A Christmas Carol is a novella by Charles Dickens, first published in London by Chapman & Hall on December 19, 1843. The novella met with instant success and critical acclaim. A Christmas Carol tells the story of a bitter old miser named Ebenezer Scrooge and his transformation into a gentler, kindlier man after visitations by the ghost of his former business partner Jacob Marley and the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come. The book was written at a time when the British were examining and exploring Christmas traditions from the past as well as new customs such as Christmas cards and Christmas trees. A Christmas Carol remains popular-having never been out of print-and has been adapted many times to film, stage, opera, and other media.