1903 Stories by the Christmas Fire 2 Volumes by Charles Dickens & Other Authors / Charming Victorian Books of Festive Short Stories

Here are two charming antique pocket-sized copies of Stories by The Christmas Fire and More Stories by The Christmas Fire by Charles Dickens and Other Stories by a selection of different authors. Being reprints of Charles Dickens' Christmas Numbers of Household Words, originally published in 1852 and 1853. These later editions by Chapman & Hall are undated but following research I believe them to be from 1903.

Charles Dickens' Christmas Numbers for Household Words were special seasonal editions of his popular weekly magazine, Household Words, which he published between 1850 and 1859. These Christmas Numbers became a hallmark of Victorian Christmas celebrations and contributed to the evolving literary traditions around the holiday season. They featured serialized stories, novellas, poems, and articles, often with a festive or moral theme suitable for family reading during Christmas.

While Dickens was the driving force behind these editions, he often worked with a group of writers, including Wilkie Collins, Elizabeth Gaskell, Adelaide Anne Procter, and others.

Each Christmas Number had a thematic unity, with interconnected stories written by various authors. Often, these themes revolved around communal or family gatherings, reflecting the social aspect of Victorian Christmas celebrations. The stories would range from ghost tales to heart-warming narratives, with Dickens contributing one or more stories, typically the lead or framing story.

These two collections here tap into Dickens' recurring themes of Christmas: charity, family, redemption, and the transformative power of kindness. With contributions by a number of additional authors including Elizabeth Gaskell they encapsulate the Victorian Christmas spirit, blending moral lessons, humour, and the supernatural.

With colour frontispieces and title pages, else unillustrated. The pages are clean and tightly bound with just some occasional spotting. They have not been written in and there are no other markings of previous ownership. The top closed edges are gilt. 

Delightfully bound in green cloth covered boards with dark green holly decoration, red berries and titles. The spines have tanned/faded a good deal in comparison to the fronts and backs and it is now hard to discern the titles. With a little rubbing and rounding/bumping to the corners and spine ends, but minor.

Perfect as a stocking-filler. Your charming antique pocket-sized sized Dickens set will be wrapped with care in tissue and ribbon* and sent well packaged. I am always happy to add a gift card with a message to the parcel if desired.

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PLEASE NOTE POCKET SIZED DIMENSIONS: H 15 cm x W 11 cm, 0.28 kg. I dispatch worldwide daily from the UK. (There are just a very few countries which I am unable to ship to).

* If you would prefer your book not to be decoratively wrapped but sent simply in the full protective packaging, please add a note to the order.

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