- Hardcover: 288 pages
- Publisher: McClelland & Stewart (Nov 15 2005)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0771015321
- ISBN-13: 978-0771015328
- Product Dimensions: 22.4 x 14.7 x 2.8 cm
- Shipping Weight: 522 g
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #384,408 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- See Complete Table of Contents
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Publishers Weekly
This story of the "all-seeing agent of didactic forces and an ally of strict parenting" is dense with history yet told with the same delight and rapt fascination as Clement Clark Moore's "Twas' the night before Christmas." Offering the definitive chronology of hope and imagination, Bowler follows the Santa myth from its origins to the jolly man's appearance on the big screen. The lore of St. Nicholas, bishop of Myra and patron saint of maidens, fruitful marriages, students and children, has morphed with the various cultures that have adopted him as a symbol of Christmas spirit: he has inspired both charity and greed, and has been known to answer to generals during wartime. Bowler demonstrates how Santa Claus has flourished with the help of imaginative writers and artists and has endured despite the forces of advertising, politics and Hollywood. "The future of Santa Claus is not up to children," writes Bowler, "his life rests in the hands of parents," and their "acts of loving folly" such as half-eaten cookies and letters from the North Pole. Filled with humor and warmth, this "biography" should be kept among the other tales of Christmas to be read the moment holiday cynicism begins to gather.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Review
"Offering the definitive chronology of hope and imagination, Bowler follows the Santa myth from its origins to the jolly man's appearance on the big screen....Filled with humor and warmth, this "biography" should be kept among the other tales of Christmas to be read the moment holiday cynicism begins to gather."
—Publisher's Weekly
"[Gerry Bowler studies] Santa in all of his incarnations, from a slightly tricky character in earlier centuries to the cherubic personality promulgated by advertising….[Santa Claus: A Biography] is graced with a wry wit that makes it both informative and entertaining…recommended for all libraries."
—Tessa L.H. Minchew, Georgia Perimeter Coll., Clarkston in Library Journal
Praise for The World Encyclopedia of Christmas
“Meticulously researched, well-written, and often downright funny, this encyclopedia does justice to its fascinating subject.”
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
—Publisher's Weekly
"[Gerry Bowler studies] Santa in all of his incarnations, from a slightly tricky character in earlier centuries to the cherubic personality promulgated by advertising….[Santa Claus: A Biography] is graced with a wry wit that makes it both informative and entertaining…recommended for all libraries."
—Tessa L.H. Minchew, Georgia Perimeter Coll., Clarkston in Library Journal
Praise for The World Encyclopedia of Christmas
“Meticulously researched, well-written, and often downright funny, this encyclopedia does justice to its fascinating subject.”
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
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Customer Reviews
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Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Absolutely wonderful!!!,
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Santa Claus: A Biography (Paperback)
Like many I have always loved Christmas and have long been enchanted by the magical aspects of it as well as the legends and stories both historical and personal. Indeed a few years ago I was coaxed into playing Santa Claus at work after some joking around on my part. Perhaps the joke was on me because upon playing Santa Claus I found that a renewed sense of wonder and magic returned to my perception of Christmas upon seeing the joy that Santa brought to many I encountered and greeted. Since then I have fallen in love with becoming Santa each Christmas such that I made the effort to fashion my own custom made suit and beard! (-:This brings me to this wonderful book by Gerry Bowler. Here he unfolds the origins of many of our familiar Christmas traditions as well and more specifically the origins and stories of our beloved Santa Claus. He recounts the legends and history in such a way as to make it immediately accessible and recognizable. He neatly lays the groundwork for the eventual appearance of our familiar "jolly old Santa." Bowler also dispels some long held myths about Santa Claus---the most prevalent being that our contemporary image of Santa originated in the 1930's Coca-Cola advertisements. Santa's image in our collective conscience was pretty well established by the end of the 19th century and Haddon Sundblom's Coca-Cola illustrations were simply refinements on what had already been established. And it must be said that Santa's image is still not really cemented as best evidenced by the interpretations and variations we continue to see depicting him. One great charm of this book is in revealing how our current forms of celebrating Christmas is relatively recent historically and how it is quite different from how Christmas was celebrated in the past. The 19th century is the great turning point for Christmas and the birth of Santa Claus as he evolved from and eventually eclipsed the more religiously oriented St. Nicholas before him. It's also quite eye opening to see how familiar the 19th century becomes to us in seeing that our contemporary concerns and ideas regarding Christmas are not at all new and were already there so long ago. Yet the most significant appeal of this book is in how it manages to bring our faith in Santa alive and returns to us a sense of magic and wonder we might have thought was lost and forgotten. Bowler makes us feel young again even as he is really just recounting history. I heartily recommend this book!
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
4.5 out of 5 stars (4 customer reviews) 7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Delightful and Beautiful,
By G. Poirier - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Santa Claus: A Biography (Hardcover)
From Santa's origins, through his evolution across the ages to his existence today - it's all here. This book has got to contain everything that anyone would ever want to know about Santa Claus: his "birth"; his depiction in different countries in different times; his "activities" during wars; his appearance in various ads, in movies, in literature and in song; as well as his perception by children and their parents alike. This is a wonderfully charming book. It is well written and although it is a serious biography, it is peppered with occasional humor as well as descriptions of heart-warming incidents. I recommend this book to everyone: those interested in history and culture, those who would like to believe again and those who still do.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
My Visit With Santa Claus,
By Carl L. Hofmann - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Santa Claus: A Biography (Hardcover)
Gives Merry Christmas a new meaning. The evolution andcombining of religious and pagan customs that produced this jolly old elf are an enlightening rebirth for Santa. 4 of 5 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Pleasurable Read,
By Joseph Maclachlan - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Santa Claus: A Biography (Paperback)
Bowler's wit and dry sense of humour make this a pretty fun book. Santa's history is traced from his origins as the Roman bishop St. Nicholas through his various medieval forms into his present shape as the fat, red-suited Christmas icon. In addition, Bowler traces the histories of some of Santa's counterparts, such as Kriss Kringle, Belsnickle and so on, who have influenced our modern view of Santa. I have two comments that may be construed as praise or criticism. Bowler often seems unwilling to draw explicit conclusions; evidence is presented, then a suggestion made with no clear cause and effect inference. Perhaps the author wants you to think for yourself and draw your own conclusion - always a good thing in popular histories - or any history for that matter. However, it has two unwanted effects: it leaves the reader with a sense of confusion, as though they missed something; and it makes Bowler's arguments seem weak, as though even he is not entirely sure. The other criticism is that Bowler has left out of the book virtually no song, movie or poem that mentions Santa Claus. While this is a commendable feat, it sometimes makes for dry reading. The chapter entitled 'Santa at the Movies (and in the Jukebox Too)' is essentially a list of Santa movies and songs with little actual historical commentary on any of them. Regardless of these criticisms the book is still a lot of fun and a pleasure to read.
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