Dickens, Charles. DOMBEY AND SON. London: Bradbury and Evans, 1848. 8vo. [v]-xvi, 624 pp. + 44 plates including frontis and vignette title, and an EXTRA 4 plates. Ad leaf and half-title leaf (i.e. pp. i-iv) not bound in this copy. With original green wrapper of No. 5 bound in a front. Beautifully bound in full polished calf, gilt. ***************** FIRST EDITION, with Capt. Cuttle's hook on his left arm on title vignette, errors on page 284, and other points per Smith. Interestingly, this copy is found with the 4 additional plates mentioned by Eckel: "With the author's sanction, 'Phiz', cooperating with Robert Young, etched four extra plates for this work. They were fine portraits of Little Paul, Edith, Florence, and Alice, and much praise was bestowed upon them." These plates were issued separately and are bound in here. Also of note is that this work contains the first published example of a "dark plate" – a new machine process at the time. Smith I, 8; Eckel 74.

Binding intact and showing little wear, front and rear hinge with some light partial cracking, contents clean overall with some of the usual foxing and toning to plates. A Very Good and attractive example.