Dickens' A Christmas Carol was first published on December 19, 1843. Written in a feverish haste during a time when, despite his best-selling author status, and the on-going sales of the serialized Martin Chuzzlewit, Dickens was terribly short of money, Dickens managed to write the entire work in six short weeks. The book was an immediate success. Dickens commissioned noted artist John Leech to create four hand-colored etchings and another four black and white wood engravings as illustrations. Dickens also saw to it that the book had an elaborate binding and gilt-edged pages. Read more
