THE CHIMES: A Goblin Story of Some Bells That Rang an Old Year Out and a New Year In by Dickens Charles - 1845

London: Chapman and Hall, 1845. First edition, First Issue with the publisher's imprint within the border of the engraved vignette title, complete with the initial ad leaf and half-title. Engraved frontispiece and title page, 11 other illustrations by John Leech, Richard Doyle, and others. Small 8vo, publisher's original red cloth with gilt decorations to the upper cover and spine pane, and with an elaborate blind decoration framing both covers. [viii], 175 pp. A handsome, well preserved and pleasing copy, the cloth with only light evidence of age or use. FIRST EDITION IN THE ORIGINAL CLOTH. This was Dickens’ second installment in the “Christmas Books” series and his labors in creating THE CHIMES were “very arduous” in order to make it a worthy successor to A CHRISTMAS CAROL. He wrote to one of his friends that he believed he had “written a tremendous book and knocked the ‘Carol’ out of the field. It will make a great uproar I have no doubt.” Of course, it did not exceed the CAROL in any way except in initial sales, but it is a charming tale nonetheless.