The Cricket on the Hearth (Illustrated by Maclise, Leech, Doyle, Landseer and Stanfield)

The Cricket on the Hearth is Charles Dickens third of five Christmas books. Dickens described the novel as quiet and domestic, innocent and pretty. It is a story about relationships and how they are affected by such emotions as love and egotism. The story centers on John Peerybingle and his family who are visited by a guardian angel in the form of a cricket who is constantly chirping on their hearth. A cricket, believed to be a symbol of good luck, works as a cementing factor between the couple.. The book includes original illustrations by Daniel Maclise, John Leech,Richard Doyle, Edwin Landseer and Clarkson Stanfield, an active/navigable table of content, and a Free audiobook link for download (which can be downloaded using a PC/Mac) at the end of the book.