The Life and Adventures of MARTIN CHUZZLEWIT (20 parts in 19)

1843. Browne, Hablot K.. ["With the Publisher's Compliments"] His Relatives, Friends, and Enemies. Comprising all his wills and his ways; with an historical record of what he did, and what he didn't. Edited by Boz. With Illustrations by "Phiz." London: Chapman & Hall, 1843-1844. Original light blue-green pictorial wrappers.

First Edition, as originally issued in 20-in-19 monthly serial parts, beginning in January 1843 and ending in July 1844. With MARTIN CHUZZLEWIT, Dickens reverted to the conventional method of serializing his novels, with monthly parts each illustrated with two engraved plates; after NICHOLAS NICKLEBY he had experimented with the idea of a weekly serial (under the umbrella-title "Master Humphrey's Clock") illustrated with woodcuts within the text -- in which format THE OLD CURIOSITY SHOP and BARNABY RUDGE had been introduced to the public. This set includes of course all forty H.K. Browne ("Phiz") plates -- two each in the first 18 parts, then four in the final double-number; all are in quite clean condition (though browned in Part XVI, and with darkened margins in Parts V and XIV). The vignette title plate supplied in the final part has the curious reading "100 " (not, as is often claimed, an issue point, but simply a matter of several steels being used to print the etchings simultaneously). As is frequently the case, there are several wrappers that are "supplied" from other copies: the Part XV front wrapper is a carefully-amended Part XVII from another set, and three rear wrappers (IX, X and XIX/XX) were similarly transferred -- discernible only by the content of the inside advertisements. As for ads, CHUZZLEWIT is one of the more difficult "Dickens in parts" to find complete, due to the plethora of inserted advertisements. This set lacks a few leaves from the preliminary "Advertiser"s, and maybe a dozen other individual insets; it also includes maybe ten insets NOT called for -- reflecting how haphazard this process of inserting ads was. Included are all three Christmas Carol slips, and three of the uncommon E. Moses 32-page booklets of verse. (Ask for further detail.) The front wrapper of the final XIX/XX part is inkstamped "With the Publisher's Compliments" -- which we have not seen before. Condition is very good (XIX/XX wrapper darkened, some spines carefully restored, minor edge-wear). Hatton & Cleaver pp 183-212. Housed in two chemises within a (worn) morocco-backed slipcase.