The Cricket on the Hearth - Hardcover

Dickens, Charles

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0809597659 ISBN 13: 9780809597659

Publisher: Wildside Pr, 2004

Synopsis

The kettle began it! Don't tell me what Mrs. Peerybingle said. I know better. Mrs. Peerybingle may leave it on record to the end of time that she couldn't say which of them began it; but, I say the kettle did. I ought to know, I hope! The kettle began it, full five minutes by the little waxy-faced Dutch clock in the corner, before the Cricket uttered a chirp. As if the clock hadn't finished striking, and the convulsive little Haymaker at the top of it, jerking away right and left with a scythe in front of a Moorish Palace, hadn't mowed down half an acre of imaginary grass before the Cricket joined in at all!

About this title

From the Back Cover:

With the publication of A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens almost single-handedly created the genre of the "Christmas story." And while that beloved classic remains among the best known in the field, Dickens also wrote a number of other delightful tales associated with Yuletide.
This volume features three of the best. Combining realism with fantasy, and with kindness and affection for the poor a dominant theme, they include the title story, a charming tale of a pleasant and simple home life; "The Holly-Tree," a lighthearted story of love reclaimed in a quiet country inn; and "The Haunted House," an entertaining account of a belligerent ghost's effect on the lives of those with whom he shares a home.
Written with Dickens's familiar flair for characterization, comic incident, and the picturesque, these stories will delight readers with their unusual charms and nostalgic re-creation of Victorian Christmases past.

About the Author:

Charles John Huffam Dickens (1812 - 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian era. His works enjoyed unprecedented popularity during his lifetime and by the twentieth century critics and scholars had recognised him as a literary genius. His novels and short stories enjoy lasting popularity. Born in Portsmouth, Dickens left school to work in a factory when his father was incarcerated in a debtors' prison. Despite his lack of formal education, he edited a weekly journal for 20 years, wrote 15 novels, five novellas, hundreds of short stories and non-fiction articles, lectured and performed extensively, was an indefatigable letter writer and campaigned vigorously for children's rights, education and other social reforms.

About this edition

• Publisher: Wildside Pr
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 0809597659
• ISBN 13: 9780809597659
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 112