Books

An early twentieth-century binding with green cloth-covered boards. Marbled endpapers. Top edge gilt. Panelled spine with gilt lettering and panel designs. Date at foot of spine. The spine has mellowed to brown, which is quite common with old green leather. This first edition in book form contains 39 etchings by Hablot K. Brown (Phiz) and a steel-engraved frontispiece portrait after the painting by David Maclise. The engraved frontispiece is in the first state with Chapman and Hall at the bottom, other plates do not have the imprint and are termed second state. Most of the textual errors as noted in Smith have not been corrected, although a few have been changed. Three plates are misbound: "Newman Noggs Leaves the Ladies" is found at p.166, "Nicholas Attracted by the Mention of His Sister's Name" at .308, and "The Children at Their Cousin's Grave" at p. 223. Plates and text are generally fresh and clean, occasional minor foxing only. Originally issued in twenty numbers bound in nineteen monthly parts. 624pp. See Smith 1:5, Eckel, pp64-66, Podeschi A41. Size: Octavo.

The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby is a novel by Charles Dickens. Originally published as a serial from 1838 to 1839, it was Dickens's third novel. The lengthy work follows the life of Nicholas Nickleby, a young man who must support his mother and sister after his father dies.