A Christmas Carol, the timeless classic by Charles Dickens, is an essential part of a traditional celebration of Christmas. Ebenezer Scrooge, the old miser who considers Christmas to be “humbug,” learns through a series of ghostly visitations the true value of charity, good humor and love for his fellow man. The spirits of Christmas Past, Christmas Present and Christmas Yet to Come, each with a terrifying message, point the way toward the old miser’s salvation.

Set in Victorian London that Dickens knew so well, the story is full of wonderful characters: Bob Cratchit, the impoverished clerk; the wretched Tiny Tim, whose plight moves readers to tears; the grizzly ghost of Jacob Marley dragging his chain of money boxes behind him “like a tail”; and a whole host of incidental players.

The acclaimed illustrator, Quentin Blake, has applied his sharp wit and sparkling imagination to depicting these memorable characters rich and poor, real and ghostly, and the freezing, foggy London streets with dimly-lit shop windows displaying Christmas fare. This fresh interpretation of the great work will appeal to young and old alike and reconfirms Dickens as a master storyteller.