James P Reynolds

• Christmas Stories
• Charles Dickens
• Thomas Nelson, London, 1906

This book is part of a complete set of Dickens works which were put out between 1898 and 1913. They are beautifully bound in soft burgundy leather. Each book has an engraving of a scene from the story protected by a leaf of tissue. They also have silk book marks sewn in.

The pages of the books are India paper, also known as bible paper — very thin, almost translucent sheets.

As you can imagine, there are a number of condition issues to watch out for with these. Often the leather is dried out and cracked. It is very common to find chipping at the head and foot of the spine. Even if the leather is in good shape, there can be rubbing off of the colour, especially at the corners of the covers and spine. The pages tear easily, and the tissue protecting the engravings is commonly torn or missing. The covers can also be loose or completely torn away from the text block.

This copy is in unusually fine condition. Other than a little rubbing at the extremities, there are none of the above noted problems. The value of these ranges greatly, depending on condition. Copies in poor condition can be found for as low as $5 plus shipping, but for a copy like this one, expect to pay up to $100.

You can usually save money by buying more than one copy at a  time. For example, there are a couple of complete sets (17 books) available on-line today for about $500 to $600, making the individual cost less than $35.

Another thing to be careful about with these is that Thomas Nelson seems to have put out at least three different but very similar sets. If you are completing a set, make sure you get the right books.