# Is "The Chimes: A Goblin Story" by Charles Dickens a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Chimes: A Goblin Story by Charles Dickens (Chapman and Hall, 1845) is identified by: First edition, published 16 December 1844 though the title page is postdated 1845.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition, published 16 December 1844 though the title page is postdated 1845
- The first state is identified by the publisher's imprint 'CHAPMAN & HALL' printed within the bottom edge of the vignette title-page illustration, above the artist's and engraver's names; a later second issue instead shows 'Chapman and Hall' printed outside the border of the engraved vignette
- First-edition copies carry a publisher's advertisement leaf for the tenth edition of A Christmas Carol bound in at the front, an additional engraved title page after Daniel Maclise engraved by F. P. Becker, and eleven in-text illustrations after Doyle, Leech, and Stanfield
- Original binding is vertically-ribbed red cloth with blind-stamped borders, a gilt vignette on the front board, and gilt edges
- Publisher imprint reads Chapman and Hall
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Charles Dickens |
| Publisher | Chapman and Hall |
| Year | 1845 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition, published 16 December 1844 though the title page is postdated 1845 |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First edition, published 16 December 1844 though the title page is postdated 1845. The first state is identified by the publisher's imprint 'CHAPMAN & HALL' printed within the bottom edge of the vignette title-page illustration, above the artist's and engraver's names; a later second issue instead shows 'Chapman and Hall' printed outside the border of the engraved vignette. First-edition copies carry a publisher's advertisement leaf for the tenth edition of A Christmas Carol bound in at the front, an additional engraved title page after Daniel Maclise engraved by F. P. Becker, and eleven in-text illustrations after Doyle, Leech, and Stanfield. Original binding is vertically-ribbed red cloth with blind-stamped borders, a gilt vignette on the front board, and gilt edges.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Chimes: A Goblin Story* by Charles Dickens a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-chimes-a-goblin-story
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-04.