Books

First edition in book-form, in the original cloth and in exemplary condition. The novel was first published in serial form between March 1852 and September 1853. "Writing at the height of his powers, Dickens adopts a virtuoso form of double narration, and the novel has since the middle of the twentieth century been widely acclaimed as his greatest work" (ODNB). Of note is the inclusion of ten dark plates, a new mode of illustration particularly fitting to the novel: "As Dickens's vision of society darkened, Browne adjusted his techniques, pioneering in the use of 'dark plates', where the plate was machine-ruled in parallel grooves which printed an almost uniform tone either before or after the figures and background were hand drawn. These brooding, atmospheric designs harmonized with the gloomy, foggy world of Bleak House and Little Dorrit" (Schlicke, p. 59). Octavo. Original blind-stamped green cloth, spine lettered in gilt, yellow coated endpapers, leaves unopened. Housed in a custom box. Etched frontispiece, vignette title-page, and 38 plates (including the 10 "dark" plates) by Hablot Knight Browne (Phiz). Spine sunned with a few spots, faint marks on cloth, binding firm and square, internally very fresh: an excellent copy. Eckel, p. 79; Hatton and Cleaver, p. 275-304; Kremers, pp. 100-3; Smith I, 10. Paul Schlicke, ed., The Oxford Companion to Charles Dickens, 2001.

Bleak House is a novel by Charles Dickens, originally published as a serial between March 1852 and September 1853. It is considered one of his finest works, containing a vast, complex plot and an extraordinary number of characters.