Charles Dickens Books

I was encouraged to buy another set of audio cassetes after listening to "Death in Holy Orders", which made our long trips in the car more enjoyable. Charles Dickens audio collection even more interesting. The only problem that we had is when characters' speech went too fast and it was hard to understand it. But for native English speakers it should be OK.

I got this while on a committee for costuming a production of "A Christmas Carol". While not showing enough variety and detail to be a huge amount of help, it was useful as one piece of our research in the "feel" we wanted to create for our production. Since we were on a very tight budget and were trying to use borrowed, found, and second-hand resources, this was an important part of our research.

This biography, initially published in 1870, is now available in a reasonably priced reprint. The publication retains the original print by facsimile, and the text remains untouched. The reading public has been done a real service in this reprinting of an old and rather rare volume. Since Dickens was still alive at the time of the initial publication, the author determined not to include any embarrassing details; hence, the work is somewhat sanitized.The facts the author presents are not altogether reliable, which makes the source difficult for the serious researcher to use. Nevertheless, the work is eminently collectible--a must for any Dickens scholar to own.

I bought this book for my father who has just retired. It is a touching book with beautiful illustrations. My daughter enjoyed it but I think that it is a children's book that an adult would appreciate more than a child. If you are looking for a touching book to give your father-grandfather I would recomend this book.

One of the stories I really wanted to share with my children this season was A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. The children I particularly wanted to read this with were my 7-year-old daughter, and 8 and 11-year-old sons. While I wanted them to know the story of Ebeneezer Scrooge and his change of heart, I knew that the unabridged original version would probably be a bit much for my daughter to take in, and require a lot of explanations regarding the archaic language for my sons. So for us, The Great Illustration version of A Christmas Carol was perfect.

This version has illustrations on just about every page, which was particularly important for my very visual younger children. This version stayed true to the original as I remembered it and kept the personality of Scrooge, from bitter old man to renewed and invigorated redeemed soul intact!

I also felt that the use of modern English was not a disservice to the original. While reading about the death of Tiny Tim, I felt the same amount of emotion and pain as reading the original. In fact as my voice cracked and the tears started to well my little son, who is just beginning to truly appreciate the subtle nuances that make for a good reading said, "Great expression, mom!"

I have read some of the reviews of other books in this series as being too watered down, and that may be. But for this particular age group, I think this book in particular fills a special need. I think reading it as a family this season will leave a special impression on their young minds and hearts and make them want to pick this story up again when they are a bit older and able to handle more of a reading challenge.

CHARLES DICKENS A CHRISTMAS CAROL AND OTHER CHRISTMAS WRITINGS is a wonderful collection of Christmas renderings previously published in various Charles Dickens collections. Always the holiday favorite during the Christmas season, old Ebenezer Scrooge and his cast of spirits set the stage for A CHRISTMAS CAROL, which is the highlight of the book. However, the other stories included in this volume are a delight to read and show blueprints to the CAROL as well as after thoughts, such as 'The Story of the Goblins who Stole a Sexton' and THE HAUNTED MAN AND THE GHOST'S BARGAIN.

Beyond the holly and the ivy, Charles Dickens' writings show readers his references to societal issues in nineteenth century England that revolve around Christmas. Dickens explores issues, which relate to class and memory in order to achieve deeper meaning and human qualities for the characters he creates. In an era where industry and consumption began to overtake the true meaning of Christmas, Dickens uses his craft to show readers to compassion still exists during hard times. The latter stories in the book exemplify his intentions, "A Christmas Tree", "What Christmas Is, As We Grow Older", and "The Seven Poor Travellers."

Dickens charming stories have a timeless quality that have been revered through time regardless of what century or season they have been read. For those already familiar with the Carol, the other stories will offer more insight to Dickens' writings. Overall, this is a great collection that may be read like campfire stories on a cold winter's night, or simply cozily by the fireplace.

In the spirit of the holidays, I thought I'd pick up this novel because like most people, I have seen the film before I read the book and enjoyed the movie immensely, and I am a fan of Dickens' other writings (i.e. Great Expectations, David Copperfield). With that said, I knew what the novel was about and I enjoyed it thoroughly. I am suprised to see how the movie adapted itself so closely to the original story (most movies adapted from novels can be so different than the book), and I was suprised to see how short the novel was (you can pretty much finish the novel as quickly as you could watch the movie-- perhaps even faster!) Anyway, the only difference is that in the novel Scrooge never visits the Cratchits. That's the only thing Hollywood did to make the audience feel even better. It's a great read; one I'd recommend to read to a child before bedtime during the Holiday season (a few pages at a time over a few days or weeks of course, the novel isn't THAT short.)
As a bonus, The Chimes and The Haunted Man (more holiday short stories) are included in this book. They are similar in the structure of A Christmas Carol, but are not as universally touching nor are they as well written. The Chimes is particular in its story concerning the poor and wretched in England, and the Haunted Man was just vague and hard to read. You don't get nearly as attached to the characters in either of these short stories so if you're getting the book for A Christmas Carol, it's likely you will not enjoy the other stories. If you are a Dickens fan, you'll most likely read them and judge for yourself.

The detailed illustrations were a big help in giving my 7th grade LD students and MH students some visual clues they could use in comprehension and context evaluations. Several of these students could not read but could use these coloring guides to follow the story at a very elementary level. This book also helped my students identify the diffent clothing of the period and the architecture. It is wonderful and these are additional copies to my collection my others are so old they needed updating. Thank you so so much for making access to this book so easy. K.Wood

We would be hard pressed to find people not familiar with A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens, due to several movies the novel has spawned. I finally sat down and read the novel and am glad I did. The novel by the prolific and popular Dickens is well-written with great characters. That the author can generate such imagery and fully-realized characters in such a short story, is a testament to his staying power. This book packs an emotional punch, and is a great tale for the holidays, or any time you need to remind yourself to be thankful for what you have and those around you. A classic story and a must read. 4 star version of the book as much of the original language has been changed.

This doesn't have the ability to move the reader like A CHRISTMAS CAROL but it does offer an unusual and fascinating look at Christmas tree decorations in the 19th century. The stories read like writing exercises but they are true Dickens -- flowery language, ghostly tales. An old man reminisces about the decorations on the tree and his memories of childhood Christmases, beginning with the earliest he can remember.

Illustrations by Robert Ingpen are tender and poetic.