The Haunted Man and the Ghost’s Bargain

About this edition

What would you lose if you could forget every sorrow?

Haunted by old wrongs and painful memories, the solitary chemist Redlaw longs for peace. On a bitter winter night, as Christmas draws near, a phantom in his own likeness offers him a terrible gift: the power to forget. Redlaw accepts. But the gift carries a cost he never imagined, and he passes it on to everyone he meets.

As the season of goodwill arrives, kindness gives way to bitterness, affection turns to suspicion, and Redlaw begins to understand how deeply compassion is bound to the sorrows we share. Only the gentle Milly Swidger seems beyond its reach. Can he undo his bargain before it destroys the goodness in those around him?

First published in 1848, The Haunted Man and the Ghost's Bargain was the last of Charles Dickens's five Christmas books. It blends the unease of a ghost story with the warmth of the fireside to make a moving tale of memory, mercy, and forgiveness, and a reminder that even our darkest experiences can teach us how to love.

What this edition offers:

• A Biography of Charles Dickens, written for this edition. It follows him from the blacking factory of his boyhood to worldwide fame, looks at the Christmas books that shaped the modern holiday, and considers his lasting legacy.
• 10+ full-page illustrations in black and white, created for this edition in the atmospheric style of Victorian book engraving. There are three for each part of the story.
• The complete, unabridged text: The Gift Bestowed, The Gift Diffused, and The Gift Reversed.

Perfect for:

• Readers who love Victorian ghost stories and winter tales
• Anyone collecting Dickens's Christmas books
• Book lovers building a home library of timeless classics
• A thoughtful seasonal gift

Add this edition to your library and spend a winter's evening with one of Dickens's most haunting and hopeful stories.