THE CHRISTMAS BOOKS. A Christmas Carol; The Chimes: A Goblin Story; The Cricket On The Hearth: A Fairy Tale Of Home; The Battle Of Life: A Love Story; The Haunted Man and The Ghosts Bargain.

First editions of The Cricket On The Hearth, The Battle Of Life, The Haunted Man, early printing (seventh) of A Christmas Carol and The Chimes. Five volumes. A handsome finely bound set. Mid-nineteenth century full vellum, elaborately decorated in gilt to the spines in between green and red morocco labels with titles in gilt. The boards, triple ruled in gilt and a further single rule in red, the original owner's monogram in gilt tp the upper board. Marbled endpapers. Elaborate gilt decorated inner dentelles. All edges gilt. Green silk ribbon page marker. A very good set, the bindings square and firm with a little wear and small nicks to the spine tips, the vellum with some darkening and a few light marks. The contents, with a colour armorial bookplate of a member of the Wilson Clan, (their motto "Sempus Vigilans" [Always Watchful] to the pastedown of each volume and a little spotting, toning and occasional creasing, are otherwise clean throughout.

A Christmas Carol, with eight illustrations by John Leech, (four of which are hand coloured steel engravings) is printed in 1844 (just one year after the first printing); The Chimes, with thirteen illustrations by Maclise, Doyle, Leech and Stanfield was printed in 1845 (again just one year after the first printing); The Cricket On The Hearth with fourteen illustrations by Maclise, Doyle, Leech, Stanfield and Landseer is the first edition of 1846; The Battle Of Life with thirteen illustrations by Maclise, Doyle, Leech and Stanfield is the 1846, the vignette title page in the fourth state, as usual; The Haunted Man with sixteen illustrations by Tenniel, Stanfield, Stone and Leech is the 1848 first edition, bound without adverts and otherwise with all the internal flaws called for in Smith. (Walter E. Smith: Charles Dickens In The Original Cloth, Part II pp.23-24, 35, 42, 63 & 69).