Product Description

Dickens’s story of solitary miser Ebenezer Scrooge, who is taught the true meaning of Christmas by a series of ghostly visitors, has proved one of his most well-loved works. Ever since it was published in 1843 it has had an enduring influence on the way we think about the traditions of Christmas. Dickens’s other Christmas writings collected here include ‘The Story of the Goblins who Stole a Sexton’, the short story from The Pickwick Papers on which A Christmas Carol was based; along with shorter pieces drawn from the ‘Christmas Stories’ that Dickens wrote annually for his weekly journals. In all of them Dickens celebrates the season as one of geniality, charity and remembrance.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2982 in Books
• Published on: 2007-01-25
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 240 pages

About the Author
Charles Dickens was born at Portsmouth on 7 February 1812. He received little formal education, but taught himself shorthand and became a reporter of parliamentary debates for the <I>Morning Chronicle</I>. He began to publish sketches in various periodicals, which were subsequently republished as Sketches by Boz. <I>The Pickwick Papers</I> were published in 1836–7 and after a slow start became a publishing phenomenon and Dickens's characters the centre of a popular cult. He began <I>Oliver Twist</I> in 1837, followed by <I>Nicholas Nickleby</I> (1838) and <I>The Old Curiosity Shop</I> (1840–41).After finishing <I>Barnaby Rudge</I> (1841) Dickens set off for America; he went full of enthusiasm for the young republic but, in spite of a triumphant reception, he returned disillusioned. His experiences are recorded in <I>American Notes</I> (1842). <I>Martin Chuzzlewit</I> (1843–4) did not repeat its predecessors' success but this was quickly redressed by the huge popularity of the Christmas Books, of which the first, <I>A Christmas Carol</I>, appeared in 1843. During 1844–6 Dickens travelled abroad and he began <I>Dombey and Son</I> while in Switzerland. This and <I>David Copperfield</I> (1849–50) were more serious in theme and more carefully planned than his early novels. In later works, such as <I>Bleak House</I> (1853) and <I>Little Dorrit</I> (1857), Dickens's social criticism became more radical and his comedy more savage. Charles Dickens died on 9 June 1870.

Customer Reviews

Warms the cockles
How did I possibly get into my thirties without ever having read this book? It is so wonderful, that I turned striaght to the front page again when I'd finnished reading it.

If your only experience of A Christmas Carol, like me, was the dodgy TV adaptations, do yourself a favour and pick up this book. It is enchanting, heartwarming and and far better than anything you'll see on TV. A real Christmas treat!

A classic.
It is great to read the original Charles Dickens story which is so well written. A great tale of a sour old man haveing to reflect on his life. If you haven't already read the story this is a must buy. A great book, a great author and a great read.

Stocking fillers
The first thing to point out with this collection is that it is well worth getting just for the first tale (the Christmas Carol). Christmas Carol, by far and away, more than matches the hype and is (dare I say it) genius! No other story (that I know of) imbues the spirit of christmas more perfectly and faithfully and this book is worth purchasing just for that.

However, tales two and three ('Chimes' and 'Cricket on the Hearth') are not quite so good and do let the collection down. 'Chimes' is a good story in essence: it is about a charactor called Trotty who becomes cynical about human nature and is taught a redemptive lesson by the spirits that live in the bells of the local church.
The really erksome thing is that the story never really seems to go anywhere and goes around the houses trying to do so. What should be a clear-cut and heartwarming tale, ends up not really imparting the lesson that it should; that man is built for better things.

'Cricket on the Hearth' is a little better and clearer in what it is aiming for and in its writing although I did read through ten pages of it where not a lot happened. Essentially it is about a carrier (Peerybingle) and his wife Dot who are watched over by a Guardian Angel in the form of a cricket. In a similar way to Christmas carol, this tale covers a redemption plot of the local toymaker (Tackleton) but also includes several other elements that make it an enjoyable Christmas tale.

So, to conclude, the first story in this book should be read by everyone, the second can be skipped and the third is worth reading, if only at Christmas time. As a collection, this book excludes the rather poorer tales of 'Battle of Life' and 'Haunted man', which is a redeeming virtue - if it excluded 'Chimes' as well, then it would be a true masterpiece.