Charles Dickens books

[the*dolly*lama]

Hello, hope that I am posting this in the right place. I want to know if anyone has information on my books by Charles Dickens or where I can go online to read and learn more about them.

 

Thanks

[maxine*j]

There are, literally, thousands of different editions of the works of Charles Dickens, and that's just in the English language.   This looks like it may be only two volumes out of a multi-volume set of the complete works.

No one can help you unless you show the title page and the page with all the publisher / edition / copyright information.

It would be surprising if the books have much monetary value, but who can say without knowing the edition.

If you feel confident that you can be sure of the edition you are looking at, for comparison, you can find info on ABE, Alibris, AddAll, Biblio, FetchBook, and other websites.

=

[argon38]

The binding on the spines is attractive. As Maxine indicates, they're unlikely to interest a book collector unless there's something very special about them, but people do sometimes buy books for home decor without bothering too much about the content.

[the*dolly*lama]

Hi, thanks for the response. I did try to upload a few more pictures at the time of my posting but I kept getting an alert in a red box. I’ll try to add them again. 

[the*dolly*lama]

Thank You argon38. 

[yankeebob1951 · Accepted solution]

maxine & argon have already given you great input with very little to go on...let me add my 2 cents.

It looks like you have 2 volumes (XIV & XV...or 14 & 15 if I haven't totally forgotten my Roman Numerals) of this Dickens set:

https://www.abebooks.com/Works-Charles-Dickens-32-volumes-complete/30912542289/bd

...and a set minus 1 volume for sale here on eBay:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/143991361911?hash=item21868dd177:g:EuQAAOSwBTVgYPv- 

You can see that Houghton Mifflin Company is the publisher of this set, which at least gives you a start on further research...maybe you'll get lucky & someone likes to collect different versions of David Copperfield or happens to be missing those particular volumes from their set or just likes the look of yours.

[maxine*j]

OP;s books may or may not be from one or the other of these sets.  Without edition information, there is no way to know.   I wonder about that 1894 - 1900 date in the second listing, which may be the copyright date of the first edition but not the publication date of that particular set.  

Until we can see the title page and the page with the publication / edition / copyright info. we just cannot say what OP has.

=

[yankeebob1951]

-Thanks maxine...I was going for the similar cover pattern identifying the publisher as a start for further research...not extrapolating that either of the examples was the exact set OP's books are from. Maybe I muddied the waters attempting to clear them, ha-ha!

-I also wondered & took the eBay listing's date with a grain of salt since it didn't include a photo of any relevant publication/edition/copyright info...another case of can't tell a book just by its cover, eh?

[maxine*j]

What you found is an enormous help, because I think you did find the publisher.  And considering how my publishers have done sets of Dickens, that's no small thing.  I'm just frustrated at being unable to go beyond that because the key info is all missing.

=

[1786davycrockett]

Since these are only two volumes from the set, there will probably be very little interest for most potential buyers, unless there are some very well-done illustrations, which may be the only selling point for your copies.

Keep in mind -- all of Dickens' books have been available to read online for FREE since the advent of the internet, which makes "public domain" titles such as DAVID COPPERFIELD hard to sell; so any outstanding individual characteristics that you can find (eg, illustrations; annotated editions; unusual introductions and/or forewords and/or afterwards; etc) should be heavily emphasized in any future listing.

Good luck!

[the*dolly*lama]

Hello all , thank you for your help. I can’t seem to upload the other pictures I have of my books. They have marble? Covers. They have a copyright date of 1894 by Houghton, Mifflin & Co. One page reads as follows:

“The Personal History of David Copperfield by Charles Dickens. Illustrated with Engravings on Steel

In two volumes”

Then at the bottom of that same page it reads:

“Boston and New York

Houghton Mifflin Company

The Riverside Press Cambridge”

[the*dolly*lama]

Hello. Yes those are the books I have. Thank You So Much for your help. For everyone’s help. I do appreciate it very much. 

[maxine*j]

First editions from Riverside have the words “First Published (year)” on the copyright page with no additional printings listed.

https://www.biblio.com/first-edition-identification/

https://www.biblio.com/publisher/riverside-press

=

[the*dolly*lama]

Thank you Maxine, you’ve been really helpful. I will look into that link you have provided.