The Personal History of David Copperfield (Edition de Luxe of the Works of Charles Dickens, Number 131 of one thousand copies) by DICKENS, Charles - 1881

London: Chapman and Hall. Very Good+. 1881. Leather. A deluxe, illustrated Chapman and Hall two-volume edition of the eighth novel by Charles Dickens (1812-1870), first published serially beginning in 1849. Told in the first person, "David Copperfield" has been described as "a thinly disguised autobiography" of Charles Dickens (by David Purdue). With engraved illustrations by H.[ablot] K. Browne (a/k/a "Phiz"), many tissue-guarded. Numbers 17 and 18 of a 30-volume limited Edition de Luxe of the Works of Charles Dickens. Number 131 of one thousand copies. --- In full brown leather with gilt fillets, decorations and titling to covers and spine, two raised bands to spines, gilt dentelles to cover inside edges and all edges bright gilt. Lovely marbled endpapers in shades of green, blue, tan and cream. The bindings are reinforced, with what appears to be leather at the gutters. --- A beautiful pair of books, but with partial splits at rear joints (which doesn't affect the soundness of the bindings) and some chafing to extremities. Light tanning to edges of leaves, and with prior owner's bookplate affixed to front paste-downs, which is labeled "The Library at Carolands" which is likely the onetime estate of Harriet Pullman Carolan, south of San Francisco.; Small Quarto - 9 to 11 in. tall; xv, 486 pages .