Many Victorian authors, including Charles Dickens, published their books and short stories in newspapers and periodicals (very similar to the modern magazine.) That is why the pages in books like this are published in columns, like a newspaper. During the Victorian era, ghost stories were often shared around the fireplace during Christmas Eve celebrations. In the beginning of this Christmas story, the narrator meets with a man who has spent his night communing with ghosts such as Socrates, Galileo and Milton.
