Dickens (Charles) A Christmas Carol. In Prose. Being a Ghost Story of Christmas, first edition, first impression, first issue, first state with title page in red and blue dated 1843, "Stave I" heading to first chapter, text entirely in uncorrected state and yellow endpapers, 4 hand-coloured etched plates by & after Leech and 4 plain woodcut vignettes by Linton after Leech, 2pp. advertisements, frontispiece (edges a little frayed) tipped in at p.66, scattered foxing and occasional light soiling or staining, contents shaken with a few gatherings proud, glue residue to front pastedown, original first issue brown fine-ribbed cloth, with unbroken 'D' within wreath and minimum 14mm gap between left blind border and gilt cartouche, shelf-lean, joints cracked and covers becoming detached, spine chipped and browned, bumping and some wear to corners, [Eckel pp.110-115; Smith II, 4], 8vo, Chapman & Hall, 1843.

⁂ The earliest of the states according to Smith, the yellow endpapers being preferred by Dickens for the red and blue title-page though these were swapped to green as the paper-stock became exhausted.