Marley was dead, to begin with. There is no doubt whatever about that. The register of his burial was signed by the clergyman, the clerk, the undertaker, and the chief mourner. Scrooge signed it. And Scrooge's name was good upon 'Change, for anything he chose to put his hand to. Old Marley was as dead as a door-nail.

So begins Charles Dickens's timeless tale of brotherly love, charity, and redemption. A Christmas Carol has transcended generations, captivating new readers and rekindling hearts for more than 150 years since its first publication. With an unforgettable cast of characters, it beautifully recounts Ebenezer Scrooge's life-changing encounters with four ghostly visitors. Traveling through Christmases Past, Present, and Yet To Come, he is transformed in one night from a hard-hearted and insensitive miser to a generous and caring man.

Featuring stunning full-page, full-color artwork by award-winning illustrator Mark Summers, this deluxe edition also includes a selection of the artist's original pencil sketches and an introduction by Mitch Glazer, a Dickens enthusiast and screenwriter for the films Scrooged (1988) and Great Expectations (1998). An appendix that contains a chronology of Dickens's life and a list of terms and phrases provides background information that places both Dickens and A Christmas Carol within the context of their era.

For many, A Christmas Carol is as much a part of the holiday season as gift giving, mistletoe, and caroling; now this richly illustrated edition brings this most beloved of Christmas tales vividly to life.