Books

FIRST EDITION, FIRST ISSUE - Bound in full crimson Morocco gilt by Bayntyn, Rivière. Gold portrait of Dickens on front cover with a facsimile of his signature rendered in gilt. Inner dentelles over marbled boards. All edges gilt.

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.