Of all my books, I like this the best...'. First edition in book form in variant binding. Dickens would write in his preface to the 1869 edition of David Copperfield, that: 'Of all my books, I like this the best. It will be easily believed that I am a fond parent to every child of my fancy, and that no one can ever love that family as dearly as I love them. But, like many fond parents, I have in my heart of hearts a favourite child. And his name is David Copperfield'.

First edition in book form; 8vo; 40 illustrations by Hablot K. Browne ('Phiz'), including frontispiece and vignette title page (earlier state with date), without publisher's ads at end, foxing and browning primarily to plates (as usual); original olive-green cloth, elaborately bordered in blind (not noted in Smith), gilt lettering to spine, yellow coated endpapers, superficial restoration to spine, spine sunned, extremities slightly rubbed with some fraying, housed in custom quarter green morocco blue and green cloth box.

Smith I, 9; Sadleir 686.