To Victorian England, Dickens was Christmas. His hugely successful book A Christmas Carol was published in 1843, when he was already the most famous novelist in England. Throughout the 1850s and 1860s Dickens wrote several other Christmas books, sketches, and short stories, and the holiday plays a part in many of Dickens' novels. Dickens' public, it seemed, couldn't get enough of Christmas.

This beautifully illustrated anthology of the Christmas that fascinated Dickens contains the entire text of A Christmas Carol, as well as excerpts from other writings that vividly describe houses decorated with greenery and lighted candles, mistletoe in the hall and holly wreaths on the door, and lavish, waistcoat-popping dinners. Also featured are authentic recipes for such 19th-century treats as plum pudding, mince pies, and gingerbread men, along with the words and music for some of the most popular carols of the time. Selected by Simon Callow-who, as one of Britain's leading actors, has brought Dickens' writings to audiences worldwide-this lovingly compiled volume celebrates the Victorian Christmas in all its warmth and charm, making it the perfect holiday gift.