Books

London: Chapman & Hall, 1859. First Edition. First Issue Professionally re-backed preserving much of the original back strip and the blind embossed, red cloth covered boards with new end sheets. An octavo of 8 3/4 by 5 1/2 inches. Overall in very good plus condition with slight foxing to the engraved title pages. Page 243/244 has a 1 1/2" closed tear at the lower edge which has been repaired. The plate facing page 72 has been professionally reattached; however, its extreme lower edge is soiled. The top edge of the text block is soiled. 254 pages of text followed by the publisher's Catalogue of Books 32 pages dated November, 1859. With 14 plates and the frontispiece and the vignette titlepage by H. K. Browne ['Phiz']. The list of plates shows the signature letter "b", the page number error on 213 is present as is the misspelling of "affectionately" on page 134, line 12, all of which evidence this copy as a first issue. (Eckel p.86, Podeschi, A143; Smith 13)

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.