The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club. A Prime Pickwick, in Original Parts

London [April 1836 - November 1837]: Chapman & Hall. First Edition. Charles Parkhurst Books presents a Prime Pickwick, The Parkhurst-Goranitis-Costas copy, exhibiting ALL eleven points enumerated in "Prime Pickwicks In Parts" by John C. Eckel (1928), as enumerated below. Remarkably, it contains the rare ad "Pigot's Coloured Views" in part XIII, known only in 5 copies (now 6). The present set is a publisher's presentation copy, signed "With The Publishers Compliments" on the inside front wrap of part III, in the same hand and on the same inside wrapper as the McCutcheon- Young-Suzannet prime copy. Octavo, 20 parts in 19; original blue-green printed wrappers. First edition, having been collated with Hatton & Cleaver and containing the correct wrappers, advertisments, addresses, first state of the plates and text, with the following exceptions: WRAPPERS - the rear wrap of part I is early; parts IV and V with early wraps; all other wrappers are first issue; all front wrappers have the date 1836. It is important to note that parts I and II have "With Four Illustrations By Seymour" and part III has "With Illustrations by R. W. Buss" on front wraps. PLATES - part IV plates are 2nd state of original first plate; part VI plates are in 2nd state of original first plate (1st state plates are rare and "may be considered the rarest items in the whole realm of Pickwick" - Hatton & Cleaver, p.47); part I plates are all signed by Seymour, #1 is 1st state of 1st plate - #2 is 2nd state of 1st plate - #3 is 1st state of 2nd plate - #4 is 1st state of 2nd plate; all other plates are 1st state. TEXT - the text of all parts is first issue, with the following exceptions: part I is later text; part IV is first issue text, with 2 exceptions; part VI is later issue text; part VIII text is in mixed state; part IX text is first issue, but without the signature "N2"; part X text is mixed state; all other parts are 1st issue text. PICKWICK ADVERTISER - the Pickwick Advertiser is lacking in parts IV, V, VI, and IX (no Advertiser is called for in parts I, II and III); all other Advertisers are present and correct. It should be noted that part X Advertiser is UNOPENED. ADVERTISMENTS - part I lacks the front slip; part III lacks the front slip and rear ad "The Toilet;" part V lacks "Grattan's Publications" and "Rowland's Kalydor" ad; part VII lacks the rear slip "Phrenology Made Easy;" part IX lacks rear ads "Chapman & Hall" - "Effingham Wilson" - "Works by W. S. Orr" - "Jennings Landscape" and "George Henekey & Co." ads; part X lacks "Literary Announcements" - all others are present. ADDRESSES (by the Author) - all are present in parts II, III, X and XV; part III Address has edges extended (2nd issue in parts II and X). ADDRESSES (by the Publishers) - all are present in parts XVII, XVIII and XIX/XX). In summation, the parts which are complete are parts II, VIII, XI, XII, XIII, XIV, XV, XVI, XVII, XVIII and XIX/XX. Most parts have spines expertly renewed. A few wrappers show light soiling; part III wrappers have edges extended; plates are very good to fine. Note that part II is complete and has first issue of the text, indicating that it is one of the first 500 copies printed in the first issue, as in the Dexter copy. Also noteworthy is that the Advertiser in part XIX/XX is the first issue, with the date on page 7 misprinted "1388" rather than "1838." Now let me enumerate the eleven "points" which are necessary for a Pickwick to qualify as a prime copy; as Eckel states: #1 All covers of the parts must bear the date 1836 in Roman numbers. #2 Parts I and II must have the words, "With four illustrations by Seymour." #3 Part III, the words "With illustrations by R. W. Buss." #4 Part I must have three plates by Seymour, signed, and not re-etched by "Phiz." #5 Part II must have three plates by Seymour signed. #6 Part III must have two plates signed "Drawn and etched by R. W. Buss," and the pages numbered thereon. #7 Part IV, two plates faintly signed "Nemo" and not "Phiz." #8 Parts II, III, X and XV must have the addresses by the author. #9 Parts XVII, XVIII and XX the addresses by the publishers. #10 Plates in Parts I to XII must have no captions, only numerical references to the pages where they go, parts XIII to XX have neither titles nor numerical references. #11 On the vignette title-page the name "Weller" on the signboard over the door is spelled with a "V." On the frontispiece the artist's name on the center shield on the bottom must run around the shield. The present copy conforms to all the above points. Bookplate of Charles Parkhurst affixed to chemise. Housed in a handsome, turn-of-the-century green full morocco pull-off-top slipcase, with chemise.