Regard for the Christmas holiday had waned in early Victorian England. Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, a celebratory tale of grand feasts, lively caroling, family revelry, and the uplifting spirit of loving charity, brought about a gala revival of the holiday's popularity with its publication in 1843.

In A Christmas Carol, seven years have passed since Ebenezer Scrooge lost his only friend, his business partner Jacob Marley. Ebenezer Scrooge considers Christmas "humbug," until one night the ghost of Marley and the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Christmas Present, and Christmas Yet to Come redeem him by teaching him to love his fellow man.

Instantly popular with Victorian readers and one of the most beloved Christmas stories for generations, Dickens' holiday fantasy has seen numerous screen adaptations. The author's enduring tale of Ebenezer Scrooge and the persistent Christmas ghosts paints a vivid historical description of daily life in Victorian England, including the tribulations of the urban poor at the height of the Industrial Revolution.

In addition to the original text of this time-honored holiday classic, this Bodendorfer electronic edition includes the author's biography and photo; a chronology of Dickens' life; and Charles Dickens related website links.