68. Dickens, Charles. American Notes for General Circulation. London: Chapman and Hall, 1842. Two volumes, octavo (7.75 x 4.75 in.; 198 x 122mm). Original publisher’s reddish-brown cloth, spines lettered in gilt, covers stamped in blind; corners a bit bumped. A fine and bright set. Housed in a custom burgundy cloth folding case.

First edition, first issue with a luggage tag from his voyage to the United States, entirely in the hand of Dickens, bound into the first volume. A rare memento of Dickens visit to the United States The luggage tag reads in full: By railroad. Carriage paid. Captain John Hewitt. Royal British and American Steam Packet “Britannia” Coburg Dock Liverpool. From Charles Dickens.”

American Notes is Dickens’ travelogue from his 1842 visit to the United States, during which he visited such diverse cities as Boston, New York, Sandusky, and Cincinnati among others. Unlike his later work Pictures of Italy Dickens does not write as an admiring tourist, but rather analyzes the American cities and society he experienced. Although it has been interpreted as Anti-American, American Notes is a critical review of the flaws of a culture Dickens also greatly enjoys––not unlike his critiques of British society and institutions.

Provenance: Charles George Milnes Gaskell (bookplates). $3,000 - $5,000