A Christmas Carol

A Christmas Carol
by Charles Dickens

A Christmas Carol
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Book Summary Information

Author: Charles Dickens
Illustrator: P.J. Lynch
Edition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2006-09-12
ISBN: 0763631205
Number of pages: 160
Publisher: Candlewick

Book Reviews of A Christmas Carol

Book Review: One of the pillars of the Christmas season
Summary: 5 Stars

A Christmas Carol

It was my goal this December to read to my children, ages seven, nine and 14, the Christmas Carol story by Dickens so that they would know the original before seeing the movie. I also thought this would be an accessible way for them to get oriented to English literature and prepare them for further reading.

The requirements of the Christmas Carol book to be purchased were that a) it be new as opposed to a ragged used copy, b) it be unabridged, c) it have good drawings; and d) if possible it be inexpensive. I first looked in the library, but their book was checked out, and anyway I was looking to start a family tradition of reading the story every year with our own copy if possible. The Candlewick Press edition with illustrations by P.J. Lynch appeared to fill the bill; I bought it; and it delivered the goods. The book is nice and readable-sized, the illustrations good, the type pleasing. Thirteen bucks. I was immensely satisfied with the purchase.

As to the fate of the reading, we handled one chapter per evening, there being five chapters; each took an hour or so to read. I found Dickens to be sometimes heavy going for the younger TV and video-generation kids to get a sense of what is going on. I did not recollect Dickens to be so when I read some of his works as a younger person, but apparently it's something you have to be exposed to and get to understand. Anyway I was happy to provide my children with the chance to get started. It gave me a measure of the gap between the reading preparation of today's youth versus my pre-Cambrian elementary and middle school days. On Christmas Day I showed them the George C. Scott version of the movie, and they all liked it. But all knew the basics from the book, which was my goal, even if the mid-1800s prose obscured many of the action points to the younger ones in their Sponge Bob and Hannah Montana mindsets.

So the effort was a success, and this edition of the book did what I had hoped by delivering up an excellent presentation at a very low cost.

Dan of Arlington



Summary of A Christmas Carol

The celebrated P.J. Lynch captures the spirit of Dickens's beloved tale in a richly illustrated unabridged edition.

The story of Ebenezer Scrooge opens on a Christmas Eve as cold as Scrooge's own heart. That night, he receives three ghostly visitors: the terrifying spirits of Christmas Past, Present, and Yet to Come. Each takes him on a heart-stopping journey, yielding glimpses of Tiny Tim and Bob Cratchit, the horrifying spectres of Want and Ignorance, even Scrooge's painfully hopeful younger self. Will Scrooge's heart be opened? Can he reverse the miserable future he is forced to see? Now in an unabridged edition gloriously illustrated by the award-winning P.J. Lynch, this story's message of love and goodwill, mercy and self-redemption resonates as keenly as ever.
In the history of English literature, Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol, which has been continuously in print since it was first published in the winter of 1843, stands out as the quintessential Christmas story. What makes this charming edition of Dickens's immortal tale so special is the collection of 80 vivid illustrations by Everett Shinn (1876-1953). Shinn, a well-known artist in his time, was a popular illustrator of newspapers and magazines whose work displayed a remarkable affinity for the stories of Charles Dickens, evoking the bustling street life of the mid-1800s. Printed on heavy, cream-colored paper stock, the edges of the pages have been left rough, simulating the way in which the story might have appeared in Dickens's own time. Though countless editions of this classic have been published over the years, this one stands out as particularly beautiful, nostalgic, and evocative of the spirit of Christmas.

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