DICKENS, Charles. A Christmas Carol In Prose Being A Ghost Story of Christmas. (1846 - THE SCARCE 11TH EDITION)

AUTHOR: DICKENS, Charles. 

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

PUBLISHER: London: Bradbury and Evans, 1846.

DESCRIPTION: THE SCARCE 11TH EDITION. 1 vol., 6-1/2" x 4-3/8", illustrated with 4 hand colored engraved plates by John Leech and 4 black and white illustrations by W.J. Linton. Bound in contemporary 1/2 maroon morocco, ribbed gilt decorated spine, marbled pastedowns, and endpapers, marbled edges.

CONDITION: Inner and outer hinges fine, head and foot of spine fine, internally clean and bright, gift inscription to verso of front marbled endleaf dated 1943, A VERY GOOD COPY.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Dickens had argued with Chapman and Hall about shrinking financial returns, and instructed Bradbury and Evans to publish separate issues of the "Eleventh" and "Twelfth" editions. According to auction records less than 6 copies have ever appeared at auction in the last 25 years.

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.