In 1843, there was a certain British novelist who was experiencing some uncertainty in his financial situation. He had written previous novels that sold well but because his family bills were piling up and his mortgage was due he was in quite a dilemma. One evening as he was out walking in the streets of Thames, he came across a rundown London neighborhood. As he was walking he could see the streets strewn with garbage, gutters overflowing with sewage and pickpockets and streetwalkers everywhere. This reminded him of his troubled childhood. His father had been sent to debtor’s prison and he at a young age of 12 was forced to work. His work consisted of pasting labels on pots of boot polish for twelve hours a day, 6 days a week.
When he returned home that evening, he had a flash of inspiration. He decided he wanted to write a Christmas story full of cheer and goodwill. He wanted to write and dedicate this story for the people who were suffering in poverty and lived in fear just like he did when he was a child.
Now his only problem was if he would be able to finish his book in time since Christmas was only 3 months away. He decided he would write a short book and got to work right away. And this was how Charles Dickens created a Christmas Carol. Charles Dickens was very much involved with this book of his. He designed the cover, which consisted of a gold-stamped cover with a red and green title page and several hand-colored etchings — an expensive design, though he stuck to his vision of making the book affordable for the widest possible audience. Thus he charged only five shillings a copy.
The response to was book was overwhelming. His first 6000 books were sold out by Christmas Eve. A Christmas Carol became a literary classic. In interviews, Dickens said that this book had transformed him and that he was very much affected by it. A Christmas Carol, because of its low price did not give much profit to Dickens but as he wanted, it was his gift to the public.
Although A Christmas Carol did not make a lot of money for Dickens, it created a much wider audience for Dickens’ succeeding works. His later novels, David Copperfield, A Tale of Two Cities, and Great Expectations, were proved to be highly popular and financially profitable. A Christmas Carol also assured his place in literary history for all time.
So let us remember during this holiday season that our presents to one another are symbols of the greatest gift of all: the gift of Life Itself.
“God bless us, everyone!” – Tiny Tim
Thank you for being one of my faithful readers!
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