About this book
The full title of Charles Dickens' most famous work is technically A Christmas Carol in Prose, Being a Ghost-Story of Christmas. This novella was published on December 19, 1843, and the first edition run of 6000 copies were sold out by Christmas Eve of that year.
The publication of the first edition was fraught with complications, and even though the book was received to positive reviews, profits of the book fell far below Dickens' expectations, and the financial strain caused rifts between Dickens and the original publisher, Chapman & Hall.
From the publisher
More than a 100 years after his death, Charles Dickens is still entertaining readers with his classic "A Christmas Carol." Gather the family around for a wonderful journey through time with this life affirming tale, excellent for reading aloud on Christmas Eve. You know the story..... Ebenezer Scrooge is a bitter old man who "will keep Christmas in my own way," which is not at all. People cringe when they see him coming. Dogs cower. But that is all about to change. He is visited by the ghost of his deceased partner, Jacob Marley, dragging the chains he has forged for himself in life, and learns that it is not too late for him. In "A Christmas Carol," Scrooge is visited by three more spirits that Christmas eve. His past, his present and his future. Each take him on a fantastic journey through time and space, showing him how his ways are wrong, and what will happen if he doesn't change. Scrooge goes through subtle changes at first, is humbled by the spirits, and then he is transformed from a bitter man to a caring human being. His new found appreciation of mankind is contagious. In the end, "A Christmas Carol" teaches that the changes not just so he can have a better after life, but because he really cares about life and humanity. A timeless classic, "Christmas Carol" has much to teach us today!
First Edition Identification
The initial publication of A Christmas Carol was challenged by several issues, and those issues are evident in some of the first edition identification notes. The final product of the first edition was printed with a red cloth binding with gilded pages and yellow endpapers. The very first copies were printed with green endpapers, and those copies are exceptionally rare.
The first edition contains four colored illustrations and four black and white illustrations. In the first edition, Stave I is printed with the roman numeral, while later editions spell out the number to be printed as Stave One.
Details
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Title
A Christmas Carol (Annotated Edition)
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Author
Charles Dickens
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Binding
Paperback
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Pages
94
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Volumes
1
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Language
ENG
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Publisher
Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
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Date
2011-07
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ISBN
9781466229259 / 146622925X
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Weight
0.3 lbs (0.14 kg)
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Dimensions
9.02 x 5.98 x 0.19 in (22.91 x 15.19 x 0.48 cm)
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Reading level
1020
About the author
Charles Dickens, (1812-1870), was the most popular English novelist of the Victorian era, and one of the most popular of all time. He created some of literature's most iconic characters, with the theme of social reform running throughout his work. The continuing popularity of his novels and short stories is such that they have never gone out of print. Much of his work first appeared in periodicals and magazines in serialised form, a popular way of publishing fiction at the time. Other writers would complete entire novels before serial publication commenced, but Dickens often wrote his in parts, in the order they were meant to appear. The practice lent his stories a particular rhythm, punctuated by one "cliffhanger" after another, to keep the public eager for the next installment. His work has been praised for its mastery of prose, and for its teeming gallery of unique personalities, by writers such as George Gissing and G. K. Chesterton, though the same characteristics have prompted others, such as Henry James and Virginia Woolf, to criticize him for sentimentality and implausibility.
