The Sacred Carol: Rediscovering the True Authorship of a Christmas Classic Hardcover – March 20, 2026

The Sacred Carol exposes Charles Dickens’ theft and reworking of A Christmas Carol, while introducing readers to the real American authors—Mathew and Abby Whittier. A meticulous study of Dickens’ own handwritten draft has enabled researcher Stephen Sakellarios to decipher the words Dickens scratched out and replaced, revealing, in many cases, the Whittiers’ original text beneath. Some of that revealed text disproves Dickens' authorship, including uniquely American expressions which Dickens never used as of 1843--including one which was invented by Whittier, himself.The Sacred Carol does not rely on forensic analysis of Dickens' handwriting, alone. Multiple examples of Mathew and Abby Whittier's writing are provided for comparison, demonstrating their literary prowess and sensibilities, as well as direct thematic parallels with their revealed text in A Christmas Carol. While their original text, if it exists, is yet to be discovered, these prior writings show that they are far more likely to have originated the story, than Dickens is.The Sacred Carol contains, as its appendix, a full transcription of Dickens' handwritten manuscript of A Christmas Carol--the first time that this complete resource has been made available to academia and the public. Thus, the reader can explore the transcription to confirm or refute the author's findings as he or she wishes; and the door is now opened for new discoveries.Whatever is magical, heartwarming, and spiritually powerful in A Christmas Carol originated with Mathew and Abby. Whatever is fantastical, cartoonish, or coarse came from Dickens. The graceful, luminous prose was theirs; the bombastic and illogical “patches” were his. This is not merely a theory. Proof emerges time and again from beneath Dickens’ redacted phrases. And thanks to Sakellarios’ extensive archiving of Mathew and Abby Whittier’s published works, he is able to draw stylistic comparisons, as well. Together, both methods create an overwhelming case for the story’s original authorship. Through Sakellarios’ scholarship, readers will encounter for the first time the sheer quality of the Whittiers’ writing. Most importantly, A Christmas Carol will come alive as the sacred spiritualist redemption story it was always meant to be. Read more