EUR
CAD
AUD
GBP
MXN
HKD
CNY
MYR
SEK
SGD
CHF
THBA Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens, First American Edition 1859
About Seller
522 South Pineapple Avenue
Sarasota, FL 34236
United States
Sarasota Estate Auction specializes in a wide variety of furniture, antiques, fine art, lighting, sculptures, and collectibles. Andrew Ford, owner and operator of the company, has a passion for finding the best pieces of art and antiques and sharing those finds with the Gulf Coast of Florida.
Live Auction in Progress ... Currently on Lot Two ways to bid:
- Leave a max absentee bid and the platform will bid on your behalf up to your maximum bid during the live auction.
- Bid live during the auction and your bids will be submitted real-time to the auctioneer.
Bid Increments
| Price | Bid Increment |
|---|---|
| $0 | $10 |
| $100 | $25 |
| $250 | $50 |
| $1,000 | $100 |
| $2,500 | $250 |
| $7,500 | $500 |
| $20,000 | $1,000 |
| $50,000 | $2,500 |
| $100,000 | $5,000 |
| $250,000 | $10,000 |
About Auction
LiveMar 30, 2025
Over 900 lots will be offered in day 2 of our 2 day auction weekend! There are multiple lots of important fine art from landscapes and etchings to old masters and portraits. We have a Lifetime Collection of Louis Comfort Tiffany, Lalique, and Steuben Glass, Antique Maps, Oriental Rugs, Sterling Silver, Imperial Embroidered Chinese Robes, Rare Books, Old Master Paintings, and more! Sarasota Estate Auction sarasotaestateauction@gmail.com
View Full Catalog (951)
- Lot Description
A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens, First American Edition 1859.
Size: 9 1/4 x 6 1/8 in.
This book is titled A Tale of Two Cities and was written by Charles Dickens and first published in 1859. It was Dickens’ twelfth novel and published in wrapps (paperback form) in thirty-one weekly parts and eight monthly installments between April 30 and November 26 of that year, and the parts and installments were published by All The Year Round, Dickens’ own magazine, and illustrated by Hablot K. Browne. The American version was published between May 7 and December 30 of 1859 by Harper’s Weekly and illustrated by John McLenan, Harper’s house illustrator, and there is no significant difference between the two serials in terms of contents of each installment, other than the sixty-four illustrations that are contained in the American version.
The book here is a bound volume (a hardback) titled “Tale of Two Cities. With 64 Illustrations” in gilt on the front cover, with the title repeated in gilt on the spine, it has green boards and Dickens’ portrait in gilt on the front cover, and according to John Eckel, who wrote a detailed bibliography of Dickens’ works in 1932 and was considered an authority on Dickens - his book was titled “The First Editions Of The Writings of Charles Dickens, Their Points and Values” - “the volume edition (i.e. hardback) was bound in a vivid red cloth and has also been seen in green. The last color is very scarce. The red is worth from $150 to $250., the green possibly more”, and this was in 1932. (See Eckel page 90.) The copyright page is dated 1859, so we believe this is a first American edition of A Tale of Two Cities in book form, and bound in green.
There are yellow endpapers as called for, the title page says “A Tale Of Two Cities. By Charles Dickens. Boz. With Sixty-Four Original Illustrations, From Designs by John McLenan. Author’s American Edition”, and it was published by T. B. Peterson & Brothers on Chestnut Street in Philadelphia. A note on the title page says “T.B. Peterson & Brothers, Philadelphia, in connection with Harper & Brothers, New York, are the only Publishers in America of the works of Charles Dickens, that have ever paid any thing for the Manuscript and advanced Proof-sheets of his various works, and T. B. Peterson & Brothers, in book form, simultaneously with their publication in England. For this priority we have paid Thousands of Dollars; Charles Dickens having been paid One Thousand Pounds Sterling, in Gold, for the advanced Proof-sheets of ‘A Tale of Two Cities,’ as well as the same amount in Gold for each of his other late works.”
The book has two pages of Contents (iii- iv), a two-page list of Illustrations (v - vi), 160 pages of text, and fourteen pages of ads for books by T. B. Peterson and Brothers at the rear, including the last page which shows “T. B. Peterson and Brothers’ Complete And Illustrated Editions Of The Writings of Charles Dickens’ (Boz) Being The Only Authorized American Editions”, the text pages have two columns, and there is an incised portrait of Dickens on the back cover.
The book measures 9 1/4 x 6 1/8 inches wide and is in very good condition. The binding is tight and the pages and illustrations are clean, with just a handful of small brown spots in the book, the gilt is slightly faded on the spine, with wear on the heel and crown, light bumps on the edges of the back cover, and light wear at the tips.
The book was initially published as a single volume by Peterson in 1859 - we found one copy in a green binding like this that was published by Peterson in 1859 that sold for $1000 in 2023, and we found one listing for a two-volume set by Peterson dated 1859, with only one volume present, and that goes for $1150 even as an incomplete set. So it is rare to find a first American edition of this title in book form, and bound in green.
#6154
- Shipping Info
-
SHIPPING INFORMATION·
Sarasota Estate Auction IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR SHIPPING! BUYER MUST ARRANGE SHIPPING. All shipping will be handled by the winning bidder. Sarasota Estate Auction recommends obtaining shipping quotes before bidding on any items in our auctions. To obtain a quote, please email info@premiershipment.com. Be sure to include the lot you are interested in and address you would like the quote for. Refunds are not offered under any circumstances base on shipping issues, this is up to the buyer to arrange this beforehand.
BIDDER MUST ARRANGE THEIR OWN SHIPPING. Although SEA will NOT arrange shipping for you, we do recommend our preferred shipper Premier Shipping & Crating at info@premiershipment.com You MUST email them, please DO NOT CALLl. If you'd like to compare shipping quotes or need more options, feel free to contact any local Sarasota shippers. You can email any one of the shippers below as well. Be sure to include the lot(s) you won and address you would like it shipped to. Brennan with The UPS Store #0089 - 941-413-5998 - Store0089@theupsstore.com AK with The UPS Store #2689 - 941-954-4575 - Store2689@theupsstore.com Steve with The UPS Store #4074 - 941-358-7022 - Store4074@theupsstore.com Everett with PakMail - 941-751-2070 - paktara266@gmail.com
-
- Payment & Auction Policies
-
Available payment options
We accept all major credit cards, wire transfers, money orders, checks and PayPal. Please give us a call at (941) 359-8700 or email us at SarasotaEstateAuction@gmail.com to take care of your payments.
-
-
- Buyer's Premium
- Size
9 1/4 x 6 1/8 in.
