One of the best-known and well-loved Christmas stories of all time, Charles Dickens' novella 'A Christmas Carol' was first published in 1843 as 'A Christmas Carol. In Prose. Being a Ghost Story of Christmas.' Notorious skinflint Ebenezer Scrooge receives a visit from a tormented spirit in the form of his deceased business partner Jacob Marley. Following Marley's warning that a similar fate awaits him if he does not change his ways, Scrooge is visited by the Spirits of Christmas Past, Christmas Present and Christmas Yet to Come.