Published
on 19 December, the first edition sold out by Christmas Eve; by the end
of 1844 thirteen editions had been released. Most critics reviewed the
novella positively. The story was illicitly copied in January 1844;
Dickens took action against the publishers, who went bankrupt, reducing
further Dickens's small profits from the publication. He went on to
write four other Christmas stories in subsequent years. In 1849 he began
public readings of the story which proved so successful he undertook
127 further performances until 1870, the year of his death. A Christmas
Carol has never been out of print and has been translated into several
languages; the story has been adapted many times for film, stage, opera
and other media.
With
A Christmas Carol, Dickens captured the zeitgeist of the mid-Victorian
revival of the Christmas holiday. He has been acknowledged as an
influence on the modern Western observance of Christmas and inspired
several aspects of Christmas, such as family gatherings, seasonal food
and drink, dancing, games and a festive generosity of spirit.
