A Christmas carol and two other Christmas books

When "A Christmas Carol" was first published in 1843 it was an overnight success and set a precedent that was to be followed by other Christmas books, including "The Chimes" (1844) and "The Cricket on the Hearth" (1845).

Each book was published at the same time of year, in the same format, and extolled similar values about the virtues of love, charity and the family unit.

But none would achieve the cult status of "A Christmas Carol", a book so popular it has become part of the landscape of the traditional English Christmas, or produce a character as extraordinarily memorable as Ebenezer Scrooge.

Misers the world over meet their match in this most committed of miserable skinflints, but even Scrooge is not beyond being saved by the magically redemptive powers of the three spirits that visit him one night.