In 1843 Charles Dickens (officially) published A Christmas Carol in England. All 6,000 copies sold out by the 22nd. That's the kind of sales I'd love to have. of course, the book was priced at 5 shillings, so profits were low. The story was originally written as a potboiler so he could pay off a debt, it's since become one of the most enduring Christmas stories.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Christmas_Carol
http://etext.virginia.edu/toc/modeng/public/DicChri.html
http://fidnet.com/~dap1955/dickens/carol.html
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
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3 comments:
His misfortune was our gain. I adore that story.
I just read an article in my reenactor's magazine, The Citizen's Companion, about how Dicken's Christmas Carol was one of the major influences that shaped the celebration of Christmas in Victorian America.
Yes, apparently Christmas was on the decline. I'm not sure if it was getting 'too commercial' or there was just a general lack of interest, but Dickens' book revived interest in the holiday.
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