Pictures from Italy by Charles Dickens – ALLEN PRESS 1982

Pictures from Italy; Genoa, Venice, Rome, Naples, Florence by Charles Dickens – THE ALLEN PRESS 1982

A PICTORIAL REVIEW

Limited edition.
One of 140 copies.
Prospectus laid in.
Printed letterpress on an 1882 Albion handpress in Italian Old Style and Deepdene italic on Richard de Bas mill handmade paper.
The running headings on each page are in two colours, varying as to the areas of Italy covered.
Unillustrated.
Ragged fore and lower page edges.
Pale brown textured endpapers.
Full cloth binding using a red and beige Fortuny hand blocked fabric 'Canestrelli' (named for a Venetian shell).
Housed in a clear Mylar wrapping (removed for photography).
No slipcase as issued.
25.8x16.9cm.
121 pages
US$300 on secondary market

A classic of travel literature, Dickens wrote 'Pictures from Italy' at the age of only 32 when he was already famous for some of his greatest work such as Oliver Twist and A Christmas Carol.
He leased a villa in Genoa and then travelled throughout Italy writing detailed letters all the way.
The book was first published in 1846.



















































An index of the other illustrated reviews in the this series can be viewed here.

Thanks for the lovely review! It does seem rather ironic that a book titled "Pictures from Italy" has no illustrations :)

>2 astropi: I kept scrolling for pictures until I hit your comment!

For a short extract of Pictures From Italy (a chapter concerning the author's visit to Venice) and much more affordable, I would recommend An Italian Dream, printed on a hand-made Amalfi paper by The Old School Press in 2008 and still available from the press.

Tara Books also did an even cheaper version! Though it would be a stretch to call it 'fine press'.

Having read it, I did not find the work among Dickens's best...

Sooo great to see this!