Charles Dickens, long an avid theatergoer and performer in amateur theatricals, gave his first public reading of A Christmas Carol in 1853. The charismatic author is said to have employed a different voice, a different style, for each of his characters, and he regularly appeared before audiences for the next 16 years, charming audiences and critics alike. In 1867–68, Dickens brought his reading tour to the United States. This holiday season, The New York Public Library is celebrating with a special installation featuring Dickens’s heavily annotated prompt copies, which he used in his performances of A Christmas Carol and other holiday books, including The Chimes and The Cricket on the Hearth, together with original photographs, first editions, and ephemera.

This display is organized by The New York Public Library and curated by Carolyn Vega, Curator of the Henry W. and Albert A. Berg Collection of English and American Literature.

Time: 10:00 am — 8:00 pm EST

Free!