The first edition was sold out by Christmas Eve and a further 13 editions had been printed by December 1844. Stave One introduces Ebenezer Scrooge and relates the ghostly appearance of his former partner, Jacob Marley Stave Two tells of Scrooge’s tour with the Ghost of Christmas Past Stave Three explains the tour with the Ghost of Christmas Present Stave Four is about visiting with the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come and Stave Five relates Scrooge’s newfound determination to right his wrongs and better keep the spirit of Christmas. Being a Ghost Story of Christmas,' to give its full, lengthy title, as was popular in Victorian times, was first published on December 19, 1843.

The resulting book, which he divided into staves (the horizontal lines on which music is written) instead of chapters in keeping with the ‘carol’ theme, had a decided influence on the renewed celebration of Christmas and its traditions in both Britain and North America. Having just returned to England after a speaking tour of the United States and Canada he was inspired by the appalling working conditions during a tour of Manchester and resolved to help the poor and “strike a sledgehammer blow”.Īccording to the Oxford Reader’s Companion to Dickens he later wrote that as the tale unfolded under his quill, he 'wept and laughed, and wept again' as he 'walked about the black streets of London fifteen or twenty miles many a night when all sober folks had gone to bed.' When it was first published in 1843, the author, Charles Dickens, was already famous, well known for such works as 'Pickwick Papers', 'Oliver Twist', and 'Nicholas Nickleby.' His debts, however, were mounting and he needed a quick success to pay them off. Thus began 'A Christmas Carol,' arguably the most beloved and best known of secular Christmas tales.

Scrooge merry christmas one and all