Posted on December 25, 2018 at 4:00 PM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek
An exhibit at the New York Public Library gives a glimpse into Charles Dickens’s revision process.
After A Christmas Carol’s smash success, the author spent literally decades on the road, reading from his famous work to massive and adoring crowds, according to Atlas Obscura.
He didn’t invent the book tour, so to speak, but at that time, it was more common for authors to deliver lectures rather than read from their books, Carolyn Vega, curator at the Berg Collection at the New York Public Library, told Atlas Obscura.
Eventually, Dickens created a “stage copy,” which trimmed some of the text (to save time for presenting other literature) and which also included some prompts for himself, for his Christmas Carol touring.
That copy is part of the NYPL’s A Dickens Christmas exhibition, which runs through January 7.
You can, however, see a few pictures of it without traveling by checking out the Atlas Obscura article.