A Christmas Carol and Other Christmas Books (Oxford World's Classics) [Hardcover]

Charles Dickens (Author), Robert Douglas-Fairhurst (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 6, 2006 | Series: Oxford World's Classics

A Christmas Carol has gripped the public imagination since it was first published in 1843, and it is now as much a part of the holiday season as is mistletoe or Santa's reindeer. Ebenezer Scrooge, Tiny Tim, the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future--it is impossible to go anywhere during the month of December and not hear these names, time and again.
Now comes a wonderful new collection of Dickens' Christmas stories, graced with many of the original drawings that appeared in the first edition. Pride of place goes to A Christmas Carol, of course, but the book also includes four other marvelous tales: The Chimes, The Cricket on the Hearth, The Battle of Life, and The Haunted Man. All five stories show Dickens at his unpredictable best, jumbling together comedy and melodrama, genial romance and urgent social satire, in pursuit of his aim "to awaken some loving and forbearing thoughts, never out of season in a Christian land." The volume also features an excellent introduction by Robert Douglas-Fairhurst, who offers invaluable background to the Christmas stories, illuminating the social questions they set out to address, outlining their reception and the enduring popularity of A Christmas Carol, and highlighting how their style and themes resonate in more complex ways in his major fictions. In addition, the book includes two appendices containing Dickens's article, "What Christmas Is As We Grow Older," and facsimile pages from Dickens's reading version of A Christmas Carol.
A wonderful gift for the holiday season--featuring colored end papers, delightful contemporary illustrations, and a ribbon marker--this superb volume will delight the heart of readers young and old.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A Christmas Carol] seems to be a national benefit, and to every man or woman who reads it a personal kindness."
--William Makepeace Thackeray

About the Author

Robert Douglas-Fairhurst is Fellow and Tutor in English at Magdalen College, University of Oxford.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 496 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (November 6, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0199204748
• ISBN-13: 978-0199204748
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #784,270 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

One of the grand masters of Victorian literature, Charles Dickens was born on February 7, 1812, in Landport, Portsea, England. He died in Kent on June 9, 1870. The second of eight children of a family continually plagued by debt, the young Dickens came to know not only hunger and privation,but also the horror of the infamous debtors' prison and the evils of child labor. A turn of fortune in the shape of a legacy brought release from the nightmare of prison and "slave" factories and afforded Dickens the opportunity of two years' formal schooling at Wellington House Academy. He worked as an attorney's clerk and newspaper reporter until his Sketches by Boz (1836) and The Pickwick Papers (1837) brought him the amazing and instant success that was to be his for the remainder of his life. In later years, the pressure of serial writing, editorial duties, lectures, and social commitments led to his separation from Catherine Hogarth after twenty-three years of marriage. It also hastened his death at the age of fifty-eight, when he was characteristically engaged in a multitude of work.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars holiday winner, November 19, 2009

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Christmas Carol and Other Christmas Books (Everyman's Library) (Hardcover)

This collection consists of the Charles Dickens' Christmas Books, all written in the 1840s

A Christmas Carol (1843). Everyone knows the story of how Ebenezer Scrooge the miser got the Christams message from his late partner and the three ghosts.

The Chimes (1844). Porter Trotty Veck has no hope for the future on New Year's Eve until he hears the spirits of the chimes.

The Cricket on the Hearth (1845). John is much older than his wife Dot, but their marriage appears to be over when he finds evidence that makes him believe she cuckold him. John talks with the spirit of the Cricket on the Hearth whose chirping Dot says means good luck.

The Battle of Life (1846). Doctor Jeddler is a cynic, but his daughters' sacrifices for loved ones make him reconsider his scorn.

The Haunted Man and the Ghost (1848). Chemistry Professor Redlaw is tormented by his past until a ghostly twin arrives on Christmas Eve to make him forget his past; afterward any one who meets the professor also forgets their distress as he does with the Swidger and Tetterby families until Milly Swidger reverses the spell because of her goodness that comes out of a lost child

The reprint of Charles Dickens early Victorian Christmas stories will prove a delight for fans of the most famous entry, A Christmas Carol. The Cricket on the Hearth and The Haunted Man and the Ghost are somewhat similar in lessons learned to that of A Christmas Carol though with their own inspiring twists while The Chimes uses a spiritual adviser but spins quite differently. However, the most diverse is The Battle of Life, which has a rushed ending and no paranormal guru as it feels more like O'Henry's The Gift of the Magi. This is a holiday winner as all five tales showcase the works of one of the greats of literature.

Harriet Klausner

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful edition of Dickens "A Christmas Carol", ideal for a gift or your own library, August 25, 2011

By 

Phil in Magnolia - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Christmas Carol and Other Christmas Books (Everyman's Library) (Hardcover)

There are many different editions of the well-known and loved Charles Dickens "A Christmas Carol" available. Since the story is familiar to most people, this review is intended to describe the merits of this particular edition of A Christmas Carol, compared to other editions available.

If you simply want to read A Christmas Carol, do not necessarily have any plan to keep it, and you want a low cost copy of it, then this is probably not the version you will want to purchase. This particular edition is expensive compared with many available (but it is very reasonably priced for what it is). It is hardcover, with high quality printing, acid free paper, cloth bindings, a silk ribbon marker, all features of good quality books. It is quite simply a beautiful book whether or not you leave the dust jacket on, or remove it.

Also, this edition includes, in addition to A Christmas Carol, four more of Dicken's Christmas tales: The Chimes; The Cricket on the Hearth; The Battle of Life; and The Haunted Man, and incorporates a number of the classic illustrations done by Arthur Rackham.

It also includes an introduction, written for this edition by Margaret Atwood (The Handmaid's Tale); a bibliography of other Dickens works; and a chronology listing significant events in the author's life along with corresponding literary context and historical events.

I purchased this particular book for my own library, intending for it to be for my family and to pass on to future generations. If you want a top quality edition of A Christmas Carol, this is the one to get, in my opinion!

5.0 out of 5 stars Good product, December 31, 2011

By 

Clarence F. Reinke Jr. "Preacherman" (Tampa Bay, FL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Christmas Carol and Other Christmas Books (Oxford World's Classics) (Paperback)

The product arrived in a timely manner and was in excellent condition. It was give as a gift so I'm unable to review the book itself, but the title pretty much tells the story.