A Christmas Carol, Special Edition – Charles Dickens

©2009, Standard Publishing, Cincinnati

[Special edition includes notes and discussion material by Stephen Skelton.]

It was about time for me to read Dickens’ classic again, so I started sifting through my stacks of Christmas books to find a copy. Then I received an email offering a review copy of this new paperback edition with new notes and discussion points reached my computer.

The text of the Dickens story is the original publication which includes material excised from many of the read-aloud copies (including the one as part of the volume of Christmas Stories to read aloud with your family that I picked up at the local Walmart for next to nothing). The story is rich with descriptive passages and imagery that lets readers join the old miser as he travels the fanciful journey led by Ghosts of Christmases past, present and yet to come.

The classic story is so well-known and so over-imitated that it bears little re-telling here. But this is a pretty good volume to add to your Christmas collection. Some of the positive aspects of the new edition include: the complete text of this Seasonal favorite, the marginal notes—defining some more archaic terms, explaining some of the biblical imagery that may be lost in the reading, and reporting some of the various changes the author made before publication as well as after publication for his public readings—and graded discussion questions that guide study of the story by younger and older readers alike.

There are some drawbacks to this lovely volume, though. The Christian flavor of the new material may limit the audience. For Christian readers though, this will help allow opportunities for discussions of the faith that are deeply imbedded in the text. Also, the notes—while helpful in some respects—can be distracting while reading some of the more intricate passages.

If you’re looking for a beautiful rendering of the classic this edition would be a nice addition to your library. The paperback format makes it an excellent option for group or classroom study as well. I give this new edition four out of five reading glasses.

—Benjamin Potter, November 20, 2009

O. Henry a la Carte – O Henry

©1973 Hallmark Cards, Inc., Kansas City, MO

Sometimes finding the right holiday reading occurs at the annual book fair. In June I picked up this little gift book from days gone by at the local hospital fund-raiser. The $3.00 price clip on the dust jacket made this an excellent buy for the holidays in 1973. The seventy-five cents I paid at the fair seemed a good exchange.

As an O Henry fan, I was happy to get a great little collection of his writing at a pocket-change price. Specifically, I was interested in having a simple copy of his famous Christmas story “The Gift of the Magi” (which is the only selection mentioned in the sub-title of this little volume). The collection, selected by Jan Miller Gilmore, includes both short stories and poems by the author.

The poetry leaves a bit to be desired, being much the same as the simplistic verse I was writing in high school. I was mildly entertained by the selection “Nothing to Say” which presents a politician who has nothing to say on the matter and proceeds to discourse ad nauseam on the topic of which he has nothing to say.

Among the short fiction included in the book are (of course) “The Gift of the Magi” which causes me to ask each time I read it, how can one have “sixty cents of it in pennies” when the total amount is $1.87 cents? Also you will find the age-old favorite “The Ransom of Red Chief” which is always good for a laugh and a sigh.

New to me, but well worth the reading were the stories “The Last Leaf” and “Hearts and Hands”. I was not quite so impressed (save with the exercise of superb language) with “Springtime a la Carte”. Another selection that is awkward for the collection is the little two-page snippet entitled appropriately enough “A Strange Story” which provides a good foundation on which to build a story by Edgar A. Poe.

For holiday fare, this is an excellent little volume because it is filled with easily read, wonderfully written stories that touch the depths of the English language while remembering the hearts of the reader. One thing that the editor did well was to anchor the book (begin and end) with two of the more powerful stories (“The Gift of the Magi” and “Hearts and Hands”) included.

As a reader, I’d give the book three stars; as a gift-book, it could easily reach the coveted five-star rating. So, I’ll split the difference for purposes of rating and give O. Henry a la Carte four out of five reading glasses.

—Benjamin Potter, December 17, 2008