Our Mutual Friend. In the Original Parts.
London: Chapman & Hall, 193 Piccadilly, 1864. First Edition. Softcover. Very Good. Item #49341
The first edition. 1864-65. Complete in the original twenty parts, in the original wrappers, with only very shallow restoration to the spine ends. The set is textually complete with all illustrations present, though advertisements vary from the ideal copy, carefully checked against Hatton and Cleaver. Parts 1 and 2 are complete with all ads. Part 3 is missing the ads on pp. 7/8, with a small chip to the ad on p. 9. Part 4 lacks the bottom half of the ad on pp. 13/14, and the rear ads on pp. 5/6 are also missing. Part 5 is without the final ad for Glenfield Starch, and Part 6 lacks the final leaf of ads for Cramer & Co. and Glenfield Starch. Part 7 is missing the rear ads for Slip Kaye's Worsdell's Pills and Thomson's Prize Medal Skirts, while Part 8 lacks the ad at the front on pp. 13/14 and one rear ad. Part 9 is missing the front ad on pp. 11/12. These first nine wrappers remain in good condition overall, with a few minor paper repairs to the spine tips and some chipping to the corners of the first part's cover. Part 10 features the "Our Mutual Friend Advertiser" with page 13 misprinted as 31, as noted by Hatton and Cleaver. Part 11 is missing the final ad, "A Slip-In Twenty Parts.The Headless Horseman." Parts 12 and 13 each lack the front ad on pp. 3/4. Part 14 is missing the front ad on pp. 9/10 and the Economic Life Assurance Society ad following the plates. Part 15 lacks several rear ads, including Slip-Keating's Persian Insect Destroying Powder and two of the four pages of The Book of Perfumes; the Liverpool, London & Globe four-page catalogue is missing half of the first page. Part 16 retains all ads, though the Mappin & Webb ad appears in a different position than usual. Part 17 is lacking one rear ad (Mappin), otherwise complete. Part 18 contains a duplicate four-page Norton's Pills ad at the rear and lacks two pages of the Mappin & Webb ad. Parts 19 and 20 are missing the Economic Life Assurance Society ad following the plates, as well as the rear ad for The Anthelmintic Big Bon; the Boosey & Co. ad is missing pp. 1-2 but retains pp. 3-4. Overall, a very good and textually complete set in the original parts, with the ads in various states and levels of completeness as detailed above. The wrappers are bright and well-preserved, a nice copy in its original serialized form. Hatton & Cleaver 345-370. Housed in two half green morocco slipcases, with marbled edges, gilt titles and devices to the spines, the issues divided between the two.
Price (CAD): $3,500.00