Morocco leather
As the result of the disagreements with Chapman and Hall over the commercial failures of "Martin Chuzzlewit", Dickens arranged to pay for the publishing himself, in exchange for a percentage of the profits. Production of "A Christmas Carol" was not without problems. The first printing contained drab olive endpapers that Dickens felt were unacceptable, and the publisher Chapman and Hall quickly replaced them with yellow endpapers, but, once replaced, those clashed with the title page, which was then redone. The final product was bound in red cloth with gilt-edged pages, completed only two days before the publication date of 19 December 1843. Following publication, Dickens arranged for the manuscript to be bound in red Morocco leather and presented as a gift to his solicitor, Thomas Mitton.