My Christmas Library: Charles Dickens

festive holly boughs

(1812-1870)

Most of us here in North America, or anywhere influenced by the English Christmas tradition, will know of the Victorian aura that pervades the season like the brandy soaking into the plum pudding. Much of the Victorian Christmas that exists for us today was chronicled by such authors as Charles Dickens.

By the early part of the nineteenth century Christmas had almost died out. The Times newspaper, for example, did not once mention Christmas between 1790 and 1835. Charles Dickens with his Christmas stories did more than anyone to change all that.

Published in 1843, A Christmas Carol was the first of five "Christmas Books" by Dickens. He wrote the story in just two months, beginning in October, 1843 and finishing at the end of November. The book was published on December 17, 1843 and immediately sold out. Its successors were The Chimes (1844), The Cricket on the Hearth (1845), The Battle of Life (1846), and The Haunted Man and the Ghost's Bargain (1848). Dickens wrote several other Christmas stories, among them A Christmas Dinner (1835) written under the pseudonym of Boz. From the later 1840's through until 1867 he published many stories in the weekly periodicals he edited: Household Words and All the Year Round. Christmas is mentioned in four other novels, gradually changing from a lively and hope-filled celebration (as is the Christmas enjoyed by Mr. Pickwick and his friends in The Pickwick Papers (1836)); to the contrast of Pip's Christmas near the beginning of Great Expectations; and finally the dismal Christmas of The Mystery of Edwin Drood (1870) during which the murder that triggers the mystery happens.

Future Christmas (ghost) stories to be included here are: The Rapping Spirits, The Goodwood Ghost Story; and more Christmas selections from his various novels.

Note: New! means new to the site for Christmas 2002.

Sketches by Boz: Christmas Selections
Dickens' first book was a omnibus collection of sketches, essays, and short stories, all written under the pen name of Boz.
The Pantomime of Life, 1837
Tales
The Black Veil
Characters
Chapter 2: A Christmas Dinner
This was his first piece about Christmas - one of the later sketches, initially published in December, 1835.
Chapter 3: The New Year
Sketches of Young Gentlemen, 1838
The Funny Young Gentleman
The Pickwick Papers: The Christmas Chapters
Published around December 1936, it was Dickens' first major work, under his own name.
Chapter 28: A good-humoured Christmas Chapter, containing an Account of a Wedding, and some other Sports beside: which although in their Way even as good Customs as Marriage itself, are not quite so religiously kept up, in these degenerate Times
Chapter 29: The Story of the Goblins who stole a Sexton
Chapter 30: How the Pickwickians made and cultivated the Acquaintance of a Couple of nice young Men belonging to one of the liberal Professions; how they disported themselves on the Ice; and how their Visit came to a Conclusion.
A Christmas Carol
Published in 1843, it was the first of five "Christmas Books" by Dickens. He wrote the story in just two months, beginning in October, 1843 and finishing at the end of November. The book was published on December 17, 1843 and immediately sold out.
text (160KB) or zipped (73KB)
A Christmas Carol: The Condensed Version
The Chimes
Published in 1844, it was the second of five "Christmas Books" by Dickens.
text (178KB) or zipped (70KB)
The Cricket on the Hearth
Published in 1845, it was the third of five "Christmas Books" by Dickens.
text (185KB) or zipped (73KB)
The Battle of Life: A Love Story
Published in 1846, it was the fourth of five "Christmas Books" by Dickens.
text (177KB) or zipped (70KB)
The Haunted Man and the Ghost's Bargain
Published in 1848, it was the last of five "Christmas Books" by Dickens.
text (196KB) or zipped (75KB)
The Mystery of Edwin Drood
Charles Dickens died halfway through the writing of this book. How this mystery was to end we shall never know...
text (549KB) or zipped (211KB)

Miscellaneous Christmas Stories and Selections

Christmas Stories from Household Words (1850-58) and All the Year Round (1859-67)

Further Links Concerning Dickens

All links are valid as of September 3rd, 2001




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