Nicholas Nickleby by Charles Dickens FIRST EDITION 1839 Life & Adventures - Phiz

FIRST EDITION: The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby by Charles Dickens. With Illustrations by Phiz. London; Chapman and Hall; MDCCCXXXIX (1839). Printed by Bradbury & Evans.

[title page, [i-xvi], [1-624]], 8vo.

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First edition in book form; later issue.

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The novel tells the story of Nicholas Nickleby, a young man who becomes the head of his family after his father dies. Nicholas's uncle, Ralph Nickleby, is a cruel and greedy man who mistreats Nicholas and his family. Nicholas then sets out to make his own fortune and finds work as a teacher at a school run by the sadistic Wackford Squeers. The novel is a social satire that exposes the cruelty of the educational system and the corruption and greed of those in power. The book is praised for its lively characters, vivid setting, and Dickens's use of humor and irony.

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Edition Points:

• Bound without half title and frontispiece.

• 'Sister' for 'visitor' (pp.123, line 17).

• 'Letter' instead of 'latter' (pp.160).

• 2nd state plates, lacking Chapman and Hall imprint to bottom of first four plates (or later).

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Condition: Very Good (VG / VG+)

Text block very clean with very light toning and very sporadic very minor foxing. Very minor rubbing and marks on spine. Both boards attached with minor wear to rear joint and hinge, and front joint and hinge broken. Very minor scuffing and rubbing to boards. Shelf wear. Minor shelf lean. Light dulling to page edge gilt, with some minor scratches. Prominent rubbing to top corner of the rear board. Pencil inscriptions on f.f.e.p. / verso to title page. Light toning and very minor foxing to title page. Very few pages are more toned than others. Plates toned with some foxing (refer to photographs for examples). Plates have lightly transferred onto pages opposite.