Synopsis Defying the unhappy and miserable conditions of his early life, Charles Dickens emerged as an outstanding literary figure of his times. His personal experiences provided him with the raw material for his writings. Charles Dickens' keen interest in the supernatural and macabre equipped him with the right attitude to pen some wonderful ghost stories. This selection includes A Christmas Carol, one of the best ghost stories in the world, but not without a moral. The Signalman, another short story of its kind, leaves the reader stunned. To be Read at Dusk tells two tales dealing with precognition where the coming incidents are foretold by the characters involved. The Trial for Murder relates the story of a victim of murder who returns, after death, to seek justice. The Black Veil is the tale of a woman whose orphan son is impelled into a career to crime and meets his death by the Hangman's hands. In The Drunkard's Death, the Drunkard betrays his own fugitive son and finds his solace in suicide. There are other stories and sketches that match the brilliance of these pieces.