When it was first published in 1843, a copy of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol would have cost around five shillings, which was considered relatively expensive for a short novel at that time.
Charles Dickens sold A Christmas Carol at 5 shillings to make it more affordable to a wider audience and to reach a larger readership. He wanted to popularize the story and make it accessible to both rich and poor readers during the holiday season.
The situation he saw in Britain at the time. there was huge amounts of unemployment. Many were poor, so poor that they were dying from health issues brought about by a lack of food. There were industrialists that were using child labour as it was "cheap and plentiful" rather than take on adults. Many in Parliament of the time ignored the desperate situation and Dickens saw that work houses were for many the only place they could go and often they would die within weeks of going to these terrible places
1 penny - 2 PENCE, for god's sake!
from publishing to date (2015) it has been assessed that 30 million copies have been sold of the book. However, this does not include free pdf anf epub etc formats which are still in the public domain
The Fezziwig party in "A Christmas Carol" is important because it represents the joy and spirit of Christmas. It contrasts with Scrooge's miserly ways and serves as a reminder of the importance of kindness, generosity, and human connection during the holiday season. The party also highlights the impact that small acts of kindness can have on others.
Scrooge refers to a person who is miserly, stingy, or lacking in generosity. The term comes from the character Ebenezer Scrooge in Charles Dickens' novel "A Christmas Carol," known for his extreme greed and lack of compassion.
Charles and Catherine Dickens were never divorced; at the time, divorce literally took an act of Parliament and the cost was exorbitant.They separated in 1858, possibly as a result of Dickens's having met actress Ellen Ternan. Charles and Catherine lived in separate households until his death in 1870.
Initially they thought the novel would fail and would not pay the printing fees. Dickens was convinced of the books capability and paid the initial cost himself. In 5 days the book sold out of its initial 6000 copies and the publishers took on the responsibility of reprinting the same volume due to the incredible demand. The book as since never been out of publication
Ebenezer Scrooge is an anti character in the story 'Christmas Carol' by Charles Dickens .Scrooge is a miser and does not believe in the 'spirit of Christmas' to share human values such as benevolence,charity,mercy, forebearance,sharing love and joy with others. The realised what he had missed in the past,what he was missing at present and the future consequences ,when nobody would claim his dead body after his death. He was warned by the ghost of his ex-partner Jacob Marley and the three ghosts of the Chjristmas past,present and future. He realized his folly and became a changed person.
There is no reference to the actual cost of the Turkey in the original book only to the reward the boy would have for getting the Poulter to come to his home
To reach the end of the carol, he would have had to sent a total of 140 people to her.The total number of gifts given to her is a massive 364. Since 1984 , the PNC Bank in the United States has been keep a Christmas Price Index on the cost of providing all the gifts mentioned. The cost for the first one in 1984 was $12,623.10, rising to $21,465.56 this year (2009).