DICKENS, Charles. A Child's History of England. London: Bradbury and Evans, 1852-53-54.

DICKENS, Charles. A Child's History of England. London: Bradbury and Evans, 1852-53-54.

3 volumes, small square 8o (153 x 122 mm). Half-titles. Three engraved frontispieces by F.W. Topham, with the blank guards between frontispieces and titles. (Two leaves in first gathering of vol. 1 loose.) Original red blindstamped cloth, front covers with gilt vignette at center, gilt-lettered on spines, marbled edges, blindstamp of J.A. Pocock, bookseller, on endleaf of vol. 1 (spines slightly darkened, some minor wear at extremities); green quarter morocco slipcase. Provenance: Kenyon Starling (bookplate).

FIRST EDITION IN BOOK FORM, first issue of the ads in vol. 1, and with title-pages dated 1852, 1853, and 1854 as in first issue. "The germ of this book was in the mind of Dickens nearly ten years before the idea was perfected. In 1843 he wrote to Douglas Jerrold concerning it but no immediate result followed. In style, subject and composition it was different from anything he had attempted. For the first and only time he dictated his thoughts to a second person, Chapters II and IV only are in his manuscript, the balance being in the handwriting of Miss Georgina Hogarth, his wife's sister" (Eckel). It originally appeared anonymously in irregular intervals in Household Words from January 25, 1851 to December 10, 1853. It was in forty-five chapters in serial, reduced to thirty-seven in book form. Eckel, pp.128-130; Smith II:10. SCARCE IN FINE CONDITION. (3)