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The Mystery of Edwin Drood
by Dickens, Charles
- Used
- very good
- Hardcover
- first
- Condition
- Very Good
- Seller
-
Portland, Oregon, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
London: Chapman and Hall, 1870. First Edition. Hardcover. Very Good. First edition, first binding. (Black sawtooth border on front cover as per Smith 16. Interestingly, neither ads nor catalogue at rear as Smith describes Carter A, but no established priority thus.) [i-v]vi-vii[viii], [1]2-190 with frontispiece and 12 illustrated plates by Fildes. Original green cloth with gilt lettering with black designs, original slightly-yellow endpapers. About Very Good. Headcap and top tips worn away, wear and slight fraying along spine edges, rubbing and a few small scratches to cloth. Endpapers foxed, small bookplate on paste down. Typical small stab-holes to outer margins of a few illustrations as well as last four illustrations inserted to face versos, a variant mentioned by Smith. Dickens' final novel, which was never completed.
Synopsis
The Mystery of Edwin Drood marked the last of Charles Dickens novels, and was left unfinished in its publication. It follows the story of an orphan, Edwin Drood who worked as an engineer for his adoptive father’s firm, and his betrothal to fellow orphan Rosa Bud. As they come to age there is recognition that their love has been replaced by friendship, and the engagement is soon broken off. Shortly afterwards, in the middle of a storm on Christmas Eve, Edwin disappears, leaving nothing behind but some personal belongings and the suspicion that his killer was his jealous uncle John Jasper, or a fellow orphan Neville, who were both madly in love with Rosa. The fantastical story intrigues the reader with the darkness the opium dens within the sleepy cathedral town of Cloisterham, and the sinister double life of Choirmaster Jasper, whose drug-fuelled fantasy life belies his respectable appearance. Charles Dickens passed before the novel could be completed, leaving a tantalizing mystery that will never be solved.
Read More: Identifying first editions of The Mystery of Edwin Drood
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Details
- Bookseller
- Burnside Rare Books, ABAA
(US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 160630001
- Title
- The Mystery of Edwin Drood
- Author
- Dickens, Charles
- Format/Binding
- Hardcover
- Book Condition
- Used - Very Good
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Edition
- First Edition
- Publisher
- Chapman and Hall
- Place of Publication
- London
- Date Published
- 1870
- Keywords
- First binding, 1st
- Bookseller catalogs
- Literature;
Terms of Sale
Burnside Rare Books, ABAA
30 day return guarantee, with full refund including shipping costs for up to 30 days after delivery if an item arrives misdescribed or damaged.
About the Seller
Burnside Rare Books, ABAA
Biblio member since 2010
Portland, Oregon
About Burnside Rare Books, ABAA
Burnside Rare Books specializes in literary first editions and works of cultural and historic significance. We are located in Portland, Oregon and welcome visitors by appointment.
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- 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...
- Cloth
- "Cloth-bound" generally refers to a hardcover book with cloth covering the outside of the book covers. The cloth is stretched...
- Bookplate
- Highly sought after by some collectors, a book plate is an inscribed or decorative device that identifies the owner, or former...
- Spine
- The outer portion of a book which covers the actual binding. The spine usually faces outward when a book is placed on a shelf....
- Foxed
- Foxing is the age related browning, or brown-yellowish spots, that can occur to book paper over time. When this aging process...
- Rubbing
- Abrasion or wear to the surface. Usually used in reference to a book's boards or dust-jacket.
- 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...
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