Christmas Books
Published each December between 1843 and 1848, Charles Dickens’ Christmas Books are famous both for their content and their refined visual design. The first editions, displayed here, feature fine covers and rich illustrations by artists such as John Leech, Richard Doyle, Daniel Maclise, Clarkson Stanfield, Frank Stone, and John Tenniel.
The first Christmas story, A Christmas Carol. In Prose. Being a Ghost Story of Christmas, was published in London on 19th December 1843. A first print run of six thousand copies was sold before Christmas Eve, marking its first great success. The story follows the transformation of the miser Ebenezer Scrooge, who becomes a kinder man after the visits from the spirits of Christmas Past, Present, and Yet to Come.
With this tale, Dickens initiated the genre of the Christmas novel. Back then, the author himself conceived a special edition: for the first and only time, one of his books included hand-painted colour illustrations by John Leech. However, due to the disparity between production costs and profits, Dickens later preferred the most common black and white illustrations.
The following year, during his stay in Genoa and despite feeling homesick for London, Dickens wrote The Chimes: A Goblin Story of Some Bells that Rang an Old Year Out and a New Year In. The main character, Trotty, is a humble London “ticket-porter” who awaits his duties on the steps of a church, with the sound of the chimes to keep him company. On New Year’s Eve, the bells – in the form of severe goblins – reproach him for his loss of faith in humanity. With each bell toll, they show him the miserable future that awaits him and his loved ones, until he awakens in his own home with a renewed faith in people. Although The Chimes enjoyed wide success, it did not achieve the fame of the previous year’s tale.
The third novella, The Cricket on the Hearth. A Fairy Tale of Home, was published in 1846. The story follows the events of John Peerybingles and his family, who live with a cricket – a Dickensian symbol for domestic happiness – whose chirps are so expressive that they offer advice and protection to John. Throughout intrigues and revelations, the story celebrates the value of family love. The book sold more than twice as many copies as the previous ones, reaching its 22nd edition by 1847.
The Battle of Life: A Love Story is a tale of sisterly love and self-sacrifice. It follows Grace and Marion Jeddler, two sisters whose lives take a dramatic turn: Marion mysteriously disappears to allow Grace to pursue her feelings for Alfred, Marion’s fiancé, since Marion believes that their marriage would lead to a happier outcome. In the end, Marion reappears, reuniting with Grace. Notably, The Battle of Life is the sole of Dickens’ Christmas stories without supernatural elements, and it sold an impressive 23,000 copies on the day of its release.
Although Dickens considered discontinuing the series, The Haunted Man and the Ghost’s Bargain was published in 1848 as the fifth and final Christmas novel, eagerly awaited by the public. The story focuses on Redlaw, a teacher haunted by memories of grief and injustices, who accepts the gift offered by the ghost haunting him: to forget his sorrows, and to grant the same condition to anyone he meets. However, Redlaw soon realizes that erasing painful events also deprives people of their compassion, leaving them cold and cruel. Recognizing the harm it causes, he begs the ghost to lift such curse.
While the book sold about 20,000 copies upon release, it did not achieve the acclaim of Dickens’ earlier Christmas stories.
Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens is one of the most important writers of the Victorian era. Born in 1812 in Portsmouth (Hampshire, UK), he had a troubled childhood. At the age of twelve, when his father was incarcerated in a debtors’ prison, he was forced to leave school to work in a boot-blacking factory. He began his writing career as a journalist and in 1836 he published The Pickwick Papers, which marked the beginning of his literary success.
In his novels, Dickens highlighted the social realities of the lower classes, particularly the struggles of children. During his career, Dickens became a prolific writer: his most famous books include Oliver Twist (1838), A Christmas Carol(1843), and David Copperfield (1849-1850). Dickens passed away in 1870 at the age of 58.
INFORMATION
Christmas Books
Through Jan. 12 at the Fondazione Luigi Rovati
Hours: Wednesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.