The Cricket on the Hearth: A fairy tale of home by Charles Dickens


‘To have a Cricket on the Hearth, is the luckiest thing in all the world!’


Crickets have been thought of bringing good fortune in many cultures for thousands of years. 


This short book was first published in 1846 as one of Charles Dickens’ Christmas stories. Although the novella does not directly address the holiday period, or even Christianity, it does have a strong theme of fantasy and redemption. 


The story is centred around John Peerybingle and his young wife Dot. When everything is happy in their home, the cricket on the hearth chirps, but falls silent when there is disharmony. Tackleton, a miserly toy merchant and jealous old man, tells John that Dot is cheating on him with a mysterious young stranger. The cricket’s supernatural abilities calm John’s mind and the story ends happily.


This new edition features all of the illustrations from the original publication.