THE MYSTERY OF EDWIN DROOD. London: Chapman and Hall, 193 Piccadilly, April - September 1870. Octavo, six parts, twelve inserted plates with illustrations by Luke Fildes, plus engraved title and portrait of Dickens, publisher's pictorial blue-green wrappers printed in black. First edition, first printing, parts issue. Dickens' last work, left unfinished at the time of his death. "Two of his final books, OUR MUTUAL FRIEND and the unfinished MYSTERY OF EDWIN DROOD, are murder mysteries placed in urbanized Gothic settings and filled with the brooding atmosphere of terror ... THE MYSTERY OF EDWIN DROOD has every aspect of an enlarged penny dreadful or serialized Victorian blood. Its main character, John Jasper, is a opium addict. Its principal setting is the cathedral city of Cloistweham. The mysterious disappearance and probable murder of Jasper's nephew Edwin Drood on Christmas Eve remains unsolved with no positive clues furnished by Dickens" (Frederick S. Frank). "... one of the most compelling of all literary puzzles" (Mark Johnson). Pronzini and Muller, 1001 Midnights, p. 206-207. Barron, ed., Fantasy and Horror (1999) 1-42. Tymn, ed., Horror Literature 2-34. Hatton and Cleaver, pp. 373-[384]. Early issue of part VI with "eighteenpence" cancel pasted to front wrapper. Parts I-VI complete: Back advertisements of part I are complete, but there are four pages of advertising for "The Scottish Provident Institution," a mutual life assurance company, on lavender paper, rather than four pages of Cassell, Petter, and Galpin Publications;" The "Cork Hats" slip is present in part II; Part V has the 8-page Chapman & Hall catalogue at rear that is often missing; Part VI has the alternate 4-page Wilcox & Gibbs advertisement. Mild loss to lower spine ends, one plate in part IV has a tiny closed tear in the fore-edge margin. A handsome, fine copy with clean wrappers, interiors and plates. An excellent, unsophisticated copy. Enclosed in a quarter brown leather slipcase. (#177660).
Price: $2,750.00
No statement of printing.