Little Dorrit

London: Bradbury and Evans, 1857. First Edition in original parts. Very good. (20 Parts published in 19). Housed in a custom made silk solander box with leather labels. All plates present including the dark plates and the frontispiece and vignette title. Includes Rigaud for Bladois at Part 15 (ten times as per Smith 1:12), errata slip in Part 16, and the Preliminary Leaves in Parts 19 & 20.

For the most part an internally clean set with occasional foxing and soiling. The wraps are generally just a little edgeworn and several have had small expert repairs to the spines. Several wraps have the ownership signature "Thos. Bostock Esq." either above or just below the top border. Some advertisements and slips are lacking in 10 of the 19 parts (often the case), but only Part One is lacking all of the preceding advertisments. Four small sections of advertisements have been excised.A very good set, neatly repaired and beautifully presented. (Smith 1:12; Hatton and Cleaver pp. 305-330). One of Dickens' mature works, Little Dorrit was a great success with the reading public. Hatton and Cleaver describe its circulation numbers as "abnormal, equal almost to the record breaking 'Bleak House'" (1933, p.307) and Eckels similarly wrote that, "in the face of critical opposition the book was a prime favourite, the second part reaching a circulation of 35,000." 1932, p.82).