Bleak House – Charles Dickens – 1853 | First State, Illustrations by Phiz

Bleak House by Charles Dickens, presented here in its first state, is regarded as one of his most ambitious novels, blending biting satire of the English courts, social commentary on poverty and human worth, and what would later be recognized as pioneering elements of detective fiction. The novel centers on the interminable Jarndyce and Jarndyce court case, framing the Court of Chancery as the main antagonist besetting the novel’s young and hopeful protagonists. Along with his critique of the British legal system, Dickens played into the Victorian public’s growing interest in detective stories. He introduces Inspector Bucket, who meanders through the narrative investigating more visible crimes than those committed by the courts, including an infamous scene of human spontaneous combustion which stirred both controversy and public fascination. This first edition meets expected edition points for a first printing and contains all forty engraved plates by H. K. Browne (Phiz), whose illustrations have become inseparable from the text’s legacy.

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Bleak House
• Author: Charles Dickens
• Illustrator: H. K. Browne (Phiz)
• Publisher: London: Bradbury and Evans
• Edition: First edition, First Printing, 1853
  • P. 19, line 6: “elgble”
  • P. 209, line 23: “chair” instead of “hair”
  • P. 275, line 22: “counsinship” instead of “cousinship”
• Binding: Quarter Moroccan leather with cloth boards
• Format: Octavo (8vo), single volume
• Size: ~ 8.75in × 5.75in (22cm × 14.5cm)
• Collation: xvi, 624
• Illustrations: 40 engraved plates, including frontispiece and title page
• Contents Include:
  • Full Novel text
• Provenance: Handwritten inscriptions of [Isabella Nemantte], and Adeleya Kate Spark (Crook) to Eunice Jean Heywood Groom (Reed) 1958 on Dedication page.
• Reference(s): Eckel 79-81

Condition:

Good. The binding presents with minor shelfwear and softened corners, with boards somewhat rubbed and discolored. The hinges are intact after repair, and the text block is tight and secure. Some scattered foxing and page browning is present, mainly on the flyleaves and preliminaries. Some discoloration from a previous tape repair along the inside margins of the preliminary leaves.

Why Collect This?

• Complete first edition, first printing
• Satirical insight into Victorian England’s legal system
• Introduces Inspector Bucket, considered the first literary detective
• Full suite of Phiz illustrations

Item Number: #31226