Books

London: Chapman and Hall, 1852. Near fine.. First authorized collected edition of Dickens's culture-shaping Christmas novellas — in a handsome Dickens-inspired maroon morocco binding. Written in only six weeks at a low point in Dickens's career — and printed at his own expense when his publishers didn't want to take on the risk themselves — A CHRISTMAS CAROL Carol revived Dickens's fortunes. 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." Les Standiford calls it "the very apotheosis of [Dickens's] themes" in his book THE MAN WHO INVENTED CHRISTMAS (5), which argues that Dickens's Christmas tale shaped traditions of the holiday for decades to come. Indeed, the singular success of the book would help establish a robust market for Christmas gift books that thrives to this day. Dickens produced this collection of "my…

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.