser in part 1; "D.C./4" on p.7 of the Advertiser in part 5. [Laid in:] HATTON, Thomas. Autograph note. N.p., n.d. 1 page on a bifolium wrapped around part 11, 4to, in pencil on paper. Relating to the “textual imperfections” in Part 11.

FIRST EDITION IN ORIGINAL MONTHLY PARTS. NEARLY COMPLETE WITH ALL TEXT, PLATES, WRAPPERS, SLIPS, AND ADVERTISEMENTS as called for in Hatton & Cleaver and in the first issue, except for the following: "Life" spelled correctly on p.3 of the Advertiser in part 7; the part 12 "The Working Man's Library" back advertisement is in variation 2A [no priority]; part 8 has only 4 specimens (8pp.) for "Lett's Diaries for 1850" rather than the typical 8 pieces. In his preface to the 1869 edition, Dickens writes: “Of all my books, I like this the best. It will be easily believed that I am a fond parent to every child of my fancy, and that no one can ever love that family as dearly as I love them. But, like many fond parents, I have in my heart of hearts a favourite child. And his name is David Copperfield.” Eckel, pp. 77-78; Hatton & Cleaver pp. 253-272; Sadleir 686; Yale/Gimbel A121.