Christmas Books (Dickens)

THE CHIMES: A Goblin Story of Some Bells that Rang an Old Year Out and a New Year In, a short novel by Charles Dickens, was written and published in 1844, one year after A Christmas Carol. It is the second in his series of "Christmas books": five short books with strong social and moral messages that he published during the 1840's.

This classic novella by the author of A Christmas Carol offers another unforgettable holiday tale of despair and redemption in Victorian England. An impoverished old man, Toby "Trotty" Veck is beginning to despair for society. On New Year's Eve, after reading the latest news of crime and depravity in London, he begins to wonder if the poorer classes are simply born wicked. But after coming across a drifter and an orphan-whom Trotty happens to know are in danger of arrest for vagrancy-he and his daughter, Meg, show them nothing but charity. That night, as the chimes ring in the new year, Trotty is inexplicably drawn to the sound. Finding himself in the bell tower, he is met by goblins who show him a terrifying vision of the future for his daughter, her fiancé, and the two souls he just encountered. Though they aspire to be good, a corrupt and uncaring society drives them to the very kinds of immorality and criminality that make for sensational headlines. But it is not too late . . .

In the 1840s, Charles Dickens wrote 5 short stories with strong social and moral messages. The Chimes: A Goblin Story of Some Bells that Rand an Old Year Out and a New Year In, is the second of these stories, whose predecessor was the famous A Christmas Carol. The Chimes focuses on Trotty, a poor elderly messenger who is filled with gloom over reports of crime and immorality in the newspapers. After losing faith in the society, Trotty follows a call to the church bell tower where he encounters Goblins that teach him, and listeners, lessons in the form of visions about the mistreatment of the lower class in society. This story of social awakening inspires listeners to treat everyone with fair kindness.

The Cricket on the Hearth is a novella by Charles Dickens, written in 1845. It is the third of Dickens' five Christmas books, the others being A Christmas Carol (1843), The Chimes (1844), The Battle of Life (1846), and The Haunted Man (1847).

In the 1840s, Charles Dickens wrote 5 short stories with strong social and moral messages. The Cricket on the Hearth: A Fairy Tale of Home, is the third of these stories. Following the home life of John Peerybingle, the story introduces the many people in John's family and life along with a cricket that acts as the guardian angel of the family. Like its predecessors, this story also contains heavy social and moral implications. However, it differs from A Christmas Carol and The Chimes, in that its main theme focuses on actions that affect the family rather than action affecting society as a whole.

The Battle of Life: A Love Story is a novella by Charles Dickens, first published in 1846. It is the fourth of his five "Christmas Books", coming after The Cricket on the Hearth and followed by The Haunted Man and the Ghost's Bargain. The setting is an English village that stands on the site of a historic battle. Some characters refer to the battle as a metaphor for the struggles of life, hence the title.

Charles Dickens' work The Battle of Life: A Love Story has an English village on the site of a historic battle as the setting. Some characters allude to the war as a metaphor for the struggle for life, hence the title. Charles John Huffam Dickens FRSA is an English writer and social commentator. He produced some of the world's most renowned fictional characters and is often regarded as the best author of the Victorian era. His writings achieved unparalleled popularity during his lifetime, and by the twentieth century, critics and historians regarded him as a literary genius. His books and short tales are still widely read today.

DigiCat Publishing presents to you this special edition of "The Battle of Life" by Charles Dickens. DigiCat Publishing considers every written word to be a legacy of humankind. Every DigiCat book has been carefully reproduced for republishing in a new modern format. The books are available in print, as well as ebooks. DigiCat hopes you will treat this work with the acknowledgment and passion it deserves as a classic of world literature.

In "The Battle of Life: A Love Story", two sisters live with their father near the site of a historic battle. The betrothed of the younger sister left disconsolate when she disappears with a suitor, marries the older sister. Six years later, the younger sister reappears with a shocking explanation. This is the fourth of the famous Christmas books of Charles Dickens that begins with "A Christmas Carol."

This Christmas novella is centered around Professor Redlaw and those close to him, and touches more on the spirit of the holidays than the holidays themselves.

"... Christmas is a time in which, of all times in the year, the memory of every remediable sorrow, wrong, and trouble in the world around us, should be active with us, not less than our own experiences...." The Haunted Man and the Ghost's Bargain, a Fancy for Christmas-Time, bookends the series of five Christmas stories by Charles Dickens (1812—1870) that began in 1843 with A Christmas Carol. Originally published in 1848, this dark yet redemptive novella strikes a balance between the pathos and comedic characterizations found in the greatest of Dickens' works.

Chemistry teacher Redlaw is stuck in the past and obsessed with wrongs done to him. When faced with a phantom twin, Redlaw agrees to erase his memories of past grievances and must endure the unexpected consequences of doing so. The fifth and last of Dickens's Christmas novellas, "The Haunted Man" concentrates more on spirit of the holidays than the holidays themselves and is reminiscent of "A Christmas Carol". Dickens's Christmas novels perfectly enraptured the spirit of the Victorian Christmas revival and even inspired a number of traditional aspects of the holiday, including seasonal food and drink, family gatherings, dancing, and more. Charles John Huffam Dickens (1812—1870) was an English writer and social critic famous for having created some of the world's most well-known fictional characters. His works became unprecedentedly popular during his life, and today he is commonly regarded as the greatest Victorian-era novelist. This classic work is being republished now in a new edition complete with a specially-commissioned new biography of the author.

In 'The Haunted Man and the Ghost's Bargain', Professor Redlaw nurses grievances and past wrongs done to him as he stares into the fire. Visited by a spirit who appears to him as his phantom twin, he is offered a way to 'forget the sorrow, wrong, and trouble' he has known. This intervention has consequences for the people in Redlaw's life, and leads to a resolution of his troubles. This is the last of the five Dickens Christmas Books that begin with 'A Christmas Carol'.

"The Christmas Books" contains five Christmas novels by Charles Dickens, including: "A Christmas Carol", "The Chimes", "The Cricket on the Hearth", "The Battle of Life", and "The Haunted Man and the Ghost's Bargain". Dickens's Christmas novels perfectly enraptured the spirit of the Victorian Christmas revival and even inspired a number of traditional aspects of the holiday, including seasonal food and drink, family gatherings, dancing, and more. Charles John Huffam Dickens (1812—1870) was an English writer and social critic famous for having created some of the world's most well-known fictional characters. His works became unprecedentedly popular during his life, and today he is commonly regarded as the greatest Victorian-era novelist. Although perhaps better known for such works as "Oliver Twist" or "A Christmas Carol", Dickens first gained success with the 1836 serial publication of "The Pickwick Papers", which turned him almost overnight into an international literary celebrity thanks to his humour, satire, and astute observations concerning society and character. This classic work is being republished now in a new edition complete with an introductory chapter from "Appreciations and Criticisms of the Works of Charles Dickens" by G. K. Chesterton.