or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
 
More Buying Choices
160 used & new from £0.01
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
   
The Christmas Books: A Christmas Carol; The Chimes; The Cricket on the Hearth (Penguin Popular Classics)
 
 

See 1 customer image
Share your own customer images
Search inside another edition of this book

The Christmas Books: A Christmas Carol; The Chimes; The Cricket on the Hearth (Penguin Popular Classics) (Paperback)

by Charles Dickens (Author)
4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
Price: £2.00 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
In stock.
Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk. Gift-wrap available.

Want guaranteed delivery by Thursday, November 12? Choose Express delivery at checkout. See Details
29 new from £0.01 129 used from £0.01 2 collectible from £4.99
Other Editions: RRP: Our Price: Other Offers:
Hardcover £25.00 £20.14 10 used & new from £11.99
Paperback (New Ed) £1.99 £1.99 76 used & new from £0.01
Hardcover (Large Print) 2 used & new from £9.87
Audio Download (Abridged) £8.22 £5.76
Leather Bound 3 used & new from £8.28
Unknown Binding Order it used

Frequently Bought Together

The Christmas Books: A Christmas Carol; The Chimes; The Cricket on the Hearth (Penguin Popular Classics) + Complete Ghost Stories (Wordsworth Classics) + The Old Curiosity Shop (Wordsworth Classics)
Price For All Three: £5.98

Show availability and shipping details

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

Complete Ghost Stories (Wordsworth Classics)

Complete Ghost Stories (Wordsworth Classics)

by Charles Dickens
4.3 out of 5 stars (6)  £1.99
The Old Curiosity Shop (Wordsworth Classics)

The Old Curiosity Shop (Wordsworth Classics)

by Charles Dickens
4.4 out of 5 stars (9)  £1.99
Nicholas Nickleby (Wordsworth Classics)

Nicholas Nickleby (Wordsworth Classics)

by Charles Dickens
3.9 out of 5 stars (11)  £1.99
The Mystery of Edwin Drood (Wordsworth Classics)

The Mystery of Edwin Drood (Wordsworth Classics)

by Charles Dickens
4.6 out of 5 stars (5)  £1.99
Martin Chuzzlewit (Wordsworth Classics)

Martin Chuzzlewit (Wordsworth Classics)

by Charles Dickens
4.6 out of 5 stars (7)  £1.99
› Explore similar items

Product details

  • Paperback: 240 pages
  • Publisher: Penguin Classics; New Ed edition (25 Jan 2007)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0140620990
  • ISBN-13: 978-0140620993
  • Product Dimensions: 17.8 x 11 x 1 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 4,682 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in these categories:

    #8 in  Books > Fiction > The Classics > Dickens, Charles
    #26 in  Books > Fiction > Short Stories
    #37 in  Books > Fiction > By Period > 19th Century > Authors

    •  Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

Product Description

Product Description

Dickens’s story of solitary miser Ebenezer Scrooge, who is taught the true meaning of Christmas by a series of ghostly visitors, has proved one of his most well-loved works. Ever since it was published in 1843 it has had an enduring influence on the way we think about the traditions of Christmas. Dickens’s other Christmas writings collected here include ‘The Story of the Goblins who Stole a Sexton’, the short story from The Pickwick Papers on which A Christmas Carol was based; along with shorter pieces drawn from the ‘Christmas Stories’ that Dickens wrote annually for his weekly journals. In all of them Dickens celebrates the season as one of geniality, charity and remembrance.


About the Author

Charles Dickens was born at Portsmouth on 7 February 1812. He received little formal education, but taught himself shorthand and became a reporter of parliamentary debates for the <I>Morning Chronicle</I>. He began to publish sketches in various periodicals, which were subsequently republished as Sketches by Boz. <I>The Pickwick Papers</I> were published in 1836–7 and after a slow start became a publishing phenomenon and Dickens's characters the centre of a popular cult. He began <I>Oliver Twist</I> in 1837, followed by <I>Nicholas Nickleby</I> (1838) and <I>The Old Curiosity Shop</I> (1840–41).After finishing <I>Barnaby Rudge</I> (1841) Dickens set off for America; he went full of enthusiasm for the young republic but, in spite of a triumphant reception, he returned disillusioned. His experiences are recorded in <I>American Notes</I> (1842). <I>Martin Chuzzlewit</I> (1843–4) did not repeat its predecessors' success but this was quickly redressed by the huge popularity of the Christmas Books, of which the first, <I>A Christmas Carol</I>, appeared in 1843. During 1844–6 Dickens travelled abroad and he began <I>Dombey and Son</I> while in Switzerland. This and <I>David Copperfield</I> (1849–50) were more serious in theme and more carefully planned than his early novels. In later works, such as <I>Bleak House</I> (1853) and <I>Little Dorrit</I> (1857), Dickens's social criticism became more radical and his comedy more savage. Charles Dickens died on 9 June 1870.
Inside This Book (Learn More)
Browse and search another edition of this book.
Explore More
Concordance
Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
Search inside this book:

Tags Customers Associate with This Product

 (What's this?)
Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
 
(5)
(2)
(2)
(2)
(1)
(1)
(1)
(1)
(1)
(1)

Your tags: Add your first tag
 
See most popular tags

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

The Christmas Books: A Christmas Carol; The Chimes; The Cricket on the Hearth (Penguin Popular Classics)
83% buy the item featured on this page:
The Christmas Books: A Christmas Carol; The Chimes; The Cricket on the Hearth (Penguin Popular Classics) 4.6 out of 5 stars (5)
£2.00
A Christmas Carol (Wordsworth Children's Classics)
6% buy
A Christmas Carol (Wordsworth Children's Classics) 4.7 out of 5 stars (15)
£1.99
Complete Ghost Stories (Wordsworth Classics)
4% buy
Complete Ghost Stories (Wordsworth Classics) 4.3 out of 5 stars (6)
£1.99
Wuthering Heights (Fine Edition)
4% buy
Wuthering Heights (Fine Edition) 3.8 out of 5 stars (4)
£12.46
Explore similar items
 

Customer Reviews

5 Reviews
5 star:
 (4)
4 star:    (0)
3 star:
 (1)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.6 out of 5 stars (5 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Warms the cockles, 29 Dec 2003
By Boof (United Kingdom) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)      
How did I possibly get into my thirties without ever having read this book? It is so wonderful, that I turned striaght to the front page again when I'd finnished reading it.

If your only experience of A Christmas Carol, like me, was the dodgy TV adaptations, do yourself a favour and pick up this book. It is enchanting, heartwarming and and far better than anything you'll see on TV. A real Christmas treat!

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars Stocking fillers, 19 Jan 2008
By Mr. Tim D. Patmore "Magic Lemur" (Somewhere in Madagascar) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
The first thing to point out with this collection is that it is well worth getting just for the first tale (the Christmas Carol). Christmas Carol, by far and away, more than matches the hype and is (dare I say it) genius! No other story (that I know of) imbues the spirit of christmas more perfectly and faithfully and this book is worth purchasing just for that.

However, tales two and three ('Chimes' and 'Cricket on the Hearth') are not quite so good and do let the collection down. 'Chimes' is a good story in essence: it is about a charactor called Trotty who becomes cynical about human nature and is taught a redemptive lesson by the spirits that live in the bells of the local church.
The really erksome thing is that the story never really seems to go anywhere and goes around the houses trying to do so. What should be a clear-cut and heartwarming tale, ends up not really imparting the lesson that it should; that man is built for better things.

'Cricket on the Hearth' is a little better and clearer in what it is aiming for and in its writing although I did read through ten pages of it where not a lot happened. Essentially it is about a carrier (Peerybingle) and his wife Dot who are watched over by a Guardian Angel in the form of a cricket. In a similar way to Christmas carol, this tale covers a redemption plot of the local toymaker (Tackleton) but also includes several other elements that make it an enjoyable Christmas tale.

So, to conclude, the first story in this book should be read by everyone, the second can be skipped and the third is worth reading, if only at Christmas time. As a collection, this book excludes the rather poorer tales of 'Battle of Life' and 'Haunted man', which is a redeeming virtue - if it excluded 'Chimes' as well, then it would be a true masterpiece.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliantly presented classic, 27 Nov 2000
By A Customer
This review is from: Christmas Books (New Oxford Illustrated Dickens) (Hardcover)
This is where you collect your Christmas spirit - classic Dickens in this magnificent OUP hardback volume. Highly recommended!
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars A heart warming tale... for Christmas and all year round
A classic tale, from a classic story teller. Dickens prose is a joy, his vocabulary diverse and hugely descriptive. Read more
Published on 7 Dec 2003 by spuggs

5.0 out of 5 stars A classic.
It is great to read the original Charles Dickens story which is so well written. A great tale of a sour old man haveing to reflect on his life. Read more
Published on 16 Dec 2000

Only search this product's reviews


Customer Discussions

This product's forum
Discussion Replies Latest Post
No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 


Active discussions in related forums
   
Related forums

Listmania!

Create a Listmania! list

Look for similar items by category

Look for similar items by subject















i.e., each product must be in subject 1 AND subject 2 AND ...

Feedback

Ad

Your Recent History

 (What's this?)

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.