The Autobiography of Santa Claus: It's Better to Give [Hardcover]

Jeff Guinn (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 17, 1997

For the first time ever, Santa Claus chronicles his life and legend in a story destined to take its place among Christmas classics.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Jeff Guinn is an award-winning journalist and books editor of The Fort Worth Star Telegram. --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

From AudioFile

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. John H. Mayer's warm and leisurely reading certainly puts one in mind of the classic nineteenth-century Claus, but it's the generous sprinkling of facts that draws one in. 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? A fine way for the whole family to receive a dash of history and humor relating to holiday cheer. B.P. © AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: The Summit Publishing Group (January 17, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1565301404
• ISBN-13: 978-1565301405
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (71 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,467,570 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

61 of 62 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful mixture of fantasy and history, December 17, 2003

By 

Blake Petit "Novelist, columnist & reviewer" (Ama, Louisiana United States) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Autobiography of Santa Claus (Hardcover)

I can't even imagine how long it must have taken Jeff Guinn to research and piece together this unusual book, but the hard work was worth it. "The Autobiography of Santa Claus" is part novel, part history, and something that anyone who loves Saint Nicholas will be grateful to read.

Guinn tracks down the origins of nearly all pieces of the Santa Claus legends and pieces them together, beginning with the birth of Nicholas in 280 A.D. He traces a life that lasts over 1700 years and explains how every well-known story of Santa Claus came to be, mixing in science with magic and throwing in actual historical figures to color the piece. (You'll never believe who some of Santa's "helpers" actually turn out to be.) He takes the character through the dark ages, through the Victorian era, mixes him in with European and American history and literature and finally brings it all together in the present day.

The book doesn't have much of a climax, but that's because it is written as an "autobiography," not a novel. The stories just stop because they've all been told... for now. That's part of the miracle -- the knowledge that Santa Claus will outlast us all and continue bringing his true gift, hope, to children all over the world long after you and I are gone. It's a wonderful book,and for people who love Christmas, I can't recommend it enough.

45 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars When You Believe, November 12, 2003

By 

Erika Sorocco (Southern California, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Autobiography of Santa Claus (Hardcover)

While visiting Barnes & Noble this past weekend on my annual Christmas book hunt, I stumbled across Jeff Guinn's THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF SANTA CLAUS. Little did I know, at the time, was that I stumbled across a true Christmas treasure.

THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF SANTA CLAUS tells the complete story of Saint Nicholas, from the day that he was born, up until present day. The story is not only a fantastical tale, but features many facts from history, and many Christian undertones.

As we are taken on this incredible journey with Santa Claus, we also meet up with many of Santa Claus' good friends, including Mrs. Claus, who also posess the gift of magic.

This is a must-read this holiday season for everyone the world over. Whether you are 1 or 100, you will be amazed with Santa Claus' fantastical life story.

Erika Sorocco

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is the BEST gift from Santa yet!, December 21, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Autobiography of Santa Claus: It's Better to Give (Hardcover)

While Christmas shopping a few years ago, I happened across this book at a local shopping mall and Christmas has not been the same since! This book is historically accurate, which adds to its believability. Santa explains his life and how many of the legends that surround him are made possible.

Santa is careful to consistantly tie the holiday back to it's true meaning--to celebrate Jesus' birth.

It's a wonderful combination of magic and logic to make Christmas as wonderous for adults as it is for children!

An subtle touch that was given to the book is that it's 24 chapters, which lends to starting the reading on December 1 and leading through to Christmas Eve, just in time to go to bed and dream of Santa's visit.