20 parts in 19, 8vo. Half-title, engraved frontispiece, vignette title-page, 38 engraved plates by “Phiz,” with the 10 ‘dark’ plates. (Slight spotting and marginal toning, some minor offsetting, 3 x 2 1/2-in. loss to upper corner of p. 5 of part 3 affecting text.) Original blue pictorial printed wrappers, uncut and part 10 unopened (a few spines neatly repaired, slight soiling and staining, some marginal chipping just touching text on a few parts); red morocco drop-front case. Provenance: Signature to front wrapper of part 19/20; Jean Hersholt (1886-1956) Danish-American Actor (signed bookplate tipped to the case lid).

FIRST EDITION IN THE ORIGINAL MONTHLY PARTS, FIRST ISSUE, with the following first issue points: with "elgble" on p. 19 of part 1 (line 6); "chair" on p. 209 of part 7 (line 23); "counsinship" on p. 275 of part 9 (line 22). VIRTUALLY COMPLETE WITH ALL TEXT, PLATES, WRAPPERS, SLIPS, AND ADVERTISEMENTS as called for in Hatton & Cleaver, with the exception of 3 back advertisements: parts 13 and 16 each lack the 8pp. "Grace Aguilar's Works" slip; part 14 lacks the 2pp. "New Geographical and Educational Works." Otherwise, this set has all the first issue points called for by Hatton and Cleaver except for the following: the last word of the first column is "as-" and the first word of the second column is "-sist" on p. 3 of "Norton's Camomile Pills" in part 1; the "Crochet Cotton" slip in part 3 is in the second issue with p. 205 quoted. “Dickens spoke to the people, and the people responded, and saw that Bleak House is among the greatest of his books” (Claire Tomalin, Charles Dickens: A Life, p.246). THE HERSHOLT COPY. Eckel, pp. 79-81; Hatton & Cleaver, pp. 275-304; Yale/Gimbel A130.