Charles Dickens - The Battle of Life: A Love Story

London, Bradbury & Evans , 1846. First edition. Cloth. A first edition, fourth issue of Charles Dickens's lesser known Christmas book, complete with thirteen plates of illustrations. The fourth of Dickens's Christmas Books, narrating of a charming love story set in an English village that stands on a site of a historic battle. It was first published on December 19, 1846, selling twenty-three thousand copies within the first twenty-four hours, despite being known as one of the lesser known of his 'Christmas Books.' An interesting book due to the unusual number of different issues within the first and only edition. The present is a fourth state, featuring 'A Love Story' on a banner carried by a naked cherub to additional vignette title page without publisher's information (John G. Eckel, A Bibliography). Featuring thirteen vignette illustrations, as well as a frontispiece and additional title page. From the library of Richard Wood, with his bookplate to front pastedown. In the original publisher's full crimson cloth binding with gilt to spine and front board, gilt to edges. Externally sound with shelf wear, bumped and chipped to extremities of spine and boards, back-strip now laid down. Richard Wood's bookplate to front pastedown. Front hinge slightly strained, holding firm. Internally, firmly bound. Odd light spotting to odd leaf, otherwise pages generally bright and clean. Good . Ill.: D Maclise; R Dole; C Stanfield; J Leech. Good .

See/Hide Conditions of Sale

Following conditions of sale apply:
Terms of Sale

We send all our books on approval and we gladly accept returns for any reason in like condition within 30 days of purchase.
We now post only via DHL as weight for weight it is a very similar cost to recorded mail, but is fully tracked and much more reliable. This gives next day delivery to places as far afield as New York. Price is based on an average book weighing 1kg. if your book is very light it may be less, or more for sets and the like that are heavier.

Payment Methods Accepted
All major credit cards (Visa/Mastercard/American Express); bank transfer; Paypal; cash; cheque.