Charles Dickens; Fiodor Dostoïevski - 6 Pléiade – 3 premiers tirages (1950, 1952, 1958) – Éditions anciennes - 1950-1982

Bibliothèque de la Pléiade – Dostoevsky & Charles Dickens – 6 volumes – Gallimard – 1950 to 1982

Fine set of six volumes from the prestigious Bibliothèque de la Pléiade, gathering three works by Fyodor Dostoevsky and three by Charles Dickens, two great masters of nineteenth-century European fiction.

This set has particular bibliophilic interest thanks to several 1950s-era early prints, some copies dating from the initial years of publication in the collection.

Publisher's characteristic bindings of the Pléiade, on Bible paper, accompanied by introductions, notes and supplementary texts.

COMPOSITION OF THE LOT

DOSTOEVSKY – 3 VOLUMES

1. Crime and Punishment – 1950

Also includes Raskolnikov's Journal, The Notebooks of Crime and Punishment and Reminiscences of the House of the Dead.

Legal deposit: 4th quarter 1950.
Edition number: 2257.
Early printing of the Pléiade collection, corresponding to the period of its first publication.

2. The Brothers Karamazov – 1952

Also includes The Notebooks of the Brothers Karamazov and The Death of Ivan Ilyich (Nietotchka Níezvanov).

Legal deposit: 3rd quarter 1952.
Early printing of the Pléiade collection.

3. The Young Karl Marx? (The adolescent) – 1956

Also includes White Nights, Notes from Underground, The Gambler and The Eternal Husband.

Legal deposit: 3rd quarter 1956.
Edition number: 5324.
Early edition of the Pléiade collection.

CHARLES DICKENS – 3 VOLUMES

4. The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club – Oliver Twist Adventures – 1958

Legal deposit: 3rd quarter 1958.
Edition number: 6351.
Early printing of the Pléiade collection.

5. The Old Curiosity Shop – Barnaby Rudge – 1980

Edition prepared under the direction of Pierre Leyris.

Legal deposit: 1st quarter 1980.
Edition number: 26517.
Reprint of an earlier edition in the collection.

6. Intimate Recollections of David Copperfield – Great Expectations – 1982

Edition presented and annotated by Pierre Leyris.

Legal deposit: February 1982.
Edition number: 29167.
Reprint of an earlier edition in the collection.

CONDITION

The interiors of all six volumes are particularly fresh, clean and in very good condition.

The bindings are generally in good condition, with the following specific notes:
Crime and Punishment: old plastic protective cover, with the rear part of the cover missing. Interior in very good condition.
The Brothers Karamazov: overall good condition.
The Young Karl Marx? (The Adolescent): overall good condition, with a crease on the protective cover.
The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club: external protection incomplete, the rear part missing. Front cover and spine are preserved.
The Old Curiosity Shop: overall good condition.
Intimate Recollections of David Copperfield: overall good condition.
The noted defects concern mainly the outer protective elements. The interiors of all six works are very well preserved.

BIBLIOPHILIC INTEREST

This lot offers several advantages for collectors:
- Several early 1950s prints, including copies dated 1950, 1952, 1956 and 1958.
- A coherent set devoted to two major authors of world literature.
- Six Pléiade volumes covering more than thirty years of publication.
- Interiors remarkably fresh for works over 70 years old.
- Total page count: approximately 8,400 pages (estimate).
- A beautiful set of classic literature, particularly appealing to Bibliothèque de la Pléiade enthusiasts and collectors of rare editions.

The six volumes are sold as a set, in the described and photographed condition.