The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club

London: Chapman and Hall, 1837. Very Good. London: Chapman and Hall, 1837. First Edition, early state with four of seven first issue points per Smith: correct readings of “inde-licate” and “inscription” and with stab-holes in gutter on p. 341, “S. Veller” uncorrected on p. 342 line 5, “this friends” for “his friends” on p. 400 line 21, and an imperfect F in “OF” in the headline of p. 432. Octavo (21.5 cm); [iii-xvi], 609 pp.; with 43 plates on inserted leaves, including the “Tony Weller” title page and the suppressed Buss plates facing p. 69 and p. 74; majority of the plates matching the states described in Smith, with plates 16, 24-26, 31, 35, 39, 40, 42, and 43 in different states or different plates. Marbled paper-covered boards with green calf spine and corners, with gilt lettering on spine label and gilt decoration over bands; blue endpapers. Boards mildly rubbed along edges, joints, and corners, with some scuffs to surface and brief fraying at spine ends. Frontispiece repaired with one-inch strip along top containing the tip of the image added from facsimile on thinner, lightly toning paper. Pencil notes regarding the plates on flyleaf and title page verso, with light offsetting from the latter to first page of text. Browning and moderate foxing to plates, with occasional brief foxing to pages. Binding is sound.

[Podeschi/Gimbel A16; Smith I:3; Eckel 17-58].