DICKENS, Charles (1812-1870). The Personal History of David Copperfield. London: Bradbury and Evans, May 1849-November 1850.

First edition, first issue in original monthly parts, complete with all advertisements and inserted slips. Copperfield is Dickens's most autobiographical work; his “favorite child,” and written at the midpoint in his career. Scarce in parts, as the printing was comparatively small, Eckel notes that these were “much read and roughly handled.” "Copperfield Advertiser" and all ads listed by Hatton & Cleaver are present: including the scarce "Lett's Diaries" ad in part 8 with six accompanying specimen leaves ("It is more often than not a missing quantity," Hatton & Cleaver); part 8 advertiser with misspelled "Lile” on page 3; part 12 with the 4 pp. issue of "Working Man's Library" ad (variant 2A). Hatton & Cleaver, pp. 253-272; Sadleir 686; Yale/Gimbel A121; Smith I: 9; Davis, pp. 85-93.

20 parts in 19, octavo (223 x 141mm). Engraved frontispiece, title and 38 engraved plates after Hablot K. Browne (“Phiz”) (scattered small stains and thumbing, part 3 with a dampstain affecting first few text leaves and a spot affecting the final two leaves, open tear to the corners of first two leaves of part 4, occasional chipping and light soiling to the lower margins of ad leaves, majority of plates foxed or browned along the edges). Original printed blue-green pictorial wrappers (general soiling, backstrips worn and repaired including some losses, a few repaired tears, backstrip on part 19/20 perished and clumsily repaired with glue, wrappers supplied on parts 12-13 and 18). Custom red cloth clamshell box. Provenance: E. Ponsonby’s of Dublin bookseller's label on the front wrappers of parts 5, 14 and 15.