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  • Seller image for FROM THE LIBRARY OF CHARLES DICKENS! First Edition PRESENTATION COPY FROM JOHN FORSTER TO CHARLES DICKENS. Historical and Biographical Essays. for sale by Merchants Rare Books

    £ 13,419.64

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    FROM THE LIBRARY OF CHARLES DICKENS. Presentation copy from John Forster to Charles Dickens. Original bookplate of Charles Dickens. PRESENTATION COPY FROM JOHN FORSTER TO CHARLES DICKENS. John Forster was one of his closest friends, eventually writing the biography of Charles Dickens. First Edition of a book by John Forster, inscribed to Charles Dickens. "The author to his most dear friend Charles Dickens" 7 February 1860. John Forster (1812â"1876) was a prominent English biographer, critic, and editor, best known for his close friendship with Charles Dickens and for writing The Life of Charles Dickens (1872). Dickens frequently inscribed presentation copies of his novels to Forster with affectionate messages, often referring to him as his "dear" or "most dear" friend. Here is Forster gifting to Dickens in similar format. Additional bookplates of Edmund Yates, also a close peer of Dickens. Presumably Yates acquired these books at the Gadshill sale motivated by the association from Forster. Some books from the Gadshill sale don't have Dickens actual bookplates. This set has Dickens actual bookplate. Charles Dickens bookplate. Inscribed association gift from John Forster, on a First Edition work by John Forster, gifted to Charles Dickens. Gadshill sale bookplates. Edmund Yates bookplates, close peer of Dickens. One of the more significant books from the library of Charles Dickens still in private hands. John Forster (1812â"1876) was a highly influential English biographer, critic, editor, and historian, best known for his intimate friendship with Charles Dickens and for authoring the seminal 3-volume biography, The Life of Charles Dickens (1872â"1874). He was a central figure in mid-19th-century London literary circles, acting as an advisor, agent, and confidant to many prominent writers. Edmund Yates (1831â"1894) was a prominent Victorian journalist, novelist, and dramatist who was a close protà gà of Charles Dickens. He contributed to Dickens's journals, Household Words and All the Year Round. There are only three recorded copies of books by John Forster presented to Charles Dickens. One copy is located in the Charles Dickens museum. There is only one other book with the current location unknown. Provenance: Gifted to Charles Dickens from John Forster. Original bookplates of Charles Dickens. Original bookplates from the Gadshill sale in 1870. This book appears in the Sotheran, Charles Dickens Junior, and Stonehouse catalogue records. Catalogued as 'Presentation Copy'. See picture 23. Edmund Yates bookplates. Old pencil record pricing at $135. Hallmark Estate in Kansas City through local estate sale June 2025, without sale documentation. Purchased from that buyer. Historical and Biographical Essays. By John Forster. First Edition. Printed in 1858. Complete in 2 volume. An anthology covering figures like Oliver Goldsmith, Daniel Defoe, and Sir Richard Steele, alongside studies of the French Revolution and the Civil War. First Edition. The bindings are original. Bound in leather. These are the original Victorian bindings. Intricately gilded bindings. This set is in good condition. External chipping at the heads of the spines. Covers attached. Complete, including the foldout rear volume one. The bindings are original. Quality rag paper. Internal hinge paper is splitting. Generalized abrasion. Looseness from use. Some foxing. Some pencil provenance dealer marks upfront. The books are approximately 8 inches tall. Charles Dickens's Copy with his bookplate. First Edition Complete in Two Volumes With Dickens's Personal Bookplates, and 1870 Gadshill Library Dispersal Labels. A superb association set from the personal library of Charles Dickens, bearing both his engraved lionâ'andâ'cross bookplate and the original June 1870 Gadshill Place dispersal labelâ"the very tag used when Dickens's belongings were sold shortly after his death. A Genuine Dickens Library Book â" With Both Provenance Markers Present Dickens's personal bookplate: the gold lion couchant holding a Maltese cross, adopted from the dormant 1625 coat of arms claimed by his father, John Dickens. Though Dickens mocked social pretension in his fiction, he embraced this heraldic device in his own lifeâ"using it on bookplates, letterhead, and household items. The 1870 Gadshill Place sales label: "From the Library of Charles Dickens, Gadshill Place, June, 1870." This label was created specifically for the posthumous auction of Dickens's personal effects and is one of the most authoritative indicators of authentic Dickens provenance. Bibliographic & Historical Notes - Dickens's lionâ'andâ'cross emblem evolved over time as various engravers interpreted it differently. In 1840, Dickens clarified the design in a letter to cabinetmaker John Overs, specifying that the lion should hold a Maltese cross, not a cross patonce, and even supplied a sketch. The bookplate seen here reflects that corrected formâ"one of the key identifiers used by bibliographers to authenticate volumes from his library. Provenance -This exact copy appears in: Sotheran's Price Current of Literature, vols. CLXXIV (30 Nov. 1878) & CLXXV (31 Dec. 1878) J. H. Stonehouse, Catalogue of the Library of Charles Dickens from Gadshill Place (1935) â" Condition - Good only. Poor externally. Leather shows edgewear; spines darkened; hinges cracked; scattered small stains. John Forster (1812â"1876) was a prominent English biographer, critic, and editor, best known for his close friendship with Charles Dickens and for writing The Life of Charles Dickens (1872). Your signature will be required for delivery. This will be well protected for shipping. Please see my other listings for similar books. 26.2 26.3 Good internally, Poor externally Leather, original Gilded Calf bindings First Edition; Presentation Copy from John Forster to Charles Di.