Charles Dickens, 1841

DICKENS, Charles (1812-1870), editor. The Pic Nic Papers. By Various Hands. London: Henry Colburn, 1841. * The Pic Nic Papers. By Various Hands. Philadelphia: Lea and Blanchard, 1841.

The first English and the first American editions of this “Boz”-edited miscellany of short stories, poems and sketches. These were published to benefit the family of Dickens's first publisher, John Macrone, who died in 1837. Despite his rather fraught relationship with Macrone in life, Dickens rose to the occasion when appealed upon by Macrone’s destitute widow. He organized the compilation and publication of Pic Nic, wrote the Introduction, and revised his farce “The Lamplighter” renaming it “The Lamplighter’s Story.” This is the second impression of the London edition, as “young publisher” appears in its corrected form on p. iii of volume I. Eckel, pp. 143-145 (confusing the precedence of the printers of volume one); Yale/Gimbel B109.

English edition: Three volumes, 12mo (198 x 120mm). 2pp. publisher’s advertisements dated May 1841 at the beginning of volume II; 2 pp. publisher’s advertisements at the end of volume III. 3 frontispieces and 11 etched plates by George Cruikshank and Robert Jacob Hamerton (lacking ads in vol. I, some marginal foxing, mostly in volume I). Original cloth, covers stamped in blind, spines gilt, yellow coated endpapers (bumped, chips to the tail caps on vols I and II, spines sunned). Custom slipcase.

American edition: Two volumes, 12mo (188 x 111mm). (A few scattered spots, corner torn away on the “Esther” half-title in volume II.) Original cloth-backed plain boards, printed paper spine labels (rubbed, a few scattered stains, spines sunned with minor losses to printed spine labels, one blank and lower fly leaf supplied on volume II). Custom clamshell box. Provenance: effaced ownership inscription on flyleaf – Leslie Thornhill Colvin (bookplate).