Christmas Fiction & Literature

THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF SANTA CLAUS (Revised Edition)
as told to Jeff Guinn. B&W illustrations by Dorit Rabinovitch. Condition: NEW 2003 Jeremy P. Tarcher/Penguin hardcover & DJ (in mylar jacket), revised edition, first printing. Remainder mark bottom edges. Content: Where exactly did Santa Claus come from? How did he meet Mrs. Claus? Who named the reindeer? We've all asked these questions and a million more, and Jeff Guinn uses a wonderful mix of scholarship, fantasy, folklore, and faith to answer them all. According to this "authoritative" autobiography, St. Nicholas began giving gifts in the third century A.D. and never looked back. Did you know the Roman calendar had only 10 months and 355 days and that Christmas caroling was introduced to the world in the thirteenth century? This enchanting Christmas classic returns for a new holiday season, combining historical fact with glorious legend as St. Nicholas himself reveals the definitive story of Santa Claus. With seven centuries of holiday magic all rolled into twenty-four chapters-one for each cold December night leading up to Christmas- this book is a great gift for the whole family! [1 copy left]
$ 3.69 + $ 3.19 media shipping.

A CELTIC CHRISTMAS: Classic Tales from the Emerald Isle
edited by Mairtin O'Griofa. B&W illustrations by Sheila Kern. Cover art by Marlene Ekman. Condition: NEW 1990 Sterling Publishing small hardcover & DJ, first printing. Content: Light a cozy fire, pour yourself a dram or a pint, and curl up with these charming tales of Christmas from Ireland's past. Here's a personal invitation to share an evening with a wealth of lively characters weaving fantastic, humorous, or sentimental, tales about love, drink, ghosts, and villainy. Rich with superstition and tradition, these aren't ordinary Christmas stories. They have the quintessential Irish spirit, and you can almost smell the succulent goose roasting and hear the glasses clinking. Start with "Galway Jack's Christmas", as three people ponder the past, and love lost and found. Read closely, and you'll see that "Ballymaconkey Christmas Club" plays a variation on Dickens' "Christmas Carol". Another tale drops you right into the middle of 1920s Dublin, where a whiskey-loving bachelor gets tricked into proposing marriage. You'll meet one-eyed, one-armed Barney Broderick, who undergoes a series of hysterical mishaps, and a miser who experiences a dark, gritty fate. Each of these 14 tales will entertain you throughout the holiday season! Wonderful!! [1 copy available]
$ 3.49 + $ 3.19 media shipping.

CERTAIN POOR SHEPHERDS: A Christmas Tale
by Elizabeth Marshall Thomas. Cover art by Lori Lohstoeter. B&W illustrations by Andrew Davidson. Condition: NEW 1997 Scribner Paperback Edition softcover, firt printing. Remainder mark bottom edges. Content: This is a rich reimagining of the Nativity story with the pilgrims being a wise goat named Ima and a huge warrior sheepdog , Lila. They are on the mountain guarding a herd of sheep when the star appears, and they immediately sense divinity in the air. Later, they see a flock of angels invisible to their master. Struck by inspiration, they follow the star to Bethlehem, where Lila witnesses the scene at the manger. Many other animals appear in the narrative?camels, a cheetah, other dogs, a gazelle - giving Thomas an opportunity to represent natural creatures interacting and cherishing their freedom, which to animals is a form of grace. [1 copy available]
$ 3.59 + $ 2.94 media shipping..

CHRISTMAS LEGENDS TO REMEMBER: Legend of the Candy Cane; Legend of the Christmas Tree; Legend of Saint Nicholas
by Helen Haidle. Condition: NEW 2002 Honor Books (Tulsa) small hardcover (dark red boards with gilt lettering) & DJ, first edition. Content: An award-winning author presents three classic short story "legends" about the origins of the candy cane, the Christmas tree, and St. Nicholas. In addition, a special section is included that reveals the true history of these Christmas traditions. Red & white decorations. [1 copy available]
$ 3.75 + $ 2.94 media shipping.

THE CHRISTMAS SHOES
by Donna VanLiere. Wrap-around cover art by Anne Twomey. Condition: NEW 2001 St. Martin's small hardcover & DJ, third printing. Content: Based on a song ("The Christmas Shoes") by NewSong, this book introduces us to Robert Layton, an ambitious lawyer who sacrifices his youthful idealism to become a partner and specialize in bankruptcy law. His ambition backfires, though, when his wife, Kate, announces that she wants a divorce from her often absent husband, throwing family life into chaos right before the holidays. Meanwhile, on the other side of the tracks, another couple anticipates impending tragedy as young mechanic Robert Andrews tries to prepare his family for the coming death of his attractive wife, Maggie, from ovarian cancer. The two families' lives critically intersect when Layton goes Christmas shopping and encounters Andrews's young son, Nathan, trying to buy a pair of shoes for his mother as a going-away present. When the hard-hearted lawyer sees that the boy is short of cash, he ponies up for the purchase. The transformation that follows makes for a heartwarming story, and VanLiere writes some affecting family scenes that contrast the material poverty of the Andrewses with the spiritual poverty of the Laytons. This was made into a CBS TV movie (2002) starring Rob Lowe, Kimberly Williams, Max Morrow, Maria del Mar, Hugh Thompson, and Dorian Harewood. Directed by Andy Wolk. Viewers give the movie 5 stars and the book 4 stars. [1 copy available]
$ 3.49 + $ 2.94 media shipping.

A CHRISTMAS TREASURY
Illustrated by Greg Hildebrandt. Condition: Gently pre-read 1984 Unicorn Publishing hardcover (NO DJ) with pictorial boards & gilt lettering, 5th printing. Gift inscription loose endpage. Content: Hildebrandt illustrates traditional Christmas stories ('Twas the Night Before Christmas, etc.) and carols (complete with "sheet" music). Although not suitable as a gift, it would be a wonderful resouce for teachers and librarians. [1 copy available]
$ 4.75 + $ 3.19 media shipping.

THE CHRISTMAS TREE
by Julie Salamon. Lovely warm color illustrations by Jill Weber. Decorated endpages. Condition: NEW 1996 Random House small hardcover & DJ, first ediiton, second printing. Content: The chief gardener at Rockefeller Center dreads Christmas because one of his responsibilities is the selection of the center's giant Christmas tree, which is not an easy job. Thus, he is thrilled one spring to have found the perfect tree so early and foresees no problem in persuading the nuns who own the property on which the tree stands to let him have it. Then he meets Sister Anthony, who came to the convent as a young orphan and made a close friend of the Norway Spruce she calls "Tree." This charming little tale is a perfect choice for the holiday season. [1 copy available]
$ 2.75 + $ 3.19 media shipping.

THE JOY OF A PEANUTS CHRISTMAS: 50 Years of Holiday Comics
by Charles Schulz. Color & B&W comics. Condition: NEW 1992 Hallmark small hardcover (pictorial boards) & DJ, first edition, first printing. Tiny edgewear to DJ corners. Content: The best Christmas cartoons from the Peanuts gang by decade, the 50's, 60's, etc. Nostalgia at it's finest. How I miss Charles Schulz. [1 copy available]
$ 3.75 + $ 2.89 media shipping.

THE LETTER (Sequel to The Christmas Box)
by Paul Evans. Two-color throughout. Condition: UNREAD 1997 Simon & Schuster small hardcover & DJ, 7th printing. The only flaw in this near-perfect book is a gift inscription on the loose endpage. Content: This glowing novel of loss and healing carries readers back into the lives of the characters from Evans' bestselling "The Christmas Box". After the death of their daughter, David and MaryAnne Parkin discover a letter written by the child which helps to restore the joy to their embattled relationship. [1 copy available]
$ 2.85 + $ 3.09 media shipping.

MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET (Facsimilie Edition)
by Valentine Davies. Condition: NEW 2001 Harcourt Brace small hardcover [7.6 x 5.3 x 0.6 (136 pages)] & DJ (in mylar jacket), first thus, first printing. Perfect! Content: Everyone knows the story of Miracle on 34th Street but this edition is "special." It is a reproduction of the book that was rushed into print and available for the premiere of the movie. There is also a section in the book dedicated to the movie and it's production. Neat stocking stuffer. Gift wrapping available. [2 copies available]
$ 4.49 + $ 3.09 media shipping. Priority shipping available.

MIRACLES OF CHRISTMAS
compiled by Miriam Mindman. DJ art by David LaPlaca. Condition: NEW 1997 Harold Shaw hardcover (pictorial boards) & DJ (in mylar jacket), first printing. Everthing in this book is in purple and white - attractive. Content: Stories in this book: Star Over Bethlehem (Agatha Christie); The Child in the Midst (Patricia St. John); The Flight Into Egypt (Selma Lagerlof); Alice's Christmas Tree (Edward Everett Hale); Teacher Jensen (Karen Michaelis); The Secret of the Gifts (Paul Flucke); Angels and Other Strangers (Katherine Patterson); Christmas on the Moor (Elizabeth Goudge); The Sad Shepherd (Henry Van Dyke); The Son of the Prince Bishop (William Canton); Christmas Day in the Morning (Pearl Buck); and Aunt Cynthy Dallett (Sarah Orne Jewett). [1 copy available]
$ 5.49 + $ 3.29 media shipping.

THE MODERN MAGI: A Christmas Fable
by Carol Lynn Pearson. Beautiful Wendell Minor cover art painting. Condition: NEW 1998 St. Martin's Press small hardcover & DJ (in mylar jacket), first edition, first printing. Tiny shelfwear top DJ edge. Content: Annabelle Perkins, a spinster of 57 who waits tables, has a little bronze lamb she wants to take to Bethlehem as a gift for baby Jesus. Her mother had always told her that they would take it together. But now her parents are dead. Annabelle deposits $200 on a $2,000 Christmas trip to the Holy Land. She doesn't earn much and has a bad heart as well, but she puts in an extra day a week at the restaurant and by November is ready for the trip. Then, however, she learns that the daughter of one of her regular customers is going to drop out of collegeshe's run out of money. Baby Jesus whispers to Annabelle, Give me my gift now. So Annabelle anonymously sends her savings in a postal money order to the girl. Next year, Annabelle again saves up for the trip, but this time she reads that an ex-boyfriend has a daughter who needs a kidney transplant (price: $50,000). Baby Jesus whispers again. And Annabelle sends the money to the ex, anonymously. Next year, the same kind of giveaway occurs. Now she's too weak to work overtime (and thus save for the fare). But, lo, a miracle takes place. . . [1 copy available]
$ 4.49 + $ 3.09 media shipping.

MR. IVES' CHRISTMAS
by Oscar Hijuelos. Condition: UNREAD 1995 HarperCollins hardcover & DJ (in mylar jacket) first edition, first printing. Content: For Edward Ives, a graphic artist employed by a Madison Avenue advertising firm, Christmas has always been an emotionally charged holiday. It was during the Christmas season that Edward's foster father first visited him at the foundling home, and at Christmas a few years later Edward was finally adopted. Ives met his wife at an art students' Christmas party, and-most importantly-it was during the 1967 Christmas season that Ives's 17-year-old son was senselessly gunned down as he left choir practice. Ives has never fully recovered from the killing, and his unshakable depression threatens to destroy his marriage, as does his strange obsession with rehabilitating the murderer. [1 copy available]
$ 4.59 + $ 3.29 media shipping.

ONE CHRISTMAS
by Truman Capote. Photo of Capote and his father on the DJ. Condition: NEW 1995 Randon House hardcover & DJ (in mylar jacket), second printing. Two tiny loss-of-color spots top DJ edge. Content: One unforgettable Christmas, young Truman Capote is sent from his childhood home and his beloved cousin Miss Sook to New Orleans, to a father he's never met. Far from the warmth and familiarity of small town dreams and family traditions, Truman learns the painful truths about his father, about Santa Claus, and about love lost and found. The 1994 Hallmark Hall of Fame TV movie was directed by Tony Bill and starred Katharine Hepburn, Henry Winkler, Swoosie Kurtz, T.J. Lowther, Tonea Stewart, and Pat Hingle. Questions welcome. [1 copy available]
$ 27.59 + $ 3.09 media shipping.

POEMS FOR CHRISTMAS
selected by Neil Philip. Illustrations by John Lawrence. Condition: Gently pre-read 1995 St. Martin's hardcover & DJ (in mylar jacket), first US Edition, second printing. Red decorations & forest green full-page illustrations by Lawrence. Content: Featuring 57 classic poems and dozens of engravings, this handsome volume celebrates the spirit and the literary timelessness of the yuletide season. It is a book that the entire family can share at Christmas, but will particularly appeal to younger readers. Includes two-color illustrations throughout. [1 copy available]
$ 4.89 + $ 3.19 media shipping.

POLITICALLY CORRECT HOLIDAY STORIES: For An Enlightened Yuletide Season
by James Finn Garner. H. B. Lewis cover art. Condition: NEW 1995 Macmillan small hardcover & DJ, first edition first printing. Content: If you have never read any of the "politically correct" books, you definitely have a hole in your cultural education! Reviewer: This book consists of five stories: 'Twas the Night Before Solstice, Frosty the Persun of Snow, The Nutcracker, Rudolph the Nasally Empowered Reindeer, and A Christmas Carol. Garner's stories are packed with spectacular satire, and left me in hysterics. Although I am a true fan of Christmas, and love all of the original versions of these stories I couldn't have been happier about the jest poked in the direction of a society to absorbed in political corectness that it has forgotten the joy of a season. For an off-beat Christmas treat I urge you to pick up this book. It's a quick read and full of laughs." It's also a great gift for the cynic in your life. [2 copies available]
$ 2.95 + $ 2.89 media shipping.

THE ROADS FROM BETHLEHEM: Christmas Literature from Writers Ancient and Modern
by Pegram Johnson III & Edna M. Trioano, editors. B&W illustrations. Condition: NEW 1993 Westminster/John Knox hardcover & DJ (in mylar jacket), first ediiton, first printing. The DJ shows a bit of shelfwear top edge. Interior perfect. Content: This collection contains approximately 100 attempts to capture the meaning of Christmas in Scripture, theological writing, liturgy, literary prose, and poetry from Old Testament prophecy to the present. The early traditions show the most diversity, using not only scriptural sources but also pseudoepigrapha, Syrian, Chinese, and European material; the medieval tradition is represented by European and British material. With very few exceptions (e.g., Kierkegaard and a Mexican nun) later material is British and American. With brief, useful headnotes to the selections. [1 copy available]
$ 9.49 + $ 3.49 media shipping.

SANTA COWS
by Cooper Edens. Hilarious, yet soft, color illustrations by Daniel Lane. Condition: Gently pre-read, very good Green Tiger Press hardcover (pictorial boards) with name inside front cover. Interior as new. Content: As this offbeat parody of "The Night Before Christmas" opens, the family is enjoying a Christmas feast of pizza, popcorn and microwaved eel and clam cakes: "When all of a sudden, not the sound of reindeers, / But the mooing of Santa Cows came to our ear. / So we ran to the windows and opened the shutters. / We threw up the blinds to a sky full of udders." The Santa Cows, with eyes "like Liz Taylor's," are coming and bringing with them a beautiful tree, a concert of carols and equipment for a Christmas Day baseball game. Lane's warm, slightly fuzzy illustrations, full of strange details and odd knickknacks, make this wacky fantasy seem possible. At less than half the length of Moore's original, the story will leave readers who appreciate its irreverent humor wanting more but pleased with a refreshingly different Christmas offering. Ages 7-up. [This is really an adult book of humor - warped and hilarious!] [1 copy available]
$ 4.75 + $ 3.29 media shipping.

SANTA COWS
by Cooper Edens. Hilarious, yet soft, color illustration by Daniel Lane. Condition: Gently pre-read, very good Green Tiger Press hardcover (pictorial boards) & DJ (in mylar jacket), first printing. No problems - just pre-read. Content: As this offbeat parody of "The Night Before Christmas" opens, the family is enjoying a Christmas feast of pizza, popcorn and microwaved eel and clam cakes: "When all of a sudden, not the sound of reindeers, / But the mooing of Santa Cows came to our ear. / So we ran to the windows and opened the shutters. / We threw up the blinds to a sky full of udders." The Santa Cows, with eyes "like Liz Taylor's," are coming and bringing with them a beautiful tree, a concert of carols and equipment for a Christmas Day baseball game. Lane's warm, slightly fuzzy illustrations, full of strange details and odd knickknacks, make this wacky fantasy seem possible. At less than half the length of Moore's original, the story will leave readers who appreciate its irreverent humor wanting more but pleased with a refreshingly different Christmas offering. Ages 7-up. [This is really an adult book of humor - warped and hilarious!] [1 copy available]
$ 5.75 + $ 3.29 media shipping.

SKIPPING CHRISTMAS: A Novel
by John Grisham. Cover art by Andrew Davidson. Condition: NEW 2001 Doubleday small hardcover & DJ (in mylar jacket), first edition, second printing. Perfect. Content: John Grisham turns a satirical eye on the overblown ritual of the festive holiday season, and the result is Skipping Christmas, a modest but funny novel about the tyranny of December 25. Grisham's story revolves around a typical middle-aged American couple, Luther and Nora Krank. On the first Sunday after Thanksgiving they wave their daughter Blair off to Peru to work for the Peace Corps, and they suddenly realize that they are alone for the holiday. So Luther makes an executive decision, telling his wife, friends, and neighbors that "we won't do Christmas." Instead, Luther books a 10-day Caribbean cruise. But things start to turn nasty when horrified neighbors get wind of the Krank's subversive scheme and besiege the couple with questions about their decision. Grisham builds up a funny but increasingly terrifying picture of how this tight-knit community turns on the Kranks, who find themselves under increasing pressure to conform. As the tension mounts, readers may wonder whether they will manage to board their plane on Christmas day. The 2004 movie starred Tim Allen, Jamie Lee Curtis, Dan Aykroyd, M. Emmet Walsh, Elizabeth Franz, Cheech Marin, & the wonderful character actor, Austin Pendleton. Book is much better than the movie.
$ 3.75 + $ 3.09 media shipping.

THE ST. NICHOLAS BOOK: A Celebration of Christmas Past
edited & introduction by Martin Greif. Wonderful color & B&W era lithographs and paintings. Condition: NEW 1981 Main Street soft cover, second printing. Content: A collection of stories, essays, poems, and illustrations from the nineteenth-century juvenile magazine reflecting the Christmas customs of the time. The famous "Yes, Virginia, There Is A Santa Claus" newspaper essay is included. For young adults and adults, as well. Questions welcome.
$ 5.49 + $ 3.09 media shipping. Priority shipping available - please use the drop-down menu.

THE STORY OF THE OTHER WISE MAN
by Henry van Dyke. Intro by Leo Buscaglia. Condition: NEW 1984 Ballantine paperback, first printing. Tiny mfg. "wrinkle" top front hinge. Content: On the centennial of its first publication, Tthis book still glows with the eternal essence of Christmas, which is love. Written at the end of the 19th Century, this short inspirational fable tells the tale of a fourth wise man, or Magi, who, like his three colleagues, bears gifts in search of the baby Jesus. His purpose was the highest -- to find the King. With much torture of soul, he turned aside time after time to feed the hungry, to clothe the naked, to heal the sick, to comfort the captive. In one last impulse of love, he denies to himself his great desire Then wonder of wonders, and joy of joys, he finds that his great desire is accomplished in this very denial. This story has the happiest ending that any story could ever have, a story and an ending that can become true in the lives of every man and woman. There is also a nice movie based on this book starring Martin Sheen. Questions welcome.
$ 4.49 + $ 2.94 media shipping.

TREASURED STORIES OF CHRISTMAS
by the Editors of Guideposts. Red & White decorations. Condition: UNREAD 1997 Inspirational Press hardcover & DJ (in mylar jacket), no printing given. Content: Christmas stories from Norman Vincent Peale, Helen Steiner Rice, Pearl Buck, Catherine Marshall, Jim Bishop, Billy Graham, Saint Luke, and many more. Questions welcome. [1 copy available]
$ 3.69 + $ 3.29 media shipping.

A WAR OF GIFTS: An Ender Story
by Orson Scott Card. Wrap-around cover art by John Harris. Condition: NEW 2007 TOR small hardcover & DJ (in mylar jacket), first printing. Deckled edges. Content: Card returns to his Hugo and Nebula award-winning Enderverse saga (after 2005's Shadow of the Giant) with a heartwarming novella for the holidays. When Zeck Morgan, the young son of a puritanical minister, qualifies for admission into the International Fleet's Battle School, he is brought to the school against his will. Citing his pacifist religious beliefs, Zeck refuses to participate in any simulated war games, but when he sees a Dutch student give a friend a small present in celebration of Sinterklaas Day, he reports the violation of the school's rules against open religious observation and sparks an uproar over religious freedom and the significance of cultural traditions. Meanwhile, Zeck becomes a pariah until series hero Ender Wiggin finds a way to show him the real meaning of the holidays. Exploring themes of tolerance and compassion, this story about stuffing stockings is, fittingly, a perfect stocking stuffer for science fiction fans of all ages. Questions welcome. [1 copy available]
$ 4.49 + $ 3.19 media shipping. International shipping available - please use the drop-down menu.

WINTER WISHES: Four new inspirational romances from Christmas present
by tYvonne Lehman, Loree Lough, Colleen Reece, Deborah White Smith. Condition: UNREAD 1999 Barbour Trade Paperback, no printing given. Light edgewear. Light tanning to page edges. Tiny tag removal spot. Content: This contemporary collection includes four brand-new inspirational novellas -- all by experienced authors -- that are sure to inspire Christmas joy: Dear Jane by Yvonne Lehman, The Language of Love by Loree Laugh, Candlelight Christmas by Colleen L. Reece, and Love Renewed by Debra White Smith. Questions welcome. [1 copy available]
$ 2.69 + $ 3.19 media shipping.