The Mystery of Edwin Drood

London: Chapman & Hall, April to September 1870 Illustrated with 12 plates Samuel Luke Fildes, and an engraved portrait of Dickens and a vignette title page. First edition in six original parts; Part 6 in earliest state with "Price Eighteenpence" pasted over the printed "Price One Shilling" (later states are printed with the corrected price). With most of the original advertisements, including the scarce "Cork Hats" slip in Part 2, with the following exceptions: Part 2 lacking last two pp. of "Edwin Drood Advertiser," Part 5 lacking "Chapman & Hall's Recent Publications" (8 pp.) to rear, and Part 6 lacking "Concerning Stitches" (4 pp.) and "A New World at Home for busy people" (4 pp.) to rear. Part 4 with uncommon Chapman & Hall "Recent Publications" remainer, seen by Hatton and Cleaver in about 10% of copies examined. Publisher's blue-green pictorial wrappers, printed in black. Very good set, with some discrete repair to spines of Parts 1-4, Parts 5 and 6 neatly rebacked, bindings of Parts 1 and 4 a bit shaky (Part 4 split along spine, but holding), mostly clean wrappers, some edgewear, former owner's name to front wrappers of Parts 2 and 3, occasional spotting to pages, staining to edges of some plates, and a tear to "Cork Hats" slip in Part 2. Overall, a clean and complete set. Housed in a custom green quarter morocco slipcase with a matching chemise. Hatton & Cleaver, pp. 373-84. Originally published serially in six monthly installments, The Mystery of Edwin Drood was also published in book form on August 31, 1870. Both the later serial installments and the first book form edition were published posthumously after Dickens' death in June 1870, leaving the novel unfinished. The story is named after the titular character Edwin Drood, although the text largely focuses on his uncle John Jasper, an opium addict and choir master who is romantically interested in his nephew's fiancé. In the story, Drood disappears under mysterious circumstances, and, due to Dicken's premature death at age 58, the mystery is never resolved. Accordingly, many of the novel's fans speculate as to whether or not Drood is dead and, if so, who killed him. Many authors have attempted to resolve the plot, including Dickens' son Charley in 1873 and Thomas James, a Vermont-based printer and con artist who claimed to have channeled the deceased Dickens and learned his intended ending for the novel.. First Edition. Original Parts. Very Good. Illus. by Fildes, Samuel Luke.