A most attractive first edition set of the Christmas Books, with the original cloth covers bound in each.

After the success attained with A Christmas Carol, Dickens continued the series throughout the 1840s, maintaining what he called 'the Carol philosophy' to strike a 'sledgehammer blow' for the poor, uneducated, and repressed. In typical Dickens fashion he drove his message home with a mixture of humour and good cheer. Margaret Lane points out in her introduction to the Christmas Stories 'when he had a pill to offer he confected it expertly with spice and sugar' (Christmas Stories, p. vi-vii).

The subsequent Christmas books sold well at the time of their release and The Chimes, the Cricket, and the Carol, were the centrepiece of Dickens' public reading tours in the 1850s and 60s.

First editions; 8vo (165 x 110 mm); some leaves professionally washed, more evident to title-page of the first title, frontispiece and title-page to second, half-title to third, frontispiece of fourth; A Christmas Carol, second variant issue with 'Stave One' header, half-title printed in blue, title in red and gold, two pages of advertisements at end, hand-coloured etched frontispiece and three plates by John Leech, four in-text wood-engravings by W.J. Linton after Leech; occasional, light, scattered small spots, else very good; The Chimes, second state of vignette title, half-title, etched frontispiece and additional vignette title by F.P Becker after Daniel Maclise, numerous in-text woodcut illustrations by Groves, W.J. Linton, C. Gray, and Dalziel Brothers after Richard Doyle, John Leech and Clarkson Stanfield; a few small spots, otherwise near-fine; The Cricket on the Hearth, second state of the Oliver Twist advertisement leaf at rear, half-title, etched frontispiece and additional vignette title by Thompson and G. Dalziel respectively after Daniel Maclise, numerous woodcut illustrations by G. and E. Dalziel, Thomas Williams, John Thompson, J. Swain and Groves after Richard Doyle, Clarkson Stanfield, John Leech, and Edwin Landseer; occasional, minor smudge, otherwise very good; The Battle of Life, fourth state of additional vignette title, etched frontispiece and vignette title by John Thompson after Daniel Maclise, numerous wood-cut illustrations by G. & E. Dalziel, Thomas Williams and W.T. Green after Richard Doyle, Clarkson Stanfield, John Leech and Daniel Maclise; half-title lightly toned, else near-fine; The Haunted Man, half-title, etched frontispiece and additional vignette title on toned grounds by Martin & Corbould after John Tenniel, numerous woodcut illustrations by various artists; occasional tiny spots, else very good; publisher's cloth covers and spines laid down and bound in each volume, A Christmas Carol binding in first state, with the closest distance between blind decorative border on the left and the nearest extremity of the gilt cartouche measuring 14 mm and the 'D' of Dickens perfect; uniformly bound in full modern red morocco, double gilt-panelled, gilt decorative tooling to spine panels, marbled endpapers and all edges gilt, contained in a red cloth slip-case.

Bibliography: Eckel, p. 110; Smith II:4; Eckel pp.116-118; Smith II:5; Eckel pp.119-120; Smith II:6; Eckel pp.121-123; Smith II:8; Eckel pp.124-125; Smith II:9. Letters, 1974, v. 4, p. 328; Ackroyd, 1990, p. 408;