Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Wednesday search challenge (2/20/13): How did Dickens fare?


You probably have already read, or seen, or heard, some version of Charles Dickens “A Christmas Carol.” 

 

What you probably don’t know is the backstory to this tale.  Today’s question requires a little digging to get to this part of the history, primarily because there’s SO much that’s out there about Dickens and about this story in particular.  

So today’s challenge is really about filtering through all of the options to find the nuggets that you really want to know. 







We have three questions for today’s search challenge:

1.  How much money did Dickens make from the sales of the first edition of “A Christmas Carol”? 

2.  What kinds of changes did Dickens make to the book just before publication?

3. How many copies were printed by Dickens during that first year of publication? 


Search on!  

13 comments:

  1. 1. He made £230 from the first printing of 6000 copies, and £744 during the entire first year (which is what I'll count as the first edition).

    2. Since "A Christmas Carol" was really a vanity project, he wanted it to be beautiful, so he insisted on "an expensive binding an color illustrations".

    3. The book sold more than 15,000 copies its first year.

    For the first two questions, I went to wikipedia, and looked at the Publishing section of the article about the book (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Christmas_Carol#Publication), and then went to the book that was cited in that section, which it turns out is an introductory essay in a more modern edition of "A Christmas Carol" (http://books.google.com/books?id=APL1OY2t3JgC&pg=PA10#v=onepage&q&f=false), which I'm quite willing to believe was thoroughly researched and has it's facts right.

    For the question of how many in the first year, I did another search using [books sold initial publishing "a christmas carol"], and found an article in the Guardian about the publishing of the book, and they cite a figure of 15K books in the first year. (http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/booksblog/2009/dec/22/christmas-carol-flop-dickens)

    I'm a little hesitant, because they also cite £726 as the total he received at the end of that year - £18 less than all the other sources. So...it's probably more. But I have no more time to do research today, so hitting publish now.

    ReplyDelete
  2. How much money did Dickens make from the sales of the first edition of “A Christmas Carol”?

    SEARCH: [“A Christmas Carol” history] became [printing history] and found
    http://charlesdickenspage.com/carol_expenses.html which is Dickens’ account with his printers for the first edition December 1843 of A Christmas Carol which shows a profit of L805 8s 5d

    What kinds of changes did Dickens make to the book just before publication?
    Same source says Feuding with his publishers, Dickens financed the publishing of the book himself, ordering lavish binding, gilt edging, and hand-colored illustrations and then setting the price at 5 shillings so that everyone could afford it.

    How many copies were printed by Dickens during that first year of publication?
    Same page shows 14,030 copies were sold in 1843-1844. 6,000 on the first day !
    I am assuming you mean the twelvemonth period following the first printing not just in the first calendar year which was one month which was the 6,000 first day sales.

    This site’s Awards page http://charlesdickenspage.com/awards.html lists dozens of commendations and citations.

    This is all the credibility I need

    Good chase ! Although short at 5 minutes.

    Jon

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  3. I have to get better at keeping track of my search terms/strategies.

    My initial search was [first printing "christmas carol" published] which led me to a link for a Christie's Auction for a 1st Edition (http://www.christies.com/lotfinder/books-manuscripts/dickens-charles-a-christmas-carol-london-5505078-details.aspx). Some info on publishing is provided, but I'm not sure its the info I need. For example, you want to know how many copies were printed during the first year. Well, the first pressing happened just before Christmas. 6,000 were printed and sold on the first day. Then the new year happened. Does that short span count as a year of publication or are you looking for December 1843 to December 1844?

    The changes he made are documented in a NYT article (http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/12/01/a-christmas-rewrite-as-dickens-edits-dickens/). My search for that was ["christmas carol" edit history dickens]. One of the major changes was Dickens specifically noting that Tiny Tim did not die.

    When looking for info on how much he made during the first edition, I did a search for ["christmas carol" AND dickens profit]. I was pointed to an excellent website (http://www.victorianweb.org/authors/dickens/xmas/pva13.html). This provides a good early history of the book.

    Of particular importance is this blurb: By the close of 1844 the book had sold almost 15,000 copies--but at a profit to Dickens of only £726.

    SO, he sold about 15,000 copies that first year, answering the 3rd question more definitively.

    Earlier in the page, there is also this bit: Ironically, this, one of the best loved stories in the English language, at first lost the author money, for his income on sales of the first 6,000 copies was but £230 while costs he incurred in suing Parley's Illuminated Library for pirating the Carol amounted to £700 when the malefactors declared bankruptcy.

    So, he made £230 on the first 6,000 published but spent £700 in a lawsuit, so he actually lost money.

    So, there we go.

    Overall, this took me about 15-20 minutes and had a blast doing it.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Good Day, Dr. Russell.

    Research.
    [christmas carol charles dickens history]
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Christmas_Carol
    http://history1800s.about.com/b/2009/12/21/charles-dickens-and-a-christmas-carol.htm
    to find: http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/12/01/a-christmas-rewrite-as-dickens-edits-dickens/

    [dickens changes before publishing christmas carol]
    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/charles-dickens/9724579/Ten-things-you-never-knew-about-Charles-Dickenss-A-Christmas-Carol.html
    to find: "little Christmas book"

    [charles dickens facts]
    http://charlesdickenspage.com/fast-facts.html
    to find: http://charlesdickenspage.com/carol.html
    to find: http://charlesdickenspage.com/carol_expenses.html

    [charles dickens "a christmas carol" costs]
    http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/booksblog/2009/dec/22/christmas-carol-flop-dickens

    Questions:

    1. How much money did Dickens make from the
    sales of the first edition of “A Christmas Carol”?
    A: £137.

    2. What kinds of changes did Dickens make to the book just before publication?
    A: Shapings and shadings.

    3. How many copies were printed by Dickens during that first year of publication?
    A: 6,000 copies first edition + 7,000 7th editition + 2,000 more Total= 15,000

    ReplyDelete
  5. 1. £137
    2. He changed the green title page to a red and blue title page, added a blue half title page, and changed the green endpapers to yellow, in addition to text corrections

    3. The initial printing was 6,000 copies which sold before the end of the year in 1843, but 15,000 copies were sold in the first year of printing

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I forgot to add my sources:

      http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/booksblog/2009/dec/22/christmas-carol-flop-dickens

      http://www.gla.ac.uk/services/library/aboutthelibrary/departmentsandcollections/virtualdisplays/collectionhighlights/charlesdickens-achristmascarol/

      http://books.google.com/books?id=smaZaH10ACwC&vq=15000&source=gbs_navlinks_s

      Delete
  6. Did a search for - Dickens profit “A Christmas Carol”
    Profit first year: £230 via WIkipedia
    However http://charlesdickenspage.com/carol_expenses.html says it's 760 pound, which includes the actual cost ledger

    Changes - From NY times, here is the entire manuscript with annotated changes: http://documents.nytimes.com/looking-over-the-shoulder-of-charles-dickens-the-man-who-wrote-of-a-christmas-carol/ 15 total

    Copies in first year: "A Christmas Carol was first published in 1843. Initially six thousand copies of the book were printed. More copies were ordered after the first printing was sold in only five days."

    http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/a-christmas-carol-is-published

    ReplyDelete
  7. This is a bit confusing but the answer is at the end. I hope.
    First the date, Wiki has it as
    “first published by Chapman & Hall on 19 December 1843.”

    Also from Wiki:
    Production of the book was not without problems. The first printing contained drab olive endpapers that Dickens felt were unacceptable, and the publisher Chapman and Hall quickly replaced them with yellow endpapers, but, once replaced, those clashed with the title page which was then redone.[16][30] The final product was bound in red cloth with gilt-edged pages,[26][27] completed only two days before the release date of 19 December 1843.[31][32]

    And from Wiki:
    Priced at five shillings (equal to £20.79 today),[27] the first run of 6,000 copies sold out by Christmas Eve and the book continued to sell well into the New Year.”

    That seems too easy, I first thought these might be correct.
    1. He made 230 Pounds ( from wiki) So more info needed.

    2. The changes may be “The first printing contained drab olive endpapers that Dickens felt were unacceptable, and the publisher Chapman and Hall quickly replaced them"

    3. How many copies PRINTED BY DICKENS –
    That would be one “Following publication, Dickens arranged for the manuscript to be bound in red Morocco leather and presented as a gift to his solicitor, Thomas Mitton

    To double check.
    From http://charlesdickenspage.com/carol_expenses.html
    The receipt for the “Dickens' account with his printers for the first year of A Christmas Carol” shows that
    The profit for the first year is 726 pounds

    From the NYT
    http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/12/01/a-christmas-rewrite-as-dickens-edits-dickens/
    “At least one change did not occur until the book was at the printer. You will note that the manuscript is silent on whether Tiny Tim lives. But before the first editions went out the door, a line was curiously inserted on page 65 noting that “and to Tiny Tim, who did not die, he was a second father.” “

    And from the
    http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/booksblog/2009/dec/22/christmas-carol-flop-dickens

    We get a total of what he made
    "I had set my heart and soul upon a Thousand, clear," he wrote to Forster. "What a wonderful thing it is, that such a great success should occasion me such intolerable anxiety and disappointment!" Even after the close of the following year and the sale of 15,000 copies, Dickens had still only received £726.

    That is two sources stating 726 pounds so going with that.

    So my final answer is:
    1. How much money did Dickens make from the sales of the first edition of “A Christmas Carol”? 726 pounds.
    2. What kinds of changes did Dickens make to the book just before publication?
    From the NYT
    “But before the first editions went out the door, a line was curiously inserted on page 65 noting that “and to Tiny Tim, who did not die, he was a second father.”
    And from
    http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/booksblog/2009/dec/22/christmas-carol-flop-dickens

    “Upon examining preliminary copies of the Carol, Dickens decided that he disliked the green of the title pages, which had turned a drab olive, and found that the green from the endpapers smudged and dusted off when touched. Changes were immediately executed, and by 17 December, two days before the book's release, the publisher had produced new copies of the book with a red and blue title page, a blue half-title page, and yellow endpapers (which did not require hand colouring). “

    So he changed the color of the title page and endpapers and Tiny Tim lives.

    3. How many copies were printed by Dickens during that first year of publication?
    I am going with one that Dickens printed.

    For the total of the published copies for the first year. Looking at the receipt above it would be 7,930

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. GRR - you are a chap that is up to snuff - a regular brick - the thought of a Dicken's challenge was enough to make me get corned and go on a ran-tan... glad you sorted it all out explained the puzzle path well - that's enough of me gum, off to find a doss-ken and a bowl of skilligolee, with a slosh of shandy-gaff and ponder how tiny timmer's great grandson ironically ended up being gogglerglass Eric Schmidt.
      dog-English

      Delete
  8. Started at the en.wikipedia page and used promising sources/search terms.

    1. How much money did Dickens make from the sales of the first edition of “A Christmas Carol”?

    £230 according to Wikipedia and other sources. Dickens chose percentage based royalties rather than a lump sum payment (source: wikipedia), so the number of books sold (6000 in first edition, also from wikipedia) is relevant. ["a christmas carol" 6000 pounds] suggests the figure may be £137: "“Balance of account to Mr. Dickens's credit: £137 4s. 4d.”"


    3. How many copies were printed by Dickens during that first year of publication?

    From Wikipedia: "the first run of 6,000 copies sold out by Christmas Eve and the book continued to sell well into the New Year". ["a christmas carol" 6000 "second edition" OR "second printing" OR "second run"] looks promising. Rare book collectors will probably be good sources, e.g.: "Up to January 3, 1844, two of the three thousand copies of the second and third editions were sold" (books.google.com/books?id=CN47AQAAIAAJ).

    2. What kinds of changes did Dickens make to the book just before publication?

    ["a christmas carol" 1843 "before publication"] yields:

    "However, in examining printed copies prior to publication, Dickens was disappointed with the appearance of the green titles, which turned drab, and the hand-colored green endpapers, which dusted off and smudged, and had the title page changed to red and blue, the half title to blue, the date on the title page changed from 1844 to 1843, and the endpapers changed to yellow, which did not require hand work. Dickens’ changes were completed by December 17… Since Dickens’ instructions to discontinue the unsatisfactory titles and endpapers were received at the press before publication, at a time when there were on hand different quantities of endpapers, title pages, and sheets of printed text already produced, many copies are found with a mixture of features”

    (source:http://www.baumanrarebooks.com/rare-books/dickens-charles/christmas-carol/86480.aspx)

    ReplyDelete
  9. 1.  How much money did Dickens make from the sales of the first edition of “A Christmas Carol”? 
     High production costs however brought him only £230 (equal to £19,128 today) rather than the £1,000 (equal to £83,164 today) A year later, the profits were only £744.
    Per copy sold at five shillings

    2. Dickens took on production design to make it a gift book. Changes were relating to paper changes and book binding two days before books produced.

    3.
    Source #1 http://m.guardian.co.uk/books/booksblog/2009/dec/22/christmas-carol-flop-dickens
    Headline in Guardian Why A Christmas Carol was a flop for Dickens
    15000 copies - need to verify
    Source #2 The Man Who Invented Christmas: How Charles Dickens's a Christmas Carol ... By Les Standiford
    Search goals
    What do I know-
    Charles Dickens of England, London I believe. He wrote many books
    Publisher was Chapman and Hall see photo.
    Illustrator John Leech
    Questions I have

    Query [History "a christmas carol"] unique title should be sufficient
    http://history1800s.about.com/od/authors/a/Christmas-Carol-By-Dickens.htm
    Results- reasons why he was motivated to write the book, poverty and greed he saw happening and wanted to protest on behalf of the common people. For sale just before Xmas 1843 ( my thoughts Irish famine started in spring 1844 and England was also suffering from severe poverty).
    Query [chapman hall publisher a christmas carol]
    I need to know publishing and sales info.
    Results- the company were publishers for Charles Dickens (from 1840 until 1844 and again from 1858 until 1870), wonder why he left? See below under what I learned.
    Chapman and Hall - didn't find info expected. Will change direction to see what books were written about writer.
    Query[books.google.com a christmas carol ]
    Select the sub search Books about Charles Dickens - didn't get answers.
    Query[scholar.google.com charles dickens]
    Result - The Man Who Invented Christmas: How Charles Dickens's a Christmas Carol ... By Les Standiford
    Learned along the way
    #1
    Christies sold a PRESENTATION COPY, INSCRIBED BY DICKENS on the half-title "Mrs. Touchet From Charles Dickens Seventeenth December 1843." For 290,500 in 2009
    http://www.christies.com/lotfinder/books-manuscripts/dickens-charles-a-christmas-carol-in-prose-5280682-details.aspx?from=searchresults&intObjectID=5280682&sid=eb15354a-695b-4b81-8047-001a90058211
    Also found copy sold Oct 2010 £181,000
    #2
    http://www.historyinanhour.com/2012/12/19/christmas-carol-charles-dickens/
    Though it sold incredibly well, A Christmas Carol did not make Dickens enough money to overcome the disappointing sales of Martin Chuzzlewit (first published in serial form) or to allow his publishers, Chapman and Hall, to recoup their losses from his 1842 tour of the US. In debt and facing a lower monthly stipend, Charles blamed Chapman and Hall for his financial mess and looked for a new publisher.
    #3 Charles Dickens father was sent to debtor's prison when he was 12 and he had to go to work. Poverty and child labor had a major impct on his life.
    #4 Literary pirates stoled his story in January 1844- he won the case but was harmed financially and prior to publication he already had financial trouble.
    #5 I found in Googles Scholar what I think is the best book on Charles Dickens
    The Man Who Invented Christmas: How Charles Dickens's a Christmas Carol ... By Les Standiford

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Rosemary -- A VERY nice research case study. Well done!

      Delete
    2. Searched for [a christmas carol by charles dickens first published} and came to Wikipedia in the Publishing section answers 2 questions:

      1. How much money did Dickens make from the sales of the first edition of “A Christmas Carol”?
      High production costs however brought him only £230 (equal to £19,128 today) rather than the £1,000 (equal to £83,164 today) he expected and needed, as his wife was once again pregnant

      2. What kinds of changes did Dickens make to the book just before publication?
      The first printing contained drab olive endpapers that Dickens felt were unacceptable, and the publisher Chapman and Hall quickly replaced them with yellow endpapers, but, once replaced, those clashed with the title page which was then redone.[16][30] The final product was bound in red cloth with gilt-edged pages,[26][27] completed only two days before the release date of 19 December 1843

      3. How many copies were printed by Dickens during that first year of publication?
      I searched for [A_Christmas_Carol copies "first year"] and voila! there were 15.000 published in the first year. even showing a chart with the total profit for that first year!
      http://charlesdickenspage.com/carol_expenses.html

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