1865 – Our Mutual Friend – Charles Dickens | True First Printing

Our Mutual Friend was the last novel that Charles Dickens ever completed, first published in novel format in 1865. Though at times criticized as being convoluted, Our Mutual Friend has come to be seen instead as perhaps the most complex and realistic of his novels. The story centers around the unusual terms of John Harmon’s inheritance, only to be granted in the event that his estranged son marries the destitute Bella Wilfer. Dickens experimented with the novel structure to conceal character identities and motivations, while also providing his signature commentary on the obsession with wealth and social standing common in Victorian culture. The story also discusses the role of women in marriage and as representatives of social justice, giving his female characters the most ambition and agency of any of his novels. This First Edition, First Printing includes 40 woodcut illustrations by Marcus Stone.

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Our Mutual Friend
• Author: Charles Dickens
• Illustrator: Marcus Stone
• Publisher: London: Chapman and Hall
• Edition: 1865. First Edition, First Printing.
  • Vol. II, p. 115, line 38: “pricipal”
  • Postscript by Dickens
• Binding: Half leather with marbled boards
• Format: Octavo (8vo), two volumes in one tome
• Size: ~ 8.75in × 6in (22.5cm × 15cm)
• Collation:
  • Vol. I – xi, [1], 320 pp;
  • Vol. II – vii, [1], 309, [1] pp
• Illustrations: 40 woodcut plates, including frontispiece
• Contents Include:
  • Full Novel text
  • 40 plates by Marcus Stone
  • Postscript by Dickens
• Reference(s): Eckel 94; Grolier, Charles Dickens, no. 209; Sadleir 697; Smith I-15; Wolff 1809

Condition:

Very Good. The half leather shows some scuffing, particularly around the edges and at the hinges. The marbled boards show mild rubbing. The hinges are intact, and the text block is tight and secure. The pages are clean, and show marginal browning with occasional spotting, which is worst on the preliminary leaves.

Why Collect This?

• True First edition of Dickens’ last novel
• Experimental story structure, known as the most complex and realistic of his novels
• Full suite of plates by Marcus Stone
• Contemporary social commentary of Victorian England

Item Number: #31300