Our Mutual Friend (In the Original Monthly Parts and with an Autograph Note By Thomas Hatton Laid Into Part 12: FIRST ISSUE of the Wrappers and FIRST ISSUE of the text)

London [May 1864-November 1865]: Chapman & Hall. First Edition. Original Wraps. Very Good+. In the original monthly parts, 20 parts in 19. Original green printed wrappers; ALL wrappers are correct. ALL the ads, slips and Advertisers called for by Hatton & Cleaver are present, except for the rare ad "The Economic Life Assurance Society" following the plates in part 14 (known in only a few copies). FIRST ISSUE of the wrappers, without the imprint at the foot of front wrapper of part 1, and with the FIRST ISSUE TEXT, with the misspelling "pricipal" in part 14, page 115, line 38. In the Advertiser of part 10, Hatton & Cleaver states, "In a few copies seen, p. 13 was misprinted 31." The present copy has this misprint. Part 17 with the Advertiser partly unopened. The plates are very good to fine; the text and wrappers are clean and bright. Laid into part 12 is an autograph note, in pencil by Dickens Bibliographer Thomas Hatton: "M. F. / 12 / f. cover spots - / wants b. cover" in reference to another part 12. Several spines are expertly and invisibly renewed. Our Mutual Friend has more of the Advertiser ads than any of Dickens' other works, having 320 pages and 89 insets and slips in the rear of the parts. Altogether a lovely set, lacking just one (rare) ad and having the first issue points in the wrappers and text, as well as a scarce misprint in the Advertiser of part 10. This lovely set is the best we are likely to find, and it has a pedigree - it is from the famed (Thomas) Hatton & Cleaver (bibliographers) collection. Housed in a handsome green 3/4 leather slipcase, with chemise. Provenance: The Hatton & Cleaver Collection, The Heritage Bookshop, Charles Parkhurst Rare Books.