In these five long stories, written specifically for Christmas, Dickens combines his concern for social ills with the myths and memories of childhood and traditional seasonal lore. A Christmas Carol, the first of the selection, has become a touchstone of English festive fiction and an enduring favourite internationally. Repeatedly adapted, parodied, staged and filmed, this richly influential tale is powerfully vivid and moving. The other stories, The Chimes, The Cricket on the Hearth, The Battle of Life and The Haunted Man, blend whimsy, sentiment, comedy, satire, the didactic and the fantastic, developing resourcefully the theme of individual and social regeneration. With illustrations by Edward Landseer, Daniel Maclise, Glarkson Stanfield, Frank Stone, Richard Doyle, John Leech and John Tenniel, and with a new Introduction by Cedric Watts, Research Professor of English, University of Sussex.

A Christmas Carol is one of Charles Dickens' most loved books - a true classic and a Christmas time must-read. Ebenezer Scrooge is a mean, miserable, bitter old man with no friends. One cold Christmas Eve, three ghosts take him on a scary journey to show him the error of his nasty ways. By visiting his past, present and future, Scrooge learns to love Christmas and the people all around him.

A Christmas Carol is one of Charles Dickens' most loved books - a true classic and a Christmas-time must-read. This special Puffin Classics edition brings together two of the most inspirational collections at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London - the works of Arts and Crafts pioneer William Morris and the literature of Charles Dickens. Illustrator Liz Catchpole has selected patterns from the V&A archive and introduced new artwork inspired by the collection to create a beautiful cover which brings Charles Dickens's timeless story to life. Ebenezer Scrooge is a mean, miserable, bitter old man with no friends. One cold Christmas Eve, three ghosts take him on a scary journey to show him the error of his nasty ways. By visiting his past, present and future, Scrooge learns to love Christmas and the people all around him.

Discover this selection of the best of Dickens' Christmas stories and writings in one beautiful gift edition. The ultimate Christmas present. It is said that Charles Dickens invented Christmas, and within these pages you'll certainly find all the elements of a quintessential traditional Christmas brought to vivid life: snowy rooftops, gleaming shop windows, steaming bowls of punch, plum puddings like speckled cannon balls, sage and onion stuffing, miracles, magic, charity and goodwill. This beautifully produced Vintage Classics edition gathers together not only Dickens' Christmas Books ('A Christmas Carol', 'The Chimes', 'The Battle of Life', 'The Cricket on the Hearth' and 'The Haunted Man') but also stories that Dickens wrote for the special seasonal editions of his periodicals All the Year Round and Household Words, and a festive tale from The Pickwick Papers. A must-have for Christmas, this edition should be as necessary to your festivities as holly, mistletoe and silver bells.

It is said that Charles Dickens invented Christmas, and within these pages you'll certainly find all the elements of a quintessential traditional Christmas brought to vivid life: snowy rooftops, gleaming shop windows, steaming bowls of punch, plum puddings like speckled cannon balls, sage and onion stuffing, miracles, magic, charity and goodwill. .This beautifully produced Vintage Classics edition gathers together not only Dickens' Christmas Books ('A Christmas Carol', 'The Chimes', 'The Battle of Life', 'The Cricket on the Hearth' and 'The Haunted Man') but also stories that Dickens wrote for the special seasonal editions of his periodicals All the Year Round and Household Words, and the hilarious festive episodes from The Pickwick Papers. .A must-have for Christmas, this edition should be as necessary to your festivities as holly, mistletoe and silver bells.

It is said that Charles Dickens invented Christmas, and within these pages you'll certainly find all the elements of a quintessential traditional Christmas brought to vivid life: snowy rooftops, gleaming shop windows, steaming bowls of punch, plum puddings like speckled cannon balls, sage and onion stuffing, miracles, magic, charity and goodwill. This beautifully produced Vintage Classics edition gathers together not only Dickens' Christmas Books ('A Christmas Carol', 'The Chimes', 'The Battle of Life', 'The Cricket on the Hearth' and 'The Haunted Man') but also stories that Dickens wrote for the special seasonal editions of his periodicals All the Year Round and Household Words, and the hilarious festive episodes from The Pickwick Papers. A must-have for Christmas, this edition should be as necessary to your festivities as holly, mistletoe and silver bells.

It is said that Charles Dickens invented Christmas, and within these pages you'll certainly find all the elements of a quintessential traditional Christmas brought to vivid life: snowy rooftops, gleaming shop windows, steaming bowls of punch, plum puddings like speckled cannon balls, sage and onion stuffing, miracles, magic, charity and goodwill. .This beautifully produced Vintage Classics edition gathers together not only Dickens' Christmas Books ('A Christmas Carol', 'The Chimes', 'The Battle of Life', 'The Cricket on the Hearth' and 'The Haunted Man') but also stories that Dickens wrote for the special seasonal editions of his periodicals All the Year Round and Household Words, and the hilarious festive episodes from The Pickwick Papers. .A must-have for Christmas, this edition should be as necessary to your festivities as holly, mistletoe and silver bells.

Can anyone think of Christmas without thinking of Dickens, the man who virtually invented it? Recurring throughout his writing, it figures as his most powerful symbol of community, humanity and the possibility of redemption. In the Christmas Books these positive themes are dramatized against surprisingly dark backgrounds. ‘The Chimes’ is a fantasy of loss and regeneration featuring the father–daughter relationship which so preoccupied this writer. In ‘The Cricket on the Hearth’ and ‘The Battle of Life’, marriage is put under the microscope. ‘The Haunted Man’ is a study of obsession, a parable of memory and forgetfulness. But what most readers will recognize as the perfection of seasonal stories is A Christmas Carol which comes as near to fairy tale as Dickens ever did. This drama of a man redeemed by ghostly visions of past and future has appeared in many versions since but none can quite match the original, and Scrooge, Bob Cratchit, Marley’s Ghost and Tiny Tim have achieved a classic status which is proof against any parody.

'What was merry Christmas to Scrooge? Out upon merry Christmas! What good had it ever done to him?' Ebenezer Scrooge is a bad-tempered skinflint who hates Christmas and all it stands for, but a ghostly visitor foretells three apparitions who will thaw Scrooge's frozen heart. A Christmas Carol has gripped the public imagination since it was first published in 1843, and it is now as much a part of Christmas as mistletoe or plum pudding. This edition reprints the story alongside Dickens's four other Christmas Books: 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'.

A delightful holiday collection that includes "A Christmas Carol" and other classic Charles Dickens Christmas stories. As much a part of Christmas as mistletoe and carolers, Dickens "A Christmas Carol" was once read publicly on Christmas Eve each year by Dickens himself. This heartwarming tale continues to stir in us the same feelings of repentance, forgiveness, and love that transformed Ebenezer Scrooge from grumbling, "Bah! Humbug!" to sharing Tiny Tims happy "God bless us, every one!" Dickenss other Christmas stories prove as rich as his most famous. "A Christmas Tree" describes a Victorian Christmas as seen through a childs delighted eyes. "Christmas Dinner" celebrates the reunion of a divided family, while the Christmas chapters from The Pickwick Papers move from the exhilaration of a Christmas wedding to a shivery ghost story that foreshadows the spirits seen by Scrooge. Warmly nostalgic and beautifully written, the Christmas stories of Charles Dickens deserve a very special place in our memories and our hearts.

A delightful holiday collection that includes "A Christmas Carol" and other classic Charles Dickens Christmas stories. As much a part of Christmas as mistletoe and carolers, Dickens "A Christmas Carol" was once read publicly on Christmas Eve each year by Dickens himself. This heartwarming tale continues to stir in us the same feelings of repentance, forgiveness, and love that transformed Ebenezer Scrooge from grumbling, "Bah! Humbug!" to sharing Tiny Tims happy "God bless us, every one!" Dickenss other Christmas stories prove as rich as his most famous. "A Christmas Tree" describes a Victorian Christmas as seen through a childs delighted eyes. "Christmas Dinner" celebrates the reunion of a divided family, while the Christmas chapters from The Pickwick Papers move from the exhilaration of a Christmas wedding to a shivery ghost story that foreshadows the spirits seen by Scrooge. Warmly nostalgic and beautifully written, the Christmas stories of Charles Dickens deserve a very special place in our memories and our hearts.

Charles Dickens was an English writer and social critic. The setting of The Rattle of Life is an English village that stands on the site of a historic battle. Some characters refer to the battle as a metaphor for the struggles of life. It is the only one of the five Christmas Books that has no supernatural or explicitly religious elements.

This beautiful collection of five hardback clothbound books in a slipcase contains some of Charles Dickens' greatest works: Oliver Twist A Christmas Carol Hard Times A Tale of Two Cities Great Expectations Readers can revel in Dickens' masterful atmospheric descriptions of Victorian London and the terror of the French Revolution as they encounter some of the novelist's most iconic and best-loved characters, from Miss Havisham to Scrooge. Above all, these stories will entertain and move readers of all ages with Dickens extraordinary power of storytelling and his capacity to bring the 19th century to life.

Charles Dickens was an English writer and social critic. This book contains three short ghost stories (in the vein of A Christmas Carol) that originally appeared as Christmas tales. Both spooky and touching, they are the perfect little tales for the Christmas holiday season.

This lavishly produced book is the perfect keepsake gift to treasure. Fully illustrated in colour throughout by acclaimed illustrator Tony Ross, The Nights Before Christmas has twenty-four classic festive tales, songs and stories to read throughout Advent or keep as a family Christmas anthology. There are festive extracts from much-loved books including A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, Little Women by Louisa May Alcott and The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame; yuletide poems ('A Visit from St. Nicholas') and carols ('Good King Wenceslas'), together with traditional tales from Hans Christian Andersen and the Brothers Grimm. This is the ultimate gift for Christmas.

This beautifully illustrated collection contains all of Charles Dickens novels retold for young readers, including Oliver Twist, Great Expectations, A Tale of Two Cities and A Christmas Carol. There are notes on the characters and quotations from the original text, plus links to websites to find out more about Charles Dickens life and times. Adapted by Anna Milbourne, Henry Brook, Sarah Courtauld.