Jolly good reading for the Christmas holidays

For this Christmas, here are 10 classics that will continue to spread joy long after Christmas morning:

• A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

A gorgeous new edition of an iconic festive novel from Vintage Classics. Its particular blend of wit, sincere emotion and Christmas spirit is hard to resist, especially in this new edition – complete with gorgeous flapped cover.

• The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins

Widely considered to be among the first mystery novels, this 1859 story follows Walter Hartright, who gets a job as a drawing teacher to a beautiful young woman and is quickly pulled into far more sinister goings-on.

• A Maigret Christmas by Georges Simenon

What could make a more festive read than a collection of nine Maigret short stories, all set in Paris at Christmas time?

• The Nutcracker by ETA Hoffmann, illustrated by Sanna Annukka

The classic Christmas fairy-tale is now almost more famous as a ballet, but the original story is just as enchanting.

• Village Christmas by Laurie Lee

From the author of Cider With Rosie comes this lovely, lyrical portrait of England through the months and years. Warm and moving, this book makes the perfect fireside read.

• Christmas at Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons

Heralding the return of the Starkadders and other familiar faces, and marked by Gibbons’ characteristic wit and gentle satire, this collection includes a new introduction by Alexander McCall Smith, and is packed full of period details, warmth and the magic of Christmas.

• Ghost Stories by MR James

James created most of his ghost stories to amuse his friends one Christmas Eve, and ended up transforming the entire genre. In this collection, selected and introduced by crime queen Ruth Rendell, James shows his mastery of the format, imbuing ordinary things with terror through the merest suggestion of something sinister.