DICKENS, Charles. A Christmas Carol In Prose Being A Ghost Story of Christmas. (1844 - FOURTH EDITION)

AUTHOR: DICKENS, Charles. 

TITLE: A Christmas Carol In Prose Being A Ghost Story of Christmas.

PUBLISHER: London: Chapman and Hall, 1844.

DESCRIPTION: FOURTH EDITION. 1 vol., 6-5/8" x 4-7/16", illustrated with 4 hand colored engraved plates by John Leech and 4 black and white illustrations by W.J. Linton. Bound in the original straight grained rose colored cloth, gilt tile and wreath to spine and front cover, yellow pastedowns and endpapers, all edges gilt.

CONDITION: Back corners still square, head and foot of spine rubbed, hinges fine, rear upper hinge just starting, internally clean and bright, "Marley's Ghost" plate slightly askew, completely unsophisticated, no bookplate, or former ownership inscription or markings, overall a GOOD+ copy.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Regarded as Dicken's most widely read novel and considered to be "the greatest Christmas book ever written in any language" (Eckel p. 116) selling more than 6000 copies in the few days leading up to Christmas. The work was extravagantly costly as Dickens for the first time (and incidentally his last) used color in the title-page and etchings as he wanted to make the book a beautiful gift and to be a celebration of the Christmas spirit. After the initial success, Dickens continued the series throughout the 1840's, maintaining "the Carol" philosophy to "strike a sledgehammer blow" for the poor, uneducated, and repressed.