THE BATTLE OF LIFE: A LOVE STORY
London, England: Bradbury and Evans, 1846. Various. Fourth State. Hardcover. 16 mo. Publisher's original red (horizontally) ribbed cloth, with front board ruled and decoratively bordered in-blind, and a central, detailed gilt stamped image of one cherubic figure mounted upon a dragonfly descending, sprigged love-lance aloft, upon another cherub, mounted upon her own dragonfly/and gilt lettering to spine. Gilt cherubs mounted upon dragonflies to spine as well, which itself shows rebacking, with original spine cloth laid down. Some light and some faded spots to boards, nudged corners, fading gilt (after 179+ years) and a slight spine lean - a well loved and apparently read and re-read early appearance of this (fourth) Christmas book of Charles Dickens. All edges gilt.
Fourth (and most common) state of Dickens's fourth book in his (5-book) Christmas series. Engraved title page shows Cupid holding the banner ("The Battle of Life") with small winged cherub below, and no publisher's information. This title of particular interest due to the issue of four states of the first edition. Only one edition (with its four states) was published within Dickens's lifetime.
Elaborately engraved frontis and engraved title by D. Maclise, engraved by John Thompson and eleven other illustrations by Doyle, Stanfield. Leech and Maclise. Two-pages advertisement at rear. Good. Item #88616
Price: $225.00