Charles Dickens A TALE OF TWO CITIES 1859 First Edition First State Decorative Illustrated Hablot Knight Browne Historical Novel London Paris French Revolution Doctor Manette Bastille Reign of Terror English Literature Advertising Fancy Leather Binding

Title: A Tale of Two Cities
Author: Charles Dickens ‐ Charles John Huffam Dickens was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity and fame than had any previous author during his lifetime, and he remains popular, having been responsible for some of English literature′s most iconic novels and characters.
Publisher: Chapman and Hall
City: London
Year: 1859
Printing Information: First Edition
Binding Style: Hardcover
Pagination: 254 pages, plus advertisements
Width: 6″ Height: 9″
Book Details: This decoratively bound volume is a first edition, first state of the book form of this title. Identification points include: a ″b″ at the foot of the List of Plates page; ‘affectionately″ is misspelled on line 12 of page 134; page 213 is misnumbered ″113″. A rare notice for the merging of Household Words into All the Year Round, including advertising for A Tale of Two Cities. Add sections were retained and bound into this volume. Illustrations in this title are by English artist and illustrator Hablot Knight Browne (1815‐1882).

A Tale of Two Cities (1859) is a historical novel by Charles Dickens, set in London and Paris before and during the French Revolution. The novel tells the story of the French Doctor Manette, his 18‐year‐long imprisonment in the Bastille in Paris and his release to live in London with his daughter Lucie, whom he had never met. The story is set against the conditions that led up to the French Revolution and the Reign of Terror.

This handsome volume is one of dozens in a uniform collection we are offering during this auction, all coming from a private estate library. The books contain first and early printings of works by Charles Dickens and are all uniformly‐bound in fancy three‐quarter crimson leather with deep red marbled paper for endpapers and over the balance of the boards. The materials used for the bindings date the binding work to around 1890 and a bookplate is present on the front paste‐down endpapers of most of the books, belonging to Julius Franke (1868‐1936). Franke was a prominent New York City architect whose work included designing the Wurlitzer Building and it seems likely that he commissioned these bindings. Peruse our catalog to view additional offerings from this collection.
Condition / Notes: This handsome antique volume shows well with some age/wear indications, including shelfwear and rubbing, concentrated on the spine and high points. The binding and text block are sound. Text is clear and crisp through mild age toning/foxing. Illustrations and advertising pages show moderate age toning/foxing, with scattered soiling. The title page has a small tear at the edge. There is a small number stamp to the title page. Original cloth covers are bound‐in at the rear. All listed plates are present.

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