Description
Half-Leather. First edition, first issue in three volumes with the Boz titlepage and the Fireside plate. Illustrated with 24 etched plates by George Cruikshank. R ebound in modern dark half green morocco bindings over marbled paper covered boards. Raised spines with leather spine labels. New end-papers and bound with half-title in volume I only, lacks half titl e in volume II, [not called for in volume III.] As usual in rebound copies, does not contain list of illustrations page or publishers csatalog. Internally all textual points for first issue called for by Smith. All frontispeices and titles in volume I and II show moderate foxing. In addition one plate in volume I, and 3 plates in volume III are moderately foxed, with the last two plates in volume III, [including the Fireside plate] heavily foxed. Else all plates and text clean with only sporadic incidental marginal foxing. Overall quite a clean copy, as most are found with plates badly browned . Bindings are as new and housed in custom made cloth covered slipcase with the following in gilt lettering on back: “Oliver Twist”/by/Boz/3 vols./First edition/1838. A near fine set of a very desirable title. Sadlier 696; Smith I, 4.