An 1843 First Edition of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol will be up for auction at John Nicholson’s in Fernhurst on January 23.
The novella was originally published by Chapman & Hall under the longer title of A Christmas Carol. In Prose. Being a Ghost Story of Christmas.
First published on December 19, 1843, just six weeks after Dickens began writing it, the book had sold out by Christmas Eve and had been through 13 editions by the end of 1844.
So successful was the First Edition that barely a month after it was published, Parley’s Illuminated Library released an unauthorised version, incurring Dicken’s wrath and a suit for breach of copyright, which the author won. However, Parley’s declared themselves bankrupt, leaving Dickens to pay the £700 costs of the case.
A landmark work that has not only helped shape the modern idea of Christmas, but also inspired many other interpretations, A Christmas Carol is arguably Dickens’ best-loved work.
The First Edition copy offered at John Nicholson’s has some damage to the spine but is otherwise in good condition and has an estimate of £600-1,000.
