Signet, 1984, $3.95 ISBN 0-451-52283-4, 223 pages

The classic Christmas story has been joined by three others: A Christmas Tree (from Reprinted Pieces), A Christmas Dinner (from sketches by Boz), and A Good-Humored Christmas (Chapters 28 and 29 from the Pickwick Papers). As for these other three, the first two are somewhat dull.

The last is somewhat of a re-write of a Christmas Carol in that a lonely and sour old man is redeemed thanks to some otherworldly creatures (goblins in this case), but it holds interest enough.

Yet the big draw is A Christmas Carol because so many TV an movie versions have been made of this classic story. And since each retelling seems to alter it slightly, it's a good idea to go back and read the original. If nothing else, you'll see the differences between all the versions, and how certain screenplays insert material alien to the original. And I might add, the original is marvelous.

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