Christmas Books – Charles Dickens (Folio Society, 1988, illustrated by Charles Keeping)
This elegant Folio Society edition collects Dickens’ five beloved holiday tales—A Christmas Carol, The Chimes, The Cricket on the Hearth, The Battle of Life, and The Haunted Man—with hauntingly atmospheric illustrations by Charles Keeping, whose ink-and-wash style amplifies Dickens’ gothic sentimentality.
For Fans of Victorian Holiday Gothic:
- The Nutcracker (Folio, 2008) – E.T.A. Hoffmann, illustrated by Sanna Annukka – A modernist take on seasonal fantasy.
- Ghost Stories of M.R. James (Folio, 2019) – illustrated by Neil Gower – Another master of chilling winter tales.
- The Snow Queen (Folio, 2013) – Hans Andersen, illustrated by Tasha Tudor – Frost-laced fairy-tale art.
“Where Marley’s chains clank in inkblots, and Tiny Tim’s crutch casts a long shadow.”
Note: Keeping’s Carol illustrations inspired the 1999 BBC animated adaptation. For a brighter Dickens, seek Phiz’s original engravings.
