Charles Dickens – A Christmas Carol (1844). Fourth Printing of the first edition, with “Stave One” on p.1; three hand‑colored plates and four woodcuts by John Leech; four additional woodcut vignettes by Linton after Leech. Blue half‑title with the blue‑and‑red title page present.
 
Condition: 8vo, 266pp plus 2 pages of advertisements at rear. A bright, early example, handsomely re-backed in red cloth and using the books original cinnamon ribbed cloth covers and spine stamped in blind and gilt. Gilt still vivid, gilt top edge, refreshed endpapers, and its original red silk bookmark intact.
 
From the library of Lila Vanderbilt Field (1878–1934), noted philanthropist and daughter of Emily Thorn Vanderbilt and William Douglas Sloane. Her distinctive bookplate remains affixed. Together with her husband, William B. Osgood Field—collector, bibliophile, and author—she cultivated a refined library reflecting the intellectual and cultural ambitions of the Gilded Age.
 
A distinguished association copy of Dickens’s most enduring work, uniting early issue points, Leech’s iconic illustrations, and a provenance rooted in one of America’s great families. Ideal for collectors of Dickens, Victorian literature, holiday classics, or those seeking a tangible artifact of transatlantic cultural history.