A Christmas Carol and Other Christmas Writings (Penguin Classics) [Hardcover]

Charles Dickens (Author), Coralie Bickford-Smith (Illustrator)

Book Description

Release date: September 28, 2010 | Series: Penguin Classics

Dicken's Christmas writings-in a new, sumptuous, and delightful clothbound edition.

Dickens's classic A Christmas Carol has had significant influence on our ideas about the Christmas spirit, and the season as a time for celebration, charity, and memory. This handsome edition features appendices on A Christmas Carol and The Haunted Man, an essay on Dickens and The Arabian Nights, and Dickens's prefaces to the collected editions of the Christmas books.

Editorial Reviews

Review

[Coralie Bickford-Smith's] recent work for Penguin Classics is...nothing short of glorious Anna Cole Co.

About the Author

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.

Michael Slater is an emeritus professor at Birkbeck College, London, and past president of the Dickens Fellowship and the Dickens Society of America.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Penguin Classics Hardcover (September 28, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0141195851
• ISBN-13: 978-0141195858
• Product Dimensions: 5.4 x 1.3 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #182,918 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful hardback...but will it last? December 23, 2011

By K. W. Lowery

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

As far as the content in this book, it is fantastic - Dickens work easily earns fives stars.

This review is mainly on the book itself. I have five of these style of books from "Penguin Classics" and, although beautiful, I do wonder what they will look like in five years and after a few handlings by friends or family. Of the two I have read so far, the ink designs are starting to rub off slightly in some places. With some hardbacks, the ink is pressed at least a bit into the hard cover. With these books, it is just printed directly onto the clothe.

I have some leather bound books and so I do know how take care of my books. Perhaps the covers could have worn some will carrying in my bag. I am not sure, but my advice is to just be cautious to protect the covers if you choose these hardback editions of the classics.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful Book July 19, 2012

By tracy

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

We all know what kind of a text we are getting here, so instead I will talk about the physical features. The binding on this and the cover are beautiful. I love the foiled look of the snow flakes. The pages are standard book pages, not glossy and a bit rough to the touch, compared to say printer paper, but not at all the yellow-ish cheep stuff you see in some books. The cover has a canvasy/fabric feel. It made a very nice gift and I was happy to get it.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Gorgeous addition to my collection December 7, 2011

By ECB

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I'm going to need a second shelf soon, but I love these clothebound classics. It also makes for a great go-to gift from my husband for the small holidays :)

4.0 out of 5 stars A good edition May 20, 2013

By Readnthink

Format:Hardcover

Penguins are always good value for the money. Many if not all of these stories are available online for free, but it is convenient to have a paper copy with good editing that is not intrusive.

If you have never read "A Christmas Carol," you will find that it's somewhat different from the film versions, especially because the narrator adds an interesting voice to the narrative.

Dickens wrote many other Christmas stories, and some of those included are almost as good as the "Carol" but very different.

5.0 out of 5 stars Nice sturdy edition January 28, 2013

By Frederick Warwick

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

There are scenes that lift readers to a heavenly perch, from which to watch ourselves and our ways, by which to compare, say our ideals with our actions. These same passages are transcendent in other ways: timeless, beautiful, evidence of Dickens' tremendous imagination and ability to depict the human condition.

This Penguin series seems sturdy enough to withstand many readings; the paper is heavy and easy to turn; and there's just enough margin that I can make a few notes. Light enough to backpack a couple titles.

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful Book January 15, 2013

By Emily C.

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

The cover on this book is beautiful and the binding itself is nice and tight, while at the same time flexible allowing for the book to be opened and read normally without putting a strain on the spine.

5.0 out of 5 stars Penguin cloth hardcover January 5, 2013

By Carmen Fry

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

This is the only book of Charles Dickens' I liked and was able to read the entire way through. I'd recommend renting a library copy to read first, if you've never read the story. If you've read the story, are a lover of books, or like something pretty on your bookshelf, this is a great buy. The cover has a nice feel to it, almost like a canvas, and the snowflakes are dark navy colored. The inside covers are the same navy, as is the cloth bookmark. The book itself does have illustrations throughout, a nice sized font, and tons of footnotes, if you care to read them (which I do).
The layout is as follows; a Dickens chronology, introduction (cultural significance of story, context, Dickens' thoughts on Christmas, etc), Christmas Festivities (thoughts and observations), The Story of the Goblins Who Stole a Sexton (an imaginative story of a mean undertaker and the goblins who teach him a lesson), A Christmas Episode from Master Humphrey's Clock (a single man who befriends a deaf man in a tavern), A Christmas Carol, The Haunted Man and the Ghost's Bargain, A Christmas Tree, What Christmas Is, As We Grow Older, The Seven Poor Travellers, appendices, and footnotes. So far, I've read up to A Christmas Carol (in the last chapter), and it is a great collection of stories so far. I love the contents, the way it looks, and I'm very satisfied with the purchase to the point that I want to buy more Penguin Classic cloth hardcover books.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Decor not Function September 14, 2012

By brado

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

This book serves better as a decoration piece than one you want to spend time passing around to friends. Not that the content of the book isn't worth reading, you just don't want to ruin the aesthetic quality of this book.

If you are buying the book to simply read there are cheaper versions out there. But if you want to add quality and smart decor to your home this is a great purchase.

The cover looks better in person than online. Quality product.