Customer Reviews

The Annotated Christmas Carol: A Christmas Carol in Prose (The Annotated Books)

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Michael Patrick Hearn wrote the first Annotated Christmas Carol back in 1976. He is also the author of many other books, including The Annotated Wizard of Oz and The Annotated Huckleberry Finn. Both of those had been published about twenty-five years ago and have recently been revised. Now it is A Christmas Carol's turn for a revised edition.

The first thing I noticed was the wealth of new material. The old introduction was 51 pages long. The new introduction is 100.

Hearn found lots of material in the intervening 27 years that make for a larger book. He benefited tremendously from the publication of the Oxford University Press edition of Dickens's letters. He uncovered many reviews and notices of the book in 1843 and 1844 and has included much of what he found in the introduction. He found information that had been obscured by time. For example, he found that the very first British editions arrived in Boston at 4:15 P.M. on Sunday, January 21st, and were pirated by Harper and Brothers within a few days. The New York True Sun was soon pirating the pirates by serializing the story on the front page of the daily paper by January 29th.

As one would expect, the revised edition has many more annotations accompanying the text, than the original edition. For example, the original book had 80 notes in Stave One whereas the 2003 edition has 110. Some of the new notes alone are worth purchasing the second edition, even if you already own the first. His notes on Joe, the old gray-haired rascal who deals with the laundress and charwoman are an essay unto themselves.

But the most significant addition is the appendix, which consists of the Public Reading version of A Christmas Carol, and an introduction that covers much of Dickens's involvement with the theatre. The annotations for this section are mostly concerned with the prompt copy and audience members' remembrances of how Dickens performed the reading. Hearn was able to visit the British Library where he consulted the unpublished manuscripts of the 1844 staged versions of A Christmas Carol. They were full of all sorts of tidbits of information that he passes on to us.

The new edition also has many more illustrations and photographs, including a stereoscopic picture of Dickens that I never knew existed, that make this volume one to treasure for many Christmases yet to come.

Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol is as much a part of this holiday season as "It's a Wonderful Life" and this reissue of the 1976 edition, the perfect gift for traditionalists who love booklore, literary trivia and anecdotes. The Annotated Christmas Carol is that wonderful blend of hope, poverty, ghosts and folklore that illustrates the theme of greed vs. generosity in the Victorian era.

Who can fail to appreciate the qualities of this reissue, the stories behind the story, the people and places that so captured our imaginations? The Oxford University Press published the letters of Charles Dickens since the 1976 version, opening up a wealth of new material for Hearn to glean more details, including behind-the-scenes machinations of the original publication.

The archaic language is explained, as well as its origins. Hearn's meticulous research has unearthed the complexity of the tale: Dickens' autobiographical details, as well as an historical perspective, the where and how of the first printing and Dickens' oration that so enchanted his audiences.

Hearn has put together a small masterpiece of a treasured Christmas story, expanded, with beautiful reproductions of the original artwork. The art is outstanding; there are the photographs, lithographs and engravings sprinkled throughout the pages, lending that authentic Victorian flavor of Dickens' tale of the plight of the poor in an indifferent society. In addition, there are gorgeous four-color illustrations from the original printing. All in all, this is a book to be treasured by the family and shared in the true spirit of the season. Luan Gaines/2003.

Simply amazing! That is the best description I can give of this version of Dickens' "A Christmas Carol."
How many times have you ever read this wonderful novel, but overlooked many parts because it may have seemed long-winded, or maybe you just didn't quite understand the Victorian language that Dickens used (and why wouldn't he?)? Being a student of Dickensian England, this book thoroughly explains every minute detail of the time period in which this story takes place (1843) through the story itself. So much so that, in fact, that after completing this encyclopedia (for it truly is an encyclopedia), I felt as if I understood completely what the readers of the time of Dickens must have felt after reading the first edition 160 years ago. Words, sentences, phrases - all explained desciptively so as one now knows what Dickens actually meant when writing them. It opened my eyes much wider to the WHOLE story, not just the fluff we've all come to know. And, as mentioned in other reviews, you get the complete original novel as well as the 'reading to the public' version, along with a very informative introduction.
I have reviewed several different "Christmas Carol" books - all of which are excellent in their own right. But this version, however simply put, takes the cake!

This handsome volume has everything: both the original text and Dicken's very different "reading" version; fascinating introductions to both texts; hundreds of illustrations and photographs, superb annotations throughout; and a generous and heartwarming editorial spirit in keeping with the story itself. You may think you "know" A CHRISTMAS CAROL from the many movie, television or theatrical versions; or, once-upon-a-time, you may have read it. But until you read this version, you won't really "know" A CHRISTMAS CAROL. Michael Patrick Hearn's love of this wonderful old story shows in the care and detail he has lavished upon this edition, in the documentation he has provided and in the absorbing notes which enrich the story and our understanding of it. This book is required reading for everyone who loves Christmas and literature.

If you're like me and you had never read A Christmas Carol before, this is the one to read. If you're unlike me and you've read it 1 to 100 times before, I recommend reading this one and digging deeply into all the extra information provided. With all the archaic phrases and slang comments regarding things like locations in London, I'm uncertain how Americans over the years have truly felt as if they understood all the dialogue contained herein without the benefit of annotation.

I (like most, I imagine) knew a rough outline of the story but I knew nothing of the details or the language and style in which the story is presented. I am so glad I finally read it, and read this version! I never could have gotten as much out of this story as I did, had the annotation not been present. I often found myself detouring from the story itself, to read the story-behind-the-story about from where Dickens grabbed this line, or what this reference had to do with London life during this era, etc...

I picked this up at the library but there is enough information and depth in this book that I know I cannot uncover all its treasures in the time allotted from the library. In short, before I was even finished reading it, it had made its way to my "Books To Buy" list. There shall be many other books checked out, bought, read, and other topics looked into due to the notes given here. Also, for those of you who also just truly enjoy the presentation and physicality of a book, this is very nice. It has lovely reprints (color and b&w) of old drawings, engravings, covers of old editions, etc...

This great edition also sparked me into looking for more Annotated books, hoping this was part of a series. It turns out there are Annotated Brothers Grimm, Wizard of Oz, Huckleberry Finn, etc...! I have much good reading ahead of me.

I found this book to be fascinating in its detail, and in its background information on Charles Dickens, including biographical information with an emphasis on how and why he came to write this timeless tale. "A Christmas Carol" is the story that has in large part shaped Christmas celebrations since it was published in 1843, and is one of those books that I have loved since I was first introduced to the story as a child.

Not only detailed information about the writing and illustration can be found within, but the notes detailing meanings of long-lost words and phrases used in England at Dickens' time, but no longer are common, make this book invaluable. While the story is familiar, the reader, I am sure, habitually scans by quaint-sounding unfamiliar words; this allows the reader to get the original meaning and, in effect, makes the story almost a rewritten one for those unfamiliar with Victorian verbiage.

I would recommend this book to anyone, like me, who considers A Christmas Carol to be one of those books I would take to a desert island with me to spend the rest of my life with. I now will revise that, and will say that I would take THIS VERSION with me. I have seen nothing to compare with the work shown in this volume, and I recommend it without reservation.

I have been reading "A Christmas Carol" almost every year at Christmas since my teens. My original copy was just about dead, and then I saw this. I already own the "Annotated Alice in Wonderland" and think it is wonderful, so I had high hopes for this book.

The annotations are great for literary stuff - influences on Dickens, prior work that is similar, the history of Christmas books, etc. The illustrations are also wonderful, not merely the original ones but also contemporary pictures of life in London as well as some other famous early illustrations of "A Christmas Carol", notably Gustave Dore.

It is much less informative when it comes to vocabulary. For example, in the first stave there is a description of Bob Cratchit going down a 'slide' on Cornhill. I have always known that this was unlikely to have been today's playground slide, but I didn't know what it was. There is no annotation to this question, but my question has been at least partially answered by an accompanying illustration which shows a plank of wood which has been coated with ice. In the same paragraph there is no explanation of the word comforter - not a filled quilted blanket, as today in America, but a long knitted scarf.

Overall, I have to give this an average rating, mainly because if you are going to do an annotation, you had better do it completely. This is especially true in this case where the author has had almost 20 years to fix things.

This is a great edition of the novel, full of annotations that explain the meanings and usages of words from the time period. Although this story can - and is - enjoyed without the annotations, this version is a rich companion to the various other popular versions. It is also a fine looking volume. As to the story, we would be hard pressed to find people not familiar with A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens, due to several movies the novel has spawned. I finally sat down and read the novel and am glad I did. The novel by the prolific and popular Dickens is well-written with great characters. That the author can generate such imagery and fully-realized characters in such a short story, is a testament to his staying power. This book packs an emotional punch, and is a great tale for the holidays, or any time you need to remind yourself to be thankful for what you have and those around you. A classic story and a must read. 5 stars.

Of all the annotated classic works, this one is probably my favorite. I like it for a number of reasons. It can be enjoyed in one (longish) sitting. The notations are very informative and well-spaced so as not to take away from the reading of the story. The illustrations are in multiple styles by multiple artists, and they are very intriguing. It has some nice glossy prints including one of the cover of the original edition. It contains two version of the story, one being the public reading version, which is concise and invites you to make it a Christmas tradition at your house. And as with The Annotated Wizard of Oz (Centennial Edition), The Annotated Classic Fairy Tales, and others, this looks really good on the shelf. You know you like Dickens. This book will deepen your appreciation of the man, his talent, and this timeless and remarkable Christmas tale.

For true fans of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens this book is a must read. Patrick Hearn details what Charles Dickens did to get the book published his way and explains the archaic terms in the book so that modern readers can understand the book. I have found it very educational and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys A Christmas Carol. This book will only increase your enjoyment.