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A Christmas Carol (Illustrated): The Complete Original 1843 Edition with John Leech's First Illustrations
Experience Charles Dickens's beloved Christmas masterpiece exactly as Victorian readers first discovered it in 1843—complete, unabridged, and beautifully illustrated with John Leech's iconic original artwork that brought Scrooge, the ghosts, and Victorian London to life for generations.
Inside This Edition
Original John Leech Illustrations – The authentic Victorian artwork from the first edition that defined Scrooge and the spiritsComplete & Unabridged Text – Every word as Charles Dickens originally wrote itReader-Friendly Layout – Perfect for holiday reading, family gatherings, and gift-givingComprehension Quiz at the End – Test your knowledge of Scrooge's transformation after the story
About the Book
On a bitter Christmas Eve, miserly Ebenezer Scrooge dismisses Christmas as "humbug"—until he's visited by three spirits who transform his cold heart forever. The Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Yet to Come guide Scrooge through forgotten memories, hidden truths, and possible futures, from the joy of his nephew's Christmas dinner to the humble celebrations of Bob Cratchit's family and the unforgettable Tiny Tim. This timeless tale of redemption reminds us it's never too late to embrace the true meaning of Christmas.
A cherished edition for holiday traditions, classic literature collectors, gift-givers, and anyone wanting to experience Dickens's most beloved story as it was meant to be read.
Inside This Edition
Original John Leech Illustrations – The authentic Victorian artwork from the first edition that defined Scrooge and the spiritsComplete & Unabridged Text – Every word as Charles Dickens originally wrote itReader-Friendly Layout – Perfect for holiday reading, family gatherings, and gift-givingComprehension Quiz at the End – Test your knowledge of Scrooge's transformation after the story
About the Book
On a bitter Christmas Eve, miserly Ebenezer Scrooge dismisses Christmas as "humbug"—until he's visited by three spirits who transform his cold heart forever. The Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Yet to Come guide Scrooge through forgotten memories, hidden truths, and possible futures, from the joy of his nephew's Christmas dinner to the humble celebrations of Bob Cratchit's family and the unforgettable Tiny Tim. This timeless tale of redemption reminds us it's never too late to embrace the true meaning of Christmas.
A cherished edition for holiday traditions, classic literature collectors, gift-givers, and anyone wanting to experience Dickens's most beloved story as it was meant to be read.
- GenresClassics
108 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 11, 2025
165 people are currently reading
15 people want to read
About the author
Charles Dickens
13k books31.6k followersCharles John Huffam Dickens (1812-1870) was a writer and social critic who created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded as the greatest novelist of the Victorian era. His works enjoyed unprecedented popularity during his lifetime, and by the twentieth century critics and scholars had recognised him as a literary genius. His novels and short stories enjoy lasting popularity.
Dickens left school to work in a factory when his father was incarcerated in a debtors' prison. Despite his lack of formal education, he edited a weekly journal for 20 years, wrote 15 novels, five novellas, hundreds of short stories and non-fiction articles, lectured and performed extensively, was an indefatigable letter writer, and campaigned vigorously for children's rights, education, and other social reforms.
Dickens was regarded as the literary colossus of his age. His 1843 novella, A Christmas Carol, remains popular and continues to inspire adaptations in every artistic genre. Oliver Twist and Great Expectations are also frequently adapted, and, like many of his novels, evoke images of early Victorian London. His 1859 novel, A Tale of Two Cities, set in London and Paris, is his best-known work of historical fiction. Dickens's creative genius has been praised by fellow writers—from Leo Tolstoy to George Orwell and G. K. Chesterton—for its realism, comedy, prose style, unique characterisations, and social criticism. On the other hand, Oscar Wilde, Henry James, and Virginia Woolf complained of a lack of psychological depth, loose writing, and a vein of saccharine sentimentalism. The term Dickensian is used to describe something that is reminiscent of Dickens and his writings, such as poor social conditions or comically repulsive characters.
On 8 June 1870, Dickens suffered another stroke at his home after a full day's work on Edwin Drood. He never regained consciousness, and the next day he died at Gad's Hill Place. Contrary to his wish to be buried at Rochester Cathedral "in an inexpensive, unostentatious, and strictly private manner," he was laid to rest in the Poets' Corner of Westminster Abbey. A printed epitaph circulated at the time of the funeral reads: "To the Memory of Charles Dickens (England's most popular author) who died at his residence, Higham, near Rochester, Kent, 9 June 1870, aged 58 years. He was a sympathiser with the poor, the suffering, and the oppressed; and by his death, one of England's greatest writers is lost to the world." His last words were: "On the ground", in response to his sister-in-law Georgina's request that he lie down.
(from Wikipedia)
Dickens left school to work in a factory when his father was incarcerated in a debtors' prison. Despite his lack of formal education, he edited a weekly journal for 20 years, wrote 15 novels, five novellas, hundreds of short stories and non-fiction articles, lectured and performed extensively, was an indefatigable letter writer, and campaigned vigorously for children's rights, education, and other social reforms.
Dickens was regarded as the literary colossus of his age. His 1843 novella, A Christmas Carol, remains popular and continues to inspire adaptations in every artistic genre. Oliver Twist and Great Expectations are also frequently adapted, and, like many of his novels, evoke images of early Victorian London. His 1859 novel, A Tale of Two Cities, set in London and Paris, is his best-known work of historical fiction. Dickens's creative genius has been praised by fellow writers—from Leo Tolstoy to George Orwell and G. K. Chesterton—for its realism, comedy, prose style, unique characterisations, and social criticism. On the other hand, Oscar Wilde, Henry James, and Virginia Woolf complained of a lack of psychological depth, loose writing, and a vein of saccharine sentimentalism. The term Dickensian is used to describe something that is reminiscent of Dickens and his writings, such as poor social conditions or comically repulsive characters.
On 8 June 1870, Dickens suffered another stroke at his home after a full day's work on Edwin Drood. He never regained consciousness, and the next day he died at Gad's Hill Place. Contrary to his wish to be buried at Rochester Cathedral "in an inexpensive, unostentatious, and strictly private manner," he was laid to rest in the Poets' Corner of Westminster Abbey. A printed epitaph circulated at the time of the funeral reads: "To the Memory of Charles Dickens (England's most popular author) who died at his residence, Higham, near Rochester, Kent, 9 June 1870, aged 58 years. He was a sympathiser with the poor, the suffering, and the oppressed; and by his death, one of England's greatest writers is lost to the world." His last words were: "On the ground", in response to his sister-in-law Georgina's request that he lie down.
(from Wikipedia)
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
December 17, 2025
I read this one almost every Christmas, I can’t believe I’ve never added it here haha!
January 6, 2026
Excellent! Finally got around to reading it!
September 17, 2025
one of my all-time favourites
I love this story. It never gets old.
This is an easy read novella and one I will keep to re-read at Christmas.
When I saw it was an illustrated version, I assumed they would be new and lovely. Instead, I believe they are the originals which honestly are rubbish. Still, I’m keeping hold of this to read again.
I love this story. It never gets old.
This is an easy read novella and one I will keep to re-read at Christmas.
When I saw it was an illustrated version, I assumed they would be new and lovely. Instead, I believe they are the originals which honestly are rubbish. Still, I’m keeping hold of this to read again.
January 30, 2026
Every bit the classic Christmas story you’ve heard about. It left me crying by the end, despite how familiar I already was with the story. It has such a positive message and has me feeling motivated to change my life for the better. I can’t believe it took me so long to finally read it! So many lines of dialog and quotes I recognized, plus new one’s too. I’ll definitely be re-reading this every Christmas Eve from now on. Highly recommend reading it if you never have. And if you have, read it again!
December 30, 2025
This is the first time that I have read the original story. I have seen all the versions run on TV. I found that you have to put about a half dozen movie and tv versions together to get the original book story. Screen writers and directors have taken liberties with the book to make subtle changes to the original story. I am glad I finally read the book. Easy reading and better than the movies. It's great to know the original story. Now I critique the movies with the book.
December 22, 2025
Short but moving story
Never read the book before. This though short is nicely illustrated and moving story. Shows how close a certain film keeps to the book.
Never read the book before. This though short is nicely illustrated and moving story. Shows how close a certain film keeps to the book.
December 25, 2025
now onto the ducktales adaptation
December 28, 2025
This was great! I can’t wait to read it again next year when it’s not all in snippets and only during nap times haha. I loved finally reading it!
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews