Customer Reviews

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

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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

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!

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.

As a collector of Everyman's Library, I am thrilled to purchase this volume. It includes: A Christmas Carol, The Chimes, The Cricket on the Hearth, The Battle of Life, and The Haunted Man. I look forward to reading these timeless tales this holiday season.

Thank you Everyman's Library for offering this lovely volume of Dicken's classics in your collection.