Description

Attractive Set of Pickwick in Original Parts: This well-preserved set of “Pickwick Papers” in its original parts remains in unsophisticated condition. Collating a set of Pickwick is notably laborious due to the multiple varying states or issues of its components, such as text, engravings, wrappers, and advertisements. Changes were often made to engravings and text, leading to a mix of different states.

Condition and Provenance: What sets this collection apart is its impeccable original condition, sold by the Belfast bookseller Hodgson, likely to H.W. Calmount, who signed each part. The description by Hatton and Cleaver is recognized as the standard bibliographical analysis. In this set, Parts I-XIII are in later or reprinted wrappers, with the remaining parts in primary wrappers. The plates are a mixture of first and second states, and most texts are in their corrected later state. Four of the seven inserted “address leaves” by the author and publisher are present, along with Calmount’s copies of “Illustrations to the Pickwick Club” by Samuel Weller.

Coherence and Authenticity: The coherence of the set is emphasized, with no attempts at sophistication. It remains as issued and purchased serially by its first owner, in its original condition. In the past, collectors sought “prime” sets composed of first states or issues, a nearly impossible ambition due to the limited initial publication and subsequent reprints as demand grew.