Books

Chapman, 1859. 1st Edition. Hardcover. Very Good/No Jacket. A very good, first edition, first issue, rebound in leather, with all first issue points. As Hatton and Cleaver note in their bibliography, A Tale of Two Cities has "practically no 'points' sufficiently outstanding to distinguish the earlier printings." However, both H&C and Smith agree that copies with the misprint on page 213 corrected and lacking the signature "b" on page ix are decidedly second printings. This copy has the first issue points. Foxing, all plates and some pages have been inserted. All plates and pages are present, except no publisher's catalog, which is not present in all copies. Housed in custom-made collector's cloth slipcase.

A Tale of Two Cities is a historical novel by Charles Dickens, set in London and Paris before and during the French Revolution. The novel tells the story of the French Doctor Manette, his 18-year-long imprisonment in the Bastille in Paris and his release to live in London with his daughter Lucie, whom he had never met. The story is set against the conditions that led up to the French Revolution and the Reign of Terror.

First editions of 'A Tale of Two Cities' can be identified by the presence of the publisher's name, Chapman & Hall, on the title page. Additionally, the phrase 'All the Year Round' on the title page indicates that it might be a first edition as the book was serialized there alongside its initial publication in book form.