{"product_id":"the-life-of-our-lord-written-for-his-children-during-the-years-1846-to-1849-9780684865379","title":"The Life of Our Lord: Written for His Children During the Years 1846 to 1849","description":"\u003ci\u003eCharles Dickens's\u003c\/i\u003e other \u003ci\u003eChristmas classic, with a new introduction by Dickens's great-great-grandson, Gerald Charles Dickens.\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cbr\u003e Charles Dickens wrote \u003ci\u003eThe Life of Our Lord\u003c\/i\u003e during the years 1846-1849, just about the time he was completing \u003ci\u003eDavid Copperfield.\u003c\/i\u003e In this charming, simple retelling of the life of Jesus Christ, adapted from the Gospel of St. Luke, Dickens hoped to teach his young children about religion and faith. Since he wrote it exclusively for his children, Dickens refused to allow publication. \u003cbr\u003e For eighty-five years the manuscript was guarded as a precious family secret, and it was handed down from one relative to the next. When Dickens died in 1870, it was left to his sister-in-law, Georgina Hogarth. From there it fell to Dickens's son, Sir Henry Fielding Dickens, with the admonition that it should not be published while any child of Dickens lived. \u003cbr\u003e Just before the 1933 holidays, Sir Henry, then the only living child of Dickens, died, leaving his father's manuscript to his wife and children. He also bequeathed to them the right to make the decision to publish \u003ci\u003eThe Life of Our Lord.\u003c\/i\u003e By majority vote, Sir Henry's widow and children decided to publish the book in London. In 1934, Simon \u0026amp; Schuster published the first American edition, which became one of the year's biggest bestsellers.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eDickens, Charles:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - Charles Dickens was born in 1812 near Portsmouth where his father was a clerk in the navy pay office. The family moved to London in 1823, but their fortunes were severely impaired. Dickens was sent to work in a blacking-warehouse when his father was imprisoned for debt. Both experiences deeply affected the future novelist. In 1833, he began contributing stories to newspapers and magazines, and in 1836 started the serial publication of \u003ci\u003eThe\u003c\/i\u003e \u003ci\u003ePickwick Papers\u003c\/i\u003e. Thereafter, Dickens published his major novels over the course of the next twenty years, from \u003ci\u003eNicholas Nickleby\u003c\/i\u003e to \u003ci\u003eLittle Dorrit\u003c\/i\u003e. He also edited the journals \u003ci\u003eHousehold Words\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eAll the Year Round\u003c\/i\u003e. Dickens died in June 1870.","brand":"Simon \u0026 Schuster","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50631625539858,"sku":"9780684865379","price":14.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_d5aef68a-35e9-4503-b3d2-cd558fe50950.jpg?v=1732778173","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/the-life-of-our-lord-written-for-his-children-during-the-years-1846-to-1849-9780684865379","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}