The Mystery of Edwin Drood by Charles Dickens. London: Chapman & Hall, 1870.
FIRST EDITION of Dickens' final work, here with the six original parts bound together into book form with the very rare original blue paper advertisement announcing the publication of "Mr Dickens's New Work" on March 31st in 12 parts. Of course Dickens would die before writing the seventh part and so only six parts were ever released and the mystery never resolved, though much speculation exists to this day about the true conclusion intended by Dickens.
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Size: 145 x 223 mm (approx.)
Condition:
[vii, i, pp.[1]-190]
Rebacked half calf binding over green morocco and marbled backed boards with a replaced tooled label to the spine. Spine very good with some minor rubbing. Joints fine with both boards securely attached. Boards near fine. Shelf lean present. Replaced endpapers but also retaining the original blank which contains a near contemporary ownership inscription. Foxing throughout the text block as typical. Collated as complete with all 12 plates and 190pp, with the scarce original advertisement slip and original title page for the sixth part bound at the start of the volume, also with the two title pages as published (engraved and main t.p.).
