The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Charles Dickens, Chapman and Hall, 1870, First edition, First State

A very smart first edition of The Mystery of Edwin Drood – Charles Dickens’s final and famously unfinished novel. First published in 1870, it was being issued in serial form when Dickens died suddenly, leaving the story incomplete and its central mystery unresolved. Set in the fictional cathedral town of Cloisterham, the plot follows the disappearance of the young Edwin Drood and the suspicions surrounding his opium-addicted uncle, John Jasper. Blending gothic atmosphere with psychological depth, the novel explores themes of duality, obsession, and hidden vice. Its abrupt ending has inspired generations of readers and writers to speculate on how Dickens might have resolved the tale, making it one of the most enduring enigmas in literary history.

The Mystery of Edwin Drood, by Charles Dickens.

Published by Chapman and Hall, London, 1870. First edition, first state. Printed by William Clowes and Sons, London. Plates by Fildes.

Key 1st state issue points, include:

With 'London: Chapman and Hall, 193 Piccadilly, 1870' at lower part of title page; 

'Tower' for 'town', p1, line 1; 

p4, line 23: no punctuation after 'clergy'; 

p131, line 1: 'sentiment' instead of 'sentence'; plus others as called for...

A near fine bound hardback with marbled paper over boards, and a leather spine, with morocco title label (later 20th Century binding). Binding is crisp and clean, with some fading to the leather spine.

Some light age spotting to the first few leaves, but overall text is bright and clean throughout, with the plates very well presented. With tissue guarded Dickens portrait frontispiece and vignette title, preceding the main title page.

Within the text there are 10 Plates present (missing 2 from the illustrations contents page – facing p 98 and p183), although there is no sign these were ever bound in). Very occasional small flaw - 1cm marginal only closed tear to plate facing p173, and a marginal corner loss to p22 of the advertisements. The book appears to have a full complement of advertisements, which are often found lacking.

A handsome first edition volume.

Language: English.

viii (including portrait, guard, and vignette title) + 190pp +  x Plates (10 from 12) + (2) Charle Dickens' Works + May 1872 'Catalogue of New and Second-Hand Books Offered at reduced Prices by W.H. Smith & Son'; (2) + 30pp + (8) Advertisements'. It is not unusual for the advertisements to be dated later than the text of the novel as the binder may have compiled the book later, adding the advertisements at the time of binding.

Dimensions: approximately 225mm high x 148mm wide x 22mm deep.

Unpacked weight approximately 440g.