A Christmas Carol - Bodleian Library

Marley’s ghost, Bob Cratchit’s slide down icy Cornhill, Mr and Mrs Fezziwig’s dance, and of course Ebenezer Scrooge himself, are all exquisitely illustrated in this luxury collector’s edition of Charles Dickens’s perennial seasonal favourite. Arthur Rackham’s colour wash drawings and silhouettes, first published during the First World War, bring a threatening and haunting atmosphere to Scrooge’s story, which contrasts wonderfully with the gifts and games of Belle’s household. Rackham was a leading illustrator in the golden age of book illustration, when groundbreaking techniques for colour printing were developing fast. He illustrated over sixty books and specialized in children’s classics and fairy tales. This landmark edition helped to consolidate the idea of the Dickensian Christmas and the tradition of the Christmas gift book. It is a beautiful version of a classic story, which never ceases to be relevant to our times.