FAIRHOPE, Ala. — The Fairhope Public Library is the special setting for a Page & Palette author event on Nov. 11, from 6 to 8 p.m.

Noted historian and novelist Les Standiford will be on hand to sign and read from his book, The Man Who Invented Christmas: How Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol Rescued His Career & Revived Our Holiday Spirits.

The book vividly and movingly chronicles the little-known tale of how Charles Dickens came to write A Christmas Carol and the surprising impact the book had on both British and American culture.

Standiford writes of the career and personal struggles that followed Dickens after  many years of success with readers in England.

His idea for A Christmas Carol was turned down by the publishers so Dickens oversaw every aspect of the book’s creation and bore the cost of its first printing.

In a few short days its first print run of 6,000 copies was sold out.

A Christmas Carol instantly sparked a revival of interest in the Christmas holiday and its celebration, inspiring readers to embrace the generous and festive spirit of Cratchit, Tiny Tim, and the transformed Mr. Scrooge.

The book went on to spawn more film adaptations than any other novel in history, becoming, for a time, the most widely read book in English after the Bible.

As uplifting as the tale of Scrooge itself, Les Standiford’s account of Dickens is a touching human story that will delight readers of biography and the classics, and a fascinating work of social history that uncovers the origins of Christmas as we know it today.

The Fairhope Public Library is located at 501 Fairhope Ave.

The author will exclusively sign all books purchased from Page & Palette. Copies of the book may be purchased prior to the event at the bookstore, located at 32 S. Section St. in Fairhope.

There will also be copies for sale at library during this author event.

For more information, call (251) 928-5295 or visit www.pageandpalette.com.