Dickens (Charles) A Christmas Carol. In Prose. Being a Ghost Story of Christmas, first edition, …

Dickens (Charles) A Christmas Carol. In Prose. Being a Ghost Story of Christmas, first edition, first impression, first issue with "Stave I" heading to first chapter and text entirely in uncorrected state, half-title in blue, title printed in red and blue, 4 hand-coloured etched plates by & after Leech and 4 plain woodcut vignettes by Linton after Leech, 2 plates with slight offsetting, but a remarkably clean and bright copy generally, green endpaper, neat ink ownership inscription "Sarah Greenwood, January 1st 1844" to front free endpaper, original first issue brown fine-ribbed cloth, with unbroken 'D' within wreath and minimum 14mm gap between blind border and gilt cartouche, spine lettered and decorated in gilt, g.e., slight shelf-lean, slight sunning to spine, minor chipping to head of spine, very small dent to head of upper cover, a few small marks to covers, but a crisp, near-fine example overall, preserved in attractive custom hinged morocco box by Riviere & Sons, [Eckel pp.110-115; Smith II, 4; William B. Todd, in The Book Collector, Winter 1961, pp.449-454], 8vo, Chapman & Hall, 1843. ⁂ A superb, bright copy of Dickens' classic Christmas tale, rare in such condition. A Christmas Carol is one of Dickens' most important literary creations adapted numerous times, it has become a part of a collective seasonal mythology.