About Charles Dickens:

      Charles John Huffam Dickens (7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian era. His works enjoyed unprecedented popularity during his lifetime, and by the 20th century critics and scholars had recognised him as a literary genius. His novels and short stories enjoy lasting popularity.

      Born in Portsmouth, Dickens left school to work in a factory when his father was incarcerated in a debtors' prison. Despite his lack of formal education, he edited a weekly journal for 20 years, wrote 15 novels, five novellas, hundreds of short stories and non-fiction articles, lectured and performed readings extensively, was an indefatigable letter writer, and campaigned vigorously for children's rights, education, and other social reforms.

      Dickens's literary success began with the 1836 serial publication of The Pickwick Papers. Within a few years he had become an international literary celebrity, famous for his humour, satire, and keen observation of character and society. His novels, most published in monthly or weekly instalments, pioneered the serial publication of narrative fiction, which became the dominant Victorian mode for novel publication. Cliffhanger endings in his serial publications kept readers in suspense. The instalment format allowed Dickens to evaluate his audience's reaction, and he often modified his plot and character development based on such feedback. For example, when his wife's chiropodist expressed distress at the way Miss Mowcher in David Copperfield seemed to reflect her disabilities, Dickens improved the character with positive features. His plots were carefully constructed, and he often wove elements from topical events into his narratives. Masses of the illiterate poor chipped in ha'pennies to have each new monthly episode read to them, opening up and inspiring a new class of readers.

      Dickens was regarded as the literary colossus of his age. His 1843 novella, A Christmas Carol, remains popular and continues to inspire adaptations in every artistic genre. Oliver Twist and Great Expectations are also frequently adapted, and, like many of his novels, evoke images of early Victorian London. His 1859 novel, A Tale of Two Cities, set in London and Paris, is his best-known work of historical fiction. Dickens has been praised by fellow writers—from Leo Tolstoy to George Orwell and G. K. Chesterton—for his realism, comedy, prose style, unique characterisations, and social criticism. On the other hand, Oscar Wilde, Henry James, and Virginia Woolf complained of a lack of psychological depth, loose writing, and a vein of saccharine sentimentalism. The term Dickensian is used to describe something that is reminiscent of Dickens and his writings, such as poor social conditions or comically repulsive characters.

      Source: Wikipedia

      TABLE OF CONTENTS

       The Christmas Books of Charles Dickens

       A Christmas Carol (1843)

       Preface

       Illustrations

       STAVE I - MARLEY'S GHOST

       STAVE II - THE FIRST OF THE THREE SPIRITS

       STAVE III - THE SECOND OF THE THREE SPIRITS

       STAVE IV - THE LAST OF THE SPIRITS

       STAVE V - THE END OF IT

       The Chimes (1844)

       CHAPTER I. First Quarter

       CHAPTER II. The Second Quarter

       CHAPTER III. Third Quarter

       CHAPTER IV. Fourth Quarter

       The Cricket on the Hearth (1845)

       CHAPTER I. Chirp the First

       CHAPTER II. Chirp the Second

       CHAPTER III. Chirp the Third

       The Battle of Life (1846)

       PART THE FIRST.

       PART THE SECOND.

       PART THE THIRD.

       The Haunted Man and the Ghost’s Bargain (1848)

       CHAPTER I. The Gift Bestowed

       CHAPTER II. The Gift Diffused

       CHAPTER III. The Gift Reversed

       The Christmas Stories of Charles Dickens

       A Christmas Dinner (1835)