The Complete Poems of Charles Dickens

New York: White, Stokes, & Allen, 1885. First Edition. Hardcover. Very good +. First separate printing of "Poems" only, sixteenmo size, 142 pp. The writer Charles Dickens (1812-1870) is often considered the greatest of the Victorian era novelists, blending drama and comedy into compelling stories. However, in various forms and on rare occasions, he turned his hand to poetry and, per the writer of the book's Preface, in the writing of such "his hand did not altogether forget its cunning" (n.b., p. 10).

In addition to poems in the form usually to be expected (from poetry of that time), this little book also presents the "Prologues" Dickens wrote for the work of other authors, some song verses, "Humourous and Political Verses", and "Examiner Squibs".

A delightful and rather uncommon Dickens work, published separately from the more easily found "Plays and Poems of Charles Dickens"; as of this writing, this copy the only one offered (out of the handful currently online) in the original decorated cloth boards.

___DESCRIPTION: Bound in full light brown cloth over boards, the front board with a decorative design and lettering in gilt, the spine with title in gilt, gilt top-edge, patterned endpapers, title page all in red with vignette of a pile of books, a ten-page Preface (well worth reading) with no authorial attibution; sixmo size (6 1/4" by 4 1/4"), pagination: [1-5] 6 [7-9] 10-142.

___CONDITION: Somewhat better than very good, the boards clean, gently bumped corners with minimal rubbing, the gilt on the top edge bright, a strong, square text block with solid hinges, the interior is clean and bright, and entirely free of prior owner markings; minor bumping and light rubbing to the head and tail of the spine, a few signatures a bit roughly opened, and light foxing to the fore- and bottom edges of the text block.

___CITATIONS: Podeschi, no. D110; Carr, no. B298(1).

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