Gramercy Books

I gave this book five stars, not just because the stories, carols, rebus, and poems within it are themselves of good quality, but also because they work as a whole for the overall collection. I do not believe that I have ever read a Christmas book with such a satisfying selection; although the book is short, it covers a variety of Christmas writings, and it feels complete. It offers a good mix of nineteenth-century illustrations, poems, and stories; it features both secular and religious show more entries; and it spans a variety of styles. It includes such well-known authors as Dickens, Longfellow, and O. Henry, and it showcases some potentially-lesser-known writers as Cardinal Newman and William Dean Howells. Moreover, it strives to show the most accurate versions of its contents. Clement C. Moore's famous poem, for instance, is listed under the original title, "A Visit from St. Nicholas." The poem itself uses Moore's names for the reindeer and ends with the correct words, "Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night!" All to often, publishers edit this poem, changing the original "Donder" to "Donner" and modernizing the ending to the more familiar "Merry Christmas." It was a treat to find a book that not only shows great respect for all its source material, but which also combines some of the very best of the Christmas season writings in one volume. show less

I have read many little paeans to felines such as this and this is the pinnacle so far. this is a collection of witty cat-related quotes and oddly apt photos. several times this brought a smile to and laugh out of this cat lover.

Concise cookbook filled with traditional recipes for the holiday season. Illustrated with adorable Victorian images, but lacks photos of the cookies and candies. The book includes a table of contents and an introduction with helpful hints for storing, packaging, and mailing treats. There is no index.

Very nice collection of cookie recipes. I honestly can not speak to the candy recipes since I have not used any of them - however they look good.