My version of this timeless classic is Annotated, which I would certainly recommend as the ideal binding. There are a surprising number of "slang" terms of the time, and the footnotes can come in handy, I felt.

I won't summarise the story, since everyone ought to know it by now. But even if you know everything, and sneer at Tiny Tim as sentimental and the character transformation of Scrooge as implausible, I really would advise you to read the story before you condemn it. I was quite surprised by its enjoyability.

One doesn't think of Dickens and fantasy as going together, does one? But this story proves he had a fine, vivid imagination in that direction, and hence the supernatural is effortlessly crafted. Imagery for Marley and the Three Spirits is sublime, each one seeming to outdo the last.

The other key set of descriptions in this story is that of Dickens' London. A superb creation. The imagery of Christmas is beautifully evoked, what with mouth-watering descriptions of a streetmarket and economically elegant passages devoted to bleak coastal celebrations...

The prose isn't perfect, of course. Each chapter bulges with at least a few overactive details, and sometimes the wording is garbled and in need of editing. And in terms of plot and character, Dickens' famed sentimentality does intrude from time to time - such as in the character of Belle (the Angel of the House) and during the Fezziwig ball scene.

Yet what does it matter? Despite these flaws, A Christmas Carol is marvelous. To begin with Scrooge and see it all happen with him, is in a way, to take part in that redemption as well. I found his transformation entirely plausible, and by the time I reached the final act, I shared his joy entirely. Happiness radiated from the pages, and I finally understood why this is considered such a timeless part of the Christmas tradition. ( )

I actually love Dickens and this story in particular. However, I did not enjoy this edition of the book. Picked it up thinking it would give me lots of interesting info for our book group discussion. Mostly just found it annoying. Skip all the notes, or read them at a separate sitting from the story itself and you will enjoy it far more. ( )

I would be willing to be that while you know the story of The Christmas Carol from watching any number of film adaptations, that most haven't ever read the story that Dickens wrote in 1843. I am an unrepentent fan of Dickens. I've read several of his novels and enjoy them. I do tend to get a bit confused at times during the novels as some of the references are quite dated. This makes sense as these were mostly written during the Victorian Era (19th Century) and that was a heckuva long time ago.

That said, The Annotated Christmas Carol: A Christmas Carol in Prose is well worth reading. Hearn republishes his book from 1976 with more research materials available to him which brings so much more to the reader's enjoyment. Little entries about outdated words or word uses, common slang of the time is explained, and notes about possible locations used and sources for the scenes themselves as well as Dickens motivation behind them.

I found that even knowing the story so well, that I took great pleasure in reading Dickens words, his pacing, his sense of the time and of Scrooge. There are bits of Scrooge in all of the film adaptations, yet none capture him completely as Dickens wrote him. That's not a criticism, just an observation as film adaptations always differ in small ways from books. Different medium and all.

Even if you know the story forwards and backwards, it would behoove you to read Dickens tale as he originally invisioned it. Also included in the book is the Public Reading Copy Dickens employed in the last years of his life. That hasn't been available for over a century. Well worth the perusing in and of itself. ( )

The classic Christmas story first written in 1843 when Dickens was still early in his career it was an instant success that allowed him to break out of debt. A richly detailed short story that requires annotations to fully appreciate the mid-19th century terms and venacular. It can be read over multiple times without tireing in its densely woven and richly described atmosphere. I plan to read it again next Christmas. The Norton Annotated is so well done it is hard to imagine anything better, a great piece of artwork in its own right. ( )