7 Surprising Facts About ‘A Christmas Carol’—Including Mark Twain’s Harsh Review
Learn how long it took Dickens to pen the manuscript and how quickly the original copies sold out
Everyone knows the classic Christmas tale, A Christmas Carol, written by Charles Dickens, whether from watching one of the many adaptations on Christmas Eve or from reading the original work around the lit-up Christmas tree. But there may be a few things you’ve never known about the story including the idea from which the most memorable holiday narrative came about. Get the inside scoop on these lesser-known facts about A Christmas Carol ahead of the holidays!
1. The story was written very quickly
While you’d expect one of the most iconic Christmas stories ever written to have taken more than two months, A Christmas Carol was actually written in only six weeks in the fall of 1843. Charles Dickens was apparently under much financial pressure before writing the story, but when he was hit with a period of creativity, he was able to pen A Christmas Carol.
2. It was written as a form of social commentary
A Christmas Carol follows the life of the greedily wealthy Ebenezer Scrooge, but did you know it was written as a form of social commentary? Dickens had his own struggles with debt, so he wrote the Christmas classic as a way to “help open the hearts of the prosperous and powerful towards the poor and powerless…” according to Dickens’ biographer, Michael Slater.
3. There’s only one known manuscript
The 66-page manuscript, which features heavy revisions and markings, is currently housed at The Morgan Library and Museum in New York. After the story was printed, Dickens had it bound in crimson morocco, a durable leather, and decorated in gilt. The manuscript has the name Thomas Mitton Esqre stamped on the cover, a friend of Dickens to whom he gave the copy.
4. Mark Twain was not a fan
Mark Twain, a celebrated writer known for books such as The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, was one of the few people who didn’t love A Christmas Carol. Twain had a less than favorable review of the book, saying, “There is no heart. No feeling—it is nothing but glittering frostwork.”
5. It was not as profitable as you’d think
Despite the wild success it received in later years, A Christmas Carol was not as profitable as you might have expected. The story was a bestseller right out of the gate, but considering the costly materials and production it took to make the book, Dickens didn’t get all that much money. In fact, the author made more money from the readings of his book than selling actual copies.
6. It has hundreds of adaptations
‘A Christmas Carol’ has been adapted hundreds of times, churning out dozens of films, including A Christmas Carol from 1938 and Scrooged from 1988. The story also inspired many episodes of popular television shows, including Pretty Little Liars, The Odd Couple, Bewitched and The Jetsons. There have also been at least 4 operas written based on the story, as well as multiple graphic novels, radio and stage versions.
7. The first edition sold out in five days
It’s no surprise that A Christmas Carol sold exceptionally well, but did you know they sold out in nearly five days? Dickens originally printed 6,000 copies of the story and they were published on December 19, 1843. Each copy was 5 shillings, which would be about $33 in money today, and all 6,000 were sold out by Christmas Eve.
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