The Annotated Night Before Christmas: A Collection Of Sequels, Parodies, And Imitations Of Clement Moore's Immortal Ballad About Santa Claus [Hardcover]

Martin Gardner (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 5, 2005

Gardner traces the beginnings of this beloved poem and its gradual rise to fame as an indispensable part of America's Christmas celebration. Beginning with a discussion about whether or not to allow children to believe in Santa Claus, Gardner recounts the history of the famous poem. After setting forth the original poem, Martin Gardner proceeds to later imitations, parodies, and sequels, beginning with a series of hilarious specimens all titled "The Night After Christmas". The book concludes with a discussion of the only significant addition to the Santa Claus legend since Moore's - "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer".

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Martin Gardner (Hendersonville, NC), the creator of Scientific American’s "Mathematical Games" column, which he wrote for more than twenty-five years, is the author of almost one hundred books, including The Annotated Ancient Mariner, Martin Gardner’s Favorite Poetic Parodies, From the Wandering Jew to William F. Buckley Jr., and Science: Good, Bad and Bogus. For many years he was also a contributing editor to the Skeptical Inquirer.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 253 pages
• Publisher: Prometheus Books (August 5, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1591023033
• ISBN-13: 978-1591023036
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 7.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,314,313 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Annotated Night Before Christmas book, February 5, 2009

By 

Wendy Hale "booklady" (Hillsboro, OR) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Annotated Night Before Christmas: A Collection Of Sequels, Parodies, And Imitations Of Clement Moore's Immortal Ballad About Santa Claus (Hardcover)

This is a fun and interesting book with sequels, parodies, and imitations of Clement Moore's The Night Before Christmas poem. I collect different versions of this poem and really found this book a perfect addition to my collection. Recommend for all ages.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars WSJ recommended it, December 3, 2005

By 

Susan Lyon (Del Mar, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Annotated Night Before Christmas: A Collection Of Sequels, Parodies, And Imitations Of Clement Moore's Immortal Ballad About Santa Claus (Hardcover)

Of all places, the Wall Street Journal did a clever review (in verse, an imitation itself) on Saturday, December 3, 2005. Since you have to subscribe to see their web site a sample of the review goes like this:

"Twas the month before Christmas and all through the city
Like the influx of shoppers along came this ditty....

That what to our wondering eyes should appear
But a whole sheaf of send-ups to tickle the ear."

With 9- and 12-year-old sons, we've outgrown the usual picture books for Christmas, but they have developed great senses of humor. This book sounded like a lot of fun moving into the teen years, so I ordered it sight unseen. (They liked the review and were interested in the idea of the parodies.)