Were They Wise Men or Kings?: The Book of Christmas Questions [Hardcover]

Joseph J. Walsh (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 2001

Christmas is a time of celebration, rich with ritual and detail. In this book of fifty questions about Christmas, Joseph Walsh gives us the details behind such Christmas traditions as the Nativity, Santa Claus, Rudolph, holiday decorations and greenery, Christmas tales, celebrations and rituals, the giving of gifts, and the sending of cards. In this delightfully illustrated book, readers will find answers to the questions they've often asked and some they've never thought of. A perfect book for reading to children, and generating many holiday conversations and memories.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

The approach of this book, and its rather conventional illustrations, give every evidence that we are meant to understand it as a children's book, an easy guide to Christmas. Don't be fooled: Walsh writes with great clarity and verve, and he thinks well enough of children, not to mention the rest of us, not to tell any flat lies. For example, he answers the question of the authorship of Visit from St. Nicholas with a clear exposition of the very recent and very heated debate over the merits of Henry Livingstons Livingston Jr. vs. Clement Moore. This brief but smart and memorable book, more than worth its weight in Christmas candy, is highly recommended.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Joseph J Walsh is Associate Professor of Classics and History at Loyola College in Baltimore, Maryland.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 144 pages
• Publisher: Westminster John Knox Press (August 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0664223125
• ISBN-13: 978-0664223120
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 7 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,198,783 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Christmas book -- for children and adults, November 25, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Were They Wise Men or Kings?: The Book of Christmas Questions (Hardcover)

I have never before written a review, but I like this book so much I have abandoned (temporarily) my usual laziness. When I was younger, I loved the Christmas season, but I have grown tired of the emphasis on getting presents, especially for our children. This book reminds me why I used to enjoy Christmas.
The book communicates the Christmas spirit -- the religious and the secular (both of which I love). While I want my children (and me) to think about the meaning of the first Christmas, I also want them to enjoy the spirit of Santa Claus and George Bailey. In bite-sized chapters organized by questions and answers, the author tells the many stories associated with Christmas. To give a few samples, "Why does Santa come down the chimney?" "Have modern astronomers identified the Star of Bethlehem?" "When was Jesus born?" "Was Ebenezer Scrooge based on anyone in particular" "Where did the idea for the movie "It's a Wonderful Life" come from?
In my house, I have seen each of the five of us reading the book -- from the ten-year old who still believes in Santa to the fifty-year old Scrooge. I am grateful to the author for helping to bring the spirit of Christmas into our home.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Christmas Gift!, November 14, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Were They Wise Men or Kings?: The Book of Christmas Questions (Hardcover)

This beautifully illustrated Christmas book provides straightforward answers to all kinds of Christmas questions--from the one on the cover (short answer: they were astrologers, something like wise men) to questions and answers about dubious Christmas marketing practices and the latest controversy about who wrote "T'was the Night Before Christmas." Not a religious book or a book for specialists, Were They Wise Men or Kings? dispenses information wittily in a format that encourages browsing as well as cover-to-cover reading. This would make a great Christmas present for someone who deserves more than a card but is difficult to please.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A graceful and witty little book, November 30, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Were They Wise Men or Kings?: The Book of Christmas Questions (Hardcover)

This is a quirky, erudite little book that is sitting on my bedstand right now. Last night I read several entries, from Professor Walsh's haunting account of the Christmas Eve truce among German and British soldiers during World War I, to his witty response to the question "Why is Mistletoe so potent?"
There is clearly a lot of scholarship behind this book, but it is manifested with light grace. I read it with enjoyment, yet in a couple of years, so will my child. It's just a very compact volume, full of surprising and illuminating detail. I'd like to thank the professor for writing it.