A Christmas Carol. In Prose. Being a Ghost Story of Christmas. London: Chapman & Hall, 1844. Sixth Edition. Pp 166, 2-pages advertisements at end. Publisher’s cinnamon vertically-ribbed cloth, stamped in blind and gilt, all edges in gilt. Spine slightly faded and with a few small ink spots, but overall a fine bright copy. [Smith II:4].

Illustrated with a four hand-coloured etched plates (including frontispiece) by John Leech & four wood-engravings by W.J. Linton.

Sixth issue of Dicken’s first & most enduring Christmas book first published on 19th December 1843, at 5s.

“Its popularity was extraordinary and by every post he received letters from complete strangers, telling him about their home and hearths, and how this same ‘Carol’ was read aloud there, and kept on a little shelf by itself” (Kitton, Minor Writings, p.34).

‘A Christmas Carol’ ran through fourteen editions between 1843 and 1860, with the text comparatively unchanged and printed from the same original setting of type.