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DICKENS, Charles.
A Christmas Carol. In prose. Being A Ghost Story of Christmas.
With illustrations by John Leech.
First edition, first issue, with red and blue title-page dated 1843, Stave I at the beginning of the text, green endpapers and with the gilt wreath on the front cover 15mm at the closest point from the blind-stamping on the left (the "single point" determining first issue, according to Todd). The production complications of the first, and by far the most enduring, of Dickens's Christmas books are often aired but not always understood. The current consensus is that copies of all three variant states of the first issue (red/green title dated 1844 with green endpapers; red/blue title dated 1843 with either yellow or green endpapers) were all available on publication day, 19 December 1843. Copies with green endpapers are scarcer than those with yellow.
Small octavo. Original cinnamon vertically-ribbed cloth, covers stamped in blind with single line and decorative border of holly and ivy, front cover stamped in gilt with titling within wreath, spine with gilt ornament and lettering, green endpapers, gilt edges. Custom red morocco-backed folding case. Frontispiece and 3 plates by John Leech, all handcoloured as issued; 4 woodcut illustrations in the text. Cut to cloth on rear cover skilfully repaired, green endpapers a little rubbed as usual, early ownership inscription and modern book label on front pastedown, a very good copy.
