The Reader's Digest Merry Christmas Songbook [Spiral-bound]

Mary Kelleher (Editor), Elizabeth Mead (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 1981

Hardcover book, spiral bound to last a family lifetime. More than 250 pages, large easy-to-see print for piano/vocal/organ/guitar. Annotations on the history of some songs, illustrations, and an all-encompassing collection of seasonal songs. Lyric booklet included.

Product Details

• Spiral-bound: 252 pages
• Publisher: The Reader's Digest Association, Inc.; 1st edition (November 1, 1981)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0895771055
• ISBN-13: 978-0895771056
• Product Dimensions: 12.1 x 9.8 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (35 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #149,807 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

61 of 61 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Readers Digest Merry Christmas Songbook, December 14, 2000

By 

Nancy Moran (Baltimore, Maryland USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Reader's Digest Merry Christmas Songbook (Spiral-bound)

This is probably the finest highest quality collection of Christmas songs for Americans on the market. It is said to be "hardcover", but is spiral bound with a "hard" outerlayer and is printed on quality paper. There is also included a separate lyric book for sing-a-long with accompaniment. It contains 110 songs arranged for intermediate piano and also has plenty of notations for organ pedal and guitar chords. The songs range from traditional to modern (Adeste Fideles to Winter Wonderland and Silver Bells, for example) and there are a number of suprise favorites (Chestnuts Roasting, Friendly Beasts). Almost every tune is on adjacent pages so there is no page turning problem. Color coding makes lyrics stand out. Lyricists, composers and origin are clearly identified. You might find as I have that it is already a cherished family heirloom.

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Only Christmas Book You'll Ever Need!, November 17, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Reader's Digest Merry Christmas Songbook (Spiral-bound)

I've had my Christmas Songbook for over a decade and I play it more every single year! This has to be the most comprehensive music book I've ever seen. The arrangements are so incredible ... you'll be sounding like a professional the first time you play them! The book has the most astounding arrangement of "The Christmas Song" (aka Chestnusts Roasting on an Open Fire) that I've ever heard. I look forward to Christmas every year just so I can play this music. I just purchased the Children's Songbook by Reader's Digest and I can't wait to get it home and try it out!

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A treasure, November 24, 2002

By 

"racantwell" (Eastsound, WA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Reader's Digest Merry Christmas Songbook (Spiral-bound)

I am so happy I bought the Reader's Digest Merry Christmas Songbook this year! The arrangements are not that difficult, yet they sound very satisfying and are fun to play. I think any second or third year piano student will have the skills needed to play anything in this book. It's great to have such a big collection in one book (110 songs!) so I don't have to switch around and search through other books and sheet music to find what everyone wants to sing. All of the standards are included as are a lot of hard-to-find favorites like "Blue Christmas" and "All I want for Christmas is my Two Front Teeth." I love the hardback/spiral bound edition which lays nicely flat on the piano. Also, most songs are on two facing pages so there's not a lot of page turning. One of the best features is the songbook you get with the lyrics -- this means I can pass out copies so everyone can sing without crowding over my shoulder to use the book I'm trying to play from. I just got this book two days ago and I've already spent tons of time at the piano just enjoying playing through the arrangements. Great book and a good value.