Other editions of book CRICKET ON THE HEARTH.|THE

With the publication of A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens almost single-handedly created the genre of the "Christmas story." And while that beloved classic remains among the best known in the field, Dickens also wrote a number of other delightful tales associated with Yuletide. This volume features three of the best. Combining realism with fantasy, and with kindness and affection for the poor a dominant theme, they include the title story, a charming tale of a pleasant and simple home life; "The Holly-Tree," a lighthearted story of love reclaimed in a quiet country inn; and "The Haunted House," an entertaining account of a belligerent ghost's effect on the lives of those with whom he shares a home. Written with Dickens's familiar flair for characterization, comic incident, and the picturesque, these stories will delight readers with their unusual charms and nostalgic re-creation of Victorian Christmases past.

"The Cricket on the Hearth" is Charles Dickens 1845 novella, which marks the third of five Christmas books written by the author between 1843 and 1847. It is the story of John Peerybingle and his family who are visited by a guardian angel in the form of a cricket who is constantly chirping on their hearth. A delightfully fantastic story, "The Cricket on the Hearth" was the best-selling of Dickens five Christmas books and is a perfect little tale for the Christmas holiday season.

The kettle began it! Don't tell me what Mrs. Peerybingle said. I know better. Mrs. Peerybingle may leave it on record to the end of time that she couldn't say which of them began it; but, I say the kettle did. I ought to know, I hope! The kettle began it, full five minutes by the little waxy-faced Dutch clock in the corner, before the Cricket uttered a chirp. As if the clock hadn't finished striking, and the convulsive little Haymaker at the top of it, jerking away right and left with a scythe in front of a Moorish Palace, hadn't mowed down half an acre of imaginary grass before the Cricket joined in at all!

"The Cricket on the Hearth" is Charles Dickens 1845 novella, which marks the third of five Christmas books written by the author between 1843 and 1847. It is the story of John Peerybingle and his family who are visited by a guardian angel in the form of a cricket who is constantly chirping on their hearth. A delightfully fantastic story, "The Cricket on the Hearth" was the best-selling of Dickens five Christmas books and is a perfect little tale for the Christmas holiday season.

The kettle began it! Don't tell me what Mrs. Peerybingle said. I know better. Mrs. Peerybingle may leave it on record to the end of time that she couldn't say which of them began it; but, I say the kettle did. I ought to know, I hope! The kettle began it, full five minutes by the little waxy-faced Dutch clock in the corner, before the Cricket uttered a chirp. As if the clock hadn't finished striking, and the convulsive little Haymaker at the top of it, jerking away right and left with a scythe in front of a Moorish Palace, hadn't mowed down half an acre of imaginary grass before the Cricket joined in at all!