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A Child's History of England.
by DICKENS, Charles
- Used
- Hardcover
- first
- Condition
- See description
- Seller
-
London, United Kingdom
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
London: Bradbury & Evans,, 1852-54 [i.e. 1851-53]. Dickens's radical interpretation of English history, in exceptional condition First edition in book form, first issue, in particularly nice condition - a slip from the 20th-century bookseller Charles Sessler of Philadelphia calls it "one of the most brilliant sets in existence". The work differs from all Dickens's other works in style, subject and composition, and is without question a radical interpretation of English history: "intensely anti-aristocratic and anti-monarchical" (ODNB). Dickens "thought that the book was innovatory in its iconoclasm and its support of 'The People'... Passionate in its partisanship, unbalanced in what it chooses to include, the book is mostly a record of bloodshed. There is hardly a page without macabre detail of torture, burnings, beheadings, massacre, and human cruelty. G. K. Chesterton felt that A Child's History represented 'the cock-sure, healthy-minded, essentially manly and essentially ungentlemanly view of history which characterised the Radicals of that particular Radical era'. This is certainly true of the book's jingoism, contempt for the past, and admiration of the present, but the savage emotion and the violence belong uniquely to Dickens" (Schlicke, p. 97). The work originally appeared anonymously in Household Words between January 1851 and December 1853, with the volumes published in book-form in the December of those years, post-dated to the following years. Later issues altered the terminal advertisements of Dickens's works to include A Child's History of England. Three volumes, large sextodecimo. Original reddish-brown cloth, spines lettered and decorated in gilt, blind stamped border and gilt pictorial decoration to front covers, marbled endpapers and edges. Housed in a custom green cloth chemise and slipcase. Engraved frontispieces by F. W. Topham. Recent bookplate of Peter Russell to chemise. Very light sunning to spines and rubbing to joints, else a fine set. Eckel, p. 128; Smith II, 10. Paul Schlicke, ed., The Oxford Companion to Charles Dickens, 2011.
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Details
- Bookseller
- Peter Harrington
(GB)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 166920
- Title
- A Child's History of England.
- Author
- DICKENS, Charles
- Book Condition
- Used
- Binding
- Hardcover
- Place of Publication
- London: Bradbury & Evans,
- Date Published
- 1852-54 [i.e. 1851-53]
- Note
- May be a multi-volume set and require additional postage.
Terms of Sale
Peter Harrington
All major credit cards are accepted. Both UK pounds and US dollars (exchange rate to be agreed) accepted. Books may be returned within 14 days of receipt for any reason, please notify first of returned goods.
About the Seller
Peter Harrington
Biblio member since 2006
London
About Peter Harrington
Since its establishment, Peter Harrington has specialised in sourcing, selling and buying the finest quality original first editions, signed, rare and antiquarian books, fine bindings and library sets. Peter Harrington first began selling rare books from the Chelsea Antiques Market on London's King's Road. For the past twenty years the business has been run by Pom Harrington, Peter's son.
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- G
- Good describes the average used and worn book that has all pages or leaves present. Any defects must be noted. (as defined by AB...
- First Edition
- In book collecting, the first edition is the earliest published form of a book. A book may have more than one first edition in...
- Gilt
- The decorative application of gold or gold coloring to a portion of a book on the spine, edges of the text block, or an inlay in...
- Cloth
- "Cloth-bound" generally refers to a hardcover book with cloth covering the outside of the book covers. The cloth is stretched...
- Fine
- A book in fine condition exhibits no flaws. A fine condition book closely approaches As New condition, but may lack the...
- Edges
- The collective of the top, fore and bottom edges of the text block of the book, being that part of the edges of the pages of a...
- Rubbing
- Abrasion or wear to the surface. Usually used in reference to a book's boards or dust-jacket.
- Bookplate
- Highly sought after by some collectors, a book plate is an inscribed or decorative device that identifies the owner, or former...