Books

London and Philadelphia: William Heinemann and J.B. Lippincott, 1915. Signed limited edition of Arthur Rackham’s illustrated version of Charles Dickens’s Christmas classic, number 272 of 525 copies signed by the artist. Written in a mere six weeks at a low point in Dickens’s career, and published at his own expense, A Christmas Carol revived his fortunes, establishing a robust market for Christmas gift books that survives to this day. The characters of Scrooge and Marley, Bob Cratchit and Tiny Tim, are immediately recognizable even to those who’ve never read a word of Dickens: “‘God bless us every one!’ said Tiny Tim, the last of all.” Rackham’s compositions capture the smoky atmosphere of Victorian London, while his command of spectral effects brings Jacob Marley’s ghost to life on the page. Latimore & Haskell, 44-45. A very good signed copy of the quintessential Christmas gift book. Quarto, measuring 11 x 9 inches: xv, [1], 147, [1]. Original full vellum, upper…

A Christmas Carol is a novella by English author Charles Dickens. It was first published by Chapman & Hall in 1843 and tells the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, a grumpy, greedy, and cold-hearted old miser who is transformed into a kind, generous man after visits by the ghost of his former business partner and the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Yet to Come.