As uplifting as the tale of Scrooge itself, this is the story of how one writer and one book revived the signal holiday of the Western world.
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reviews
Dec 28, 2008
Matt
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Standiford's examination of the financial/business side of how Charles Dickens' classic was published (he was near broke, considered washed-up, and later faced a major copyright piracy court case where he was "Scrooged" out of his fair share of monetary gain for unauthorized U.S. publications) is at times very dry and reads like a doctoral thesis. Yet, the number of anecdotes and cool little factoids about the Christmas holiday is fascinating. However, I have a sneaking feeling that Pe
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Dec 30, 2008
Carolyn
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"Dickens, as might be imagined, was beside himself, but it was not as if this were his first brush with domestic piracy and plagiarism. Though his literal texts were protected by British copyright law, his immense popularity had encouraged any number of fly-by-night publishers to profit from the most blatant imitations of his work . . . other efforts such as 'Pickwick in America,' 'Oliver Twiss,' Nickelas Nicklebery,' 'Barnaby Budge,' and more by Bos, Buz, Poz, and others."
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Dec 07, 2008
Dan
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The Man Who Invented Christmas is a new book that tells the story of how Charles Dickens came to write A Christmas Carol. The story is well told, and it includes many fun facts. I didn't know, for example, that the Puritans outlawed Christmas in Massachusetts for a period of time.
The author, Les Standiford, puts Christmas itself into a fascinating historical context that reminds us how fashions relating to holidays change over time. Our current near-obsession with the holiday stands More...
The author, Les Standiford, puts Christmas itself into a fascinating historical context that reminds us how fashions relating to holidays change over time. Our current near-obsession with the holiday stands More...
Nov 20, 2008
Regulator
rated it: 
The autumn of 1843 was a difficult time for Charles Dickens. His early successes with books like "Oliver Twist" and "The Old Curiosity Shop" were behind him. Sales of his two most recent books—"American Notes," and "The Life and Adventures of Martin Chuzzlewit"—had dropped off sharply. A father of four, with a fifth on the way, Dickens had fallen into debt and was facing the prospect of real financial hardship.
To humanity's great benefit, Di More...
To humanity's great benefit, Di More...
Dec 23, 2011
Tony
rated it:
THE MAN WHO INVENTED CHRISTMAS. (2011). Les Standiford. *****.
The full title includes: “How Charles Dickens’s ‘A Christmas Carol’ Rescued His Career and Revived out Holiday Spirits.” That’s a real mouthful, and can probably be used as the total review of this book by that skillful writer, Mr. Standiford. His last several books have all been non-fiction, where he has seemed to have found his metier. His first writings were all crime fiction featuring a series hero, John Deal, a real More...
The full title includes: “How Charles Dickens’s ‘A Christmas Carol’ Rescued His Career and Revived out Holiday Spirits.” That’s a real mouthful, and can probably be used as the total review of this book by that skillful writer, Mr. Standiford. His last several books have all been non-fiction, where he has seemed to have found his metier. His first writings were all crime fiction featuring a series hero, John Deal, a real More...
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Dec 12, 2009
Tamra
rated it:
Decent, but not great.
A sort-of biography, though intentionally limited to the story of the Carol (but only sort of. It covers all of Dickens' life, it just stays focused on Carol). The 4 sections are, in essence: Before Carol, Carol Comes Out, After Carol, and "Thanks for the Good Times, Dickens." Eh.
Though it's punctuated with interesting trivia about Dickens and Christmas and International Copyright Law (or lack of it) at the time, it's a little dry. E More...
A sort-of biography, though intentionally limited to the story of the Carol (but only sort of. It covers all of Dickens' life, it just stays focused on Carol). The 4 sections are, in essence: Before Carol, Carol Comes Out, After Carol, and "Thanks for the Good Times, Dickens." Eh.
Though it's punctuated with interesting trivia about Dickens and Christmas and International Copyright Law (or lack of it) at the time, it's a little dry. E More...
Dec 19, 2008
Mahlon
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Have you ever wondered how some of your favorite books came to be written? Les Standiford gives us a fascinating glimpse into the mind of Charles Dickens, and details the circumstances that led him to produce the world's most beloved and well-known Christmas story A Christmas Carol, while at the same time helping change the way the holiday is celebrated. This book is filled with enough fun facts to delight Dickens fans, trivia buffs, or folks who are just plain crazy about Christmas, there is so
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Jan 23, 2011
Jessi
rated it:
First line: "In London, in 1824, it was the custom to treat a debtor little differently from a man who had reached into a purse and stolen a similar sum."
Being the rose-colored-glasses-Christmas-fanatic that I am, I very much enjoyed this look into the life of Charles Dickens and the creation of, arguably, his most beloved book. I was thrilled to discover that perhaps his drive to create this book was partially due to monetary needs, but that he did in fact cherish this holid More...
Being the rose-colored-glasses-Christmas-fanatic that I am, I very much enjoyed this look into the life of Charles Dickens and the creation of, arguably, his most beloved book. I was thrilled to discover that perhaps his drive to create this book was partially due to monetary needs, but that he did in fact cherish this holid More...
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Nov 15, 2010
Cesi
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I really enjoyed this book, it was very informative and provided a very memorable historic context for the life and times of Charles Dickens without feeling like an academic work. I particularly enjoyed learning about the publishing industry and how it worked (or rather how it didn't protect the interests of the author) in the U.K. nor the U.S. for that matter. Given the popularity of pirated versions of popular published work which were sold very cheaply in U.K. in America it is a wonder how t
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Jan 15, 2009
Chris
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This was a Christmas gift that I began reading somewhat reluctantly, only to find out that it was a fairly interesting little book. For the most part, it is a biographical survey of Dickens (rather than a study of A CHRISTMAS CAROL itself). It delves into Dickens' meteoric rise in the English literary world, his mid-career failures (a botched trip to America, coulped with his first big literary misfire, MARTIN CHUZZLEWIT), and his striking comeback with A CHRISTMAS CAROL. Too much attention, I t
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Dec 18, 2010
Emily
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Coming from a poor background, Dickens was always sympathetic to the struggles of the lower class and felt strongly that society must reform to help those in need, eliminating the “wretched, abject, frightful, hideous, miserable” twin specters of Ignorance and Want. He despised the hypocrisy he saw in much of the organized religion of the day that preached charity, but fell short on practicing it. Mr. Standiford states, “Dickens believed that a reasonable capitalistic society could be made to
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Dec 20, 2011
Kerry
rated it:
Read my full review at Entomology of a Bookworm.
The Man Who Invented Christmas is one of the more successful literary histories I've read, though I cannot claim to have read many. The work is eminently readable and likeable, fact-filled but never dry; Standiford has a knack for color that many historians and biographers seem to lack, perfectly placing his quotes, trivia facts, and anecdotes in a way that keeps the story engaging. And its short length--just 220 or so pages--make it easy More...
The Man Who Invented Christmas is one of the more successful literary histories I've read, though I cannot claim to have read many. The work is eminently readable and likeable, fact-filled but never dry; Standiford has a knack for color that many historians and biographers seem to lack, perfectly placing his quotes, trivia facts, and anecdotes in a way that keeps the story engaging. And its short length--just 220 or so pages--make it easy More...
Dec 06, 2009
Shannon
rated it: 
All I have to say is that FINALLY I am done with this book. And, in a nick of time too since our book club meeting is tomorrow evening. I have to say that I really did not like this book. I found it extremely hard to read, not engaging, and did not put me in the holiday spirit at all. I basically had to make a deal with myself these last couple of days to read 25 pages of night to finish. Unfortunately, I kept falling asleep which meant that I just slammed through the last 50 pages during n
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Dec 15, 2009
The Man Who Invented Christmas is a book about Charles Dickens and how his book A Christmas Carol impacted the way that people today celebrate Christmas. The book begins with a history of Charles, including his writing history up to A Christmas Carol.
This book was a rather quick read for me, which was surprising as it was non-fiction. However, it reads like a fiction book, narrating the life of Charles. I learned a great deal of things from the book about his writing process and how More...
This book was a rather quick read for me, which was surprising as it was non-fiction. However, it reads like a fiction book, narrating the life of Charles. I learned a great deal of things from the book about his writing process and how More...
Jan 23, 2010
Bryan
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Learned of this book before Christmas, but wasn't able to read during "the season". At first, this was a little disappointing and I considered waiting until a future Nov/Dec to come back to it. But having quickly read (it is, indeed, a rather fast read) during the post-holiday doldrums of winter I find the Christmas message Dickens' book and the story of the books' impact on his life perfectly suited to a time other than "Christmas".
Why? Dickens, we learn, was More...
Why? Dickens, we learn, was More...
Dec 31, 2011
Fran
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Took me a long time to get through this, even though it's quite short. It is interesting, but probably only if you know little to nothing about Dickens and his work, in particular A Christmas Carol. It's also a little repetitive though, which is probably why I got bored 2/3rds of the way through and had a break for a couple of weeks. The writing is satisfactory, it's not too dry and academic - which does make it a good introductory book, it's not too intimidating or hard to read if you're not us
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Dec 13, 2008
Eric
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More than just a seasonal read, here is an analysis of mid-nineteenth century publishing; an accessible but not exhausting portrait of Charles Dickens; and an explanation of how Christams customs started around the time of A Christmas Carol's publication.
A couple interesting lessons learned: Dickens used Chapman and Hall as a printer while covering the other expenses for publishing his slim volume (i.e. it was vanity publishing); and Dickens's work was pirated in the U.S. as A Christmas Gh More...
A couple interesting lessons learned: Dickens used Chapman and Hall as a printer while covering the other expenses for publishing his slim volume (i.e. it was vanity publishing); and Dickens's work was pirated in the U.S. as A Christmas Gh More...
Feb 11, 2012
Shakespeare is popular for his "play within a play" and Standiford here creates a curious study of how books are marketed, within a book that is curiously marketed. It is packaged like a light-hearted "fireside pleasure" that you buy as a stocking stuffer for a cousin. In reality, it's a history book with much of the source being John Forster's previous biographies of Dickens. I'm not sure how to rate it here but it could be a 4-5 star academic dissertation.
If you More...
If you More...
Jan 27, 2009
Chris
rated it:
I wasn't expecting much from this book, which has the look and feel of one of those holiday gift books that your aunt gives to your other aunt... but what I got was a surprisingly accessible and literate analysis behind the creation and genesis of A Christmas Carol and its author. Details about the publishing industry during Dickens' time are especially interesting and Standiford does a great job painting a portrait of Dickens as a sympathetic champion of the working class.
I'm a huge More...
I'm a huge More...
Dec 04, 2011
Chelsea
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I really knew little about Charles Dickens when I picked this book and hoped it would set the mood for the holiday season. Overall a great book though the details become tedious in the the last few chapters. While the author stated that his goal was for this to be a book written for entertainment and not for academia his background as a professor shines through as the overall tone of the book is that of a thesis. While I enjoyed this book and it was a quick read that taught me a lot, I can on
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Feb 23, 2009
Heloyce
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I have always enjoyed Dickens' books. The good are so good. The bad are so bad. As intriguing as his novels, the man's life is just as full of drama. His childhood was a nightmare (often reflected in his stories). His career was up and down. He was a talented dramatist as well as author. He had a wife and ten children but later became involved with a sweet young thing half his age. He died at the ripe old age of 57 years. It only confirms my belief that the stories of real life people wil
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Dec 11, 2008
Mary
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Charles Dickens had been a publishing sensation in England and the United States, but he was deeply in debt when he wrote A Christmas Carol in only six weeks and took a chance by essentially self-publishing the story. This is the story of Dickens and the Carol, with some history of English publishing and just a smidge about Christmas as a holiday.
Though short in page count, The Man Who Invented Christmas packs a lot of information in it. I found the bits about publishing and copyrigh More...
Though short in page count, The Man Who Invented Christmas packs a lot of information in it. I found the bits about publishing and copyrigh More...
Jan 01, 2012
Caitlin
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Bought this book half price at an after-Christmas sale last year, and saved it to read this holiday season.
Was drawn in by the lovely cover and the subject matter- I have grown up reading and watching different incarnations of "A Christmas Carol" - and the holidays would not be complete in the Clements household without the presence of Scrooge, Tiny Tim, Bob Cratchit et al.
Ended up being rather disappointed with the book - didn't focus enough on "A Christmas Ca More...
Was drawn in by the lovely cover and the subject matter- I have grown up reading and watching different incarnations of "A Christmas Carol" - and the holidays would not be complete in the Clements household without the presence of Scrooge, Tiny Tim, Bob Cratchit et al.
Ended up being rather disappointed with the book - didn't focus enough on "A Christmas Ca More...
Jan 13, 2009
Robin
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To be honest, I ended up skimming a lot of this book because it got really bogged down and it suffered from the same problem as "The Wordy Shipmates," a promising beginning but then it starts mentioning too many names of people and political parties I know nothing about and I am bored by the whole thing! This would have worked well as an extensive article in The New Yorker, or a magazine like that. But as a full-length book, the idea of "A Christmas Carol" as the catalyst to
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Jun 03, 2011
Nora
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Since reading A Christmas Carol several years back, I have gained more appreciation for Dickens. I've seen so many adaptations of his work I thought I knew it but there's no way to appreciate his facility with the language besides reading it! Very obvious no doubt but still surprised me somehow. So, this book's background on Dickens, his writing and family life as well as his trips to the U.S. were really fascinating. I am inspired to read more of his books and am adding them to my summer shelf.
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Dec 21, 2011
Eric
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It's an interesting holiday read (and nicely printed in the hardback or paperback edition), though I agree with some of the criticism that it can be a bit dry in parts. Still, the story and delivery is engaging overall. Though not comprehensive on any of the subjects it addresses (it's a fairly slim book and a quick read), it not only develops the claim of the title, but I was pleasantly surprised by how much time it also devotes to Dickens's life, literary career, and struggles with the develop
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Dec 13, 2011
Ed
rated it:
Dickens can more accurately be called the man who reinvented Christmas. The focus is the books is, of course, on Dickens's most beloved work and its phenomenal cultural impact but there is also a good deal of fascinating biographical information on Dickens, cultural history, British publishing and bookselling in Dickens's time, and a look at how Christmas celebration traditions have changed over the centuries. Interesting, insightful, and enjoyable.
Jan 02, 2009
Tayla
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This was a fun little book to read around the holidays. Les Staniford provides an informal biography of Charles Dickens centering around the writing and publication of A Christmas Carol. At times dry it's interesting to hear about the way that the celebration of Christmas had changed under different monarchs and in the early Puritan days of the US. A good read if you like Dickens or want to learn more about the celebration of Christmas.
Jan 18, 2009
Michelle
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I really enjoyed this little book on Dickens, A Christmas Carol, its effect upon his career, and its enduring influence on our celebration of Christmas. Christmas in our home never passes without at least one or more ways to enjoy this story yet again (the endearingly goofy Muppets Christmas Carol being a standard tradition here) and I was happy to have this little book about the phenomenon.
Jan 10, 2009
Terzah
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This book was just OK. The thesis (that Charles Dickens turned Christmas from a second-rate holiday and made it into what it is today with his little book, which I do think is brilliant) doesn't really hold water. This sort of sweeping theme, like the one in How the Irish Saved Civilization (which I also didn't buy, much as I wanted to), can sell books, but I don't think it reveals much truth. Too black and white. However, I did learn some background to A Christmas Carol and it was a light, fun
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