December's Classic Book Crate ✨

December’s Classic Book Crate has now launched. This month’s box is based around A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. It’s filled to the brim with themed bookish goods (there’s ten different items inside!) This includes the book itself which features our exclusively designed dust jacket.

Like what you see? You can sign up to the crate right here. It's only £29.95 a month if you use our limited time discount, DICKENS15. In the meantime, we thought it would be fun to dedicate a blog post to author Charles Dickens. Turns out he lived quite an interesting life! Here are five facts you (probably) never knew about Charles Dickens...

1. Dickens was on a train that derailed over a bridge. He found the key that freed his friends, went into the below carriages to give water and brandy out, then climbed back into his dangling carriage to retrieve Our Mutual Friend, which he was on his way to the publishers with.

2. Like Shakespeare,  Dickens often created words and phrases that are still very much a part of our vocabulary today. For example: butter-fingers and dustbin.

3. Dickens kept pet ravens for years. He even had his second raven stuffed and mounted in an elaborate wooden and glass case.

4. Despite his written request for a private funeral, a public announcement of the time and place of his burial meant that hundreds of thousands of people lined up to walk past his body in Westminster Abbey.

5. He was part of a makeshift ghost club with Arthur Conan Doyle. The ‘members only’ group would investigate the supernatural and haunted encounters. Although an active member, Dickens remained sceptical of the spirit world.