Product Description

This is an ideal Christmas present, to give or receive. It includes Dickens's five most popular Christmas tales: The Chimes, The Haunted Man, The Cricket on the Hearth, The Battle of Life, and `the greatest little book in the world', A Christmas Carol. The texts are taken from the 1868 Charles Dickens Edition, corrected by the author himself.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #6679 in Books
• Published on: 1994-07-28
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 240 pages

Synopsis
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.

About the Author
Charles John Huffam Dickens was born on February 7, 1812 in Portsmouth, Hampshire, England. In 1824, his father was imprisoned for debt, so Charles was sent to work in a shoe-dye factory. He later became a clerk in a law firm, a shorthand reporter in the courts, and a parliamentary and newspaper reporter. In 1833, Dickens began to contribute short stories and essays to periodicals, heralding the start of a glittering and prolific literary career. He married Catherine Hogarth in 1836, with whom he had nine surviving children before they separated in 1858. Dickens died suddenly at home on June 9, 1870, leaving behind an internationally acclaimed canon of work, including Oliver Twist (1837), Nicholas Nickleby (1838), David Copperfield (1849-50), Bleak House (1852-53), Little Dorrit (1855-57), A Tale of Two Cities (1859), Great Expectations (1860-61) and Our Mutual Friend (1864-65). He was buried in Westminster Abbey. Michael Slater is Professor of Victorian Literature at Birkbeck College in the University of London. He was editor of The Dickensian (1968-77) and President of the International Dickens Fellowship (1988-90). He has published many books and articles on Dickens.

Customer Reviews

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.

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 heart warming tale... for Christmas and all year round
A classic tale, from a classic story teller. Dickens prose is a joy, his vocabulary diverse and hugely descriptive. He has thedeft ability to portray the emotion of a situation. For example, Scrooge's fear at meeting Marley and the other ghosts of Christmas or Scrooge's joy at truly experiencing Christmas once the ghosts have worked their magic. He enables the reader to see and smell Dickensian London. But, the moral of the tale is applicable to our lives today. I.e. don't be too wrapped up in material things. Enjoy life while you can, and help others to do so if you have the chance. Out with the 'bah humbug' and in with the 'Merry Christmas and goodwill to all men'! A brilliant read.