A Holiday Hit
The first printing of A Christmas Carol was published on December 19th, 1843. All 6,000 copies sold
out by Christmas Eve.
Each book cost
five shillings, which is
equivalent to about $30
in today’s US dollars.
11 editions, along with
many unauthorized
copies, were
released by the end of
1844, and the novella
hasn’t been out of print
since! Dickens’s insistence
on having the finest paper
and binding, among other
details, meant that he
made much less money
from the book than he’d
hoped, despite its
unprecedented success.
The novella brought an
overwhelmingly positive
response from critics and
audiences alike,
encouraging sympathy
and generosity in the
hearts of many.
Engraved Scenes
Two scenes from a production of A Christmas Carol at the Adelphi Theatre in 1844, only a year after the novella’s publication
The origins of A Christmas Carol
Learn more about the creation of this classic story from The British Library.
