A Christmas Carol and Other Christmas Books (Everyman's Library) (Hardcover)

~ (Author), Margaret Atwood (Introduction) "MARLEY was dead, to begin with..." (more)
Key Phrases: creature dearest, plump sister, haunted man, Sir Joseph, Blind Girl, Toby Veck (more...)

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 --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Description

The final volume in the Everyman’s Library Charles Dickens collection: the timeless story of everyone’s favorite misanthrope, Ebenezer Scrooge, together with four more of Dickens’s Christmas tales and with Arthur Rackham’s classic illustrations.

No holiday season is complete without the story of tightfisted Mr. Scrooge, of his long-suffering and mild-mannered clerk, Bob Cratchit, of Bob’s kindhearted lame son, Tiny Tim, and of the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future.

First published in 1843, A Christmas Carol was republished in 1852 in a new edition with four other Christmas stories—The Chimes, The Cricket on the Hearth, The Battle of Life, and The Haunted Man. These beloved tales revived the notion of the Christmas “spirit”—and have kept it alive ever since.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 440 pages
• Publisher: Everyman's Library (November 10, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0307271757
• ISBN-13: 978-0307271754
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #48,624 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 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 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

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