Customer Reviews

The World Encyclopedia of Christmas

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Witty and authoritative, the World Encyclopaedia of Christmas is not only fun for casual reading but it has also served me well as a resourceful reference book. With such a wide array of entries including movies, an exhaustive history of Christmas, important historical events, ethnic traditions and carols, I was unable to find anything about Christmas that wasn't there! This comprehensive book exceeded all my expectations and made this my must read for the Christmas season and beyond. It is definitely going to be a Christmas gift in my family!

I enjoyed every entry of Dr. Bowler's fascinating encyclopaedia. It is rich not only in folk traditions but also in terms of popular culture. There are many entries on Christmas films, modern fairy tales with a Christmas theme, carols, art, festive food, legends of flowers and plants associated with the Christmas season.There are also entries on Christmas games as well as biographical entries. Interesting details are shared about customs from a wide variety of countries and regional traditions of the British Isles are also represented. There is also a rich collection of technical terms from various languages that pertain to Christmas and New Year traditions. One very minor weakness of this book (apart from a lack of index and bibliography) was that it needed perhaps tighter editing with the use of some of these foreign words. For instance, in the excellent entry on Greece the correct word for carols is 'kalanda'(which is already plural in form) not'kalandas'. Moreoever, for consistency the Greek Christmas cookies 'loukoumathes' and 'kourabiedes' should not be spelt with different suffixes since they have the same penultimate consanant and should end in '-adhes'(i.e. loukoumadhes and kourabiedhes - the 'dh' beiong pronounced like the 'th' in 'then' rather than the 'th' in 'thin'). Moreover, the Romanian custom of the 'sorcova' in which children "tap their elders lightly with a small branch" is unlikely to be "derived from the word for 'forty'" as the author suggests. I would argue that this word is a cognate of the Northern Greek and Bulgarian word 'sourva'(this word is missing) which is a type of branch (usually from the cornel tree) which is used for tapping people at Christmas and New Year for good health. The author does provide some interesing related entries on 'holming' and 'beating'. The author also shows an awareness of a very unusual custom of placing a coin in the 'christopsomo' or Christmas (day) bread. As he correctly acknowledges, the most established form of this custom is the coin in the 'vasilopita'(or St. Basil's pie) on New Year's day. As I am interested in Celtic folklore, I was pleased to see many entries from Irish, Scottish and Welsh folklore (alas nothing from Cornwall). There are a few interesting entries from Manx (the newly revived language of the Isle of Man)one of which was the 'quaaltagh'. Although this is translated by the author as 'firstfooter' it does not apply to a first footer in the traditional sense (i.e. the first person to enter a house) but rather it had the unique nuance of refering to the first person met when one went OUTSIDE the house. The allusion to the 'eisteddfod' (Welsh cultuarl fesitval of music and poetry etc) is a little incongruous. Despite the fact that the first 'eisteddfod' did happen to take place at Christmas time. it has little direct relation to Christmas- and now does not take place in the Christmas season. By contrast, there were a few ommissions. For instance, an interesting entry is provided for Croatia but there is nothing for the distinct customs of Serbia (apart from the entry on the 'badnjak' which is common to both). Similarly we have the Irish 'Nollaig na bhFear' or 'men's Christmas' but not 'Nollaig na mBan' (i.e.'Woman's Christmas'). However, as I say, such details are minor indeed and hardly detract from the excellence of the work. I did learn a great deal from this work and it certainly deserves at least five stars!

I had heard about this book from a friend and didn't believe it could be so comprehensive or complete. When I saw it in the local bookstore, I was astonished at the breadth and depth of coverage of Christmas and the many customs which are associated with it from all around the world.

Over Christmas, a family discussion of Christmas activities in cultures not familiar to my own resulted in a look at the appropriate item in the encyclopedia, followed by a virtual cornucopia of additional reading as everyone suggested inquiries and questions, all of which were referenced. Hats off to Dr. Bowler!

With the high volume of anecdotal books on Christmas, it is hard to find an author who takes the time to examine primary sources and check the facts. The World Encyclopedia of Christmas is a rare find, for Dr. Bowler takes the time to carefully examine traditions, old and new, with a fresh and insightful perspective. I recommend it for all audiences, academic or otherwise, because Bowler's humor is enough to sustain all levels of interest.
Kate Penner--Yale University

This is a fantastic book for Christmas lovers. Bowler covers a wide range of Christmas customs from around the globe, and includes everything from the words of Christmas carols, poems, and sayings, to Christmas film reviews, stamps, and other things merry that have created the holiday season around Christmas and New Years. This isn't a dry work of academia either, Gerry Bowler's wit shines through in a number of passages. This book is a welcome addition to the world of Christmas and a definite must-have!

Very pleased with this book, not just a rehash of old information. Contains words and backgrounds to carols, good bw illustrations, many recent references, hours of good reading if you want to learn and a great reference. Glad I bought it.

The positive side: This encyclopedia is quite comprehensive, with more than 1,000 entries that cover a wide range of subjects in relatively small space (257 numbered text pages). The subjects span the entire period from the manger to the twentieth century with history, customs, traditions, mythical spirits that bring gifts, holiday symbols, a host of foreign countries, carols, songs, literary works, and items in the popular media such as movies, animated cartoons, and television specials. The book is copiously illustrated. Almost every page includes quality black-and-white pictures and photographs reflecting period content, and there are some sixteen additional pages of full color plates depicting Christmas paintings by eminent artists. Entries discussing foreign countries present respective customs and cuisine, and a separate entry lists phrases for "Merry Christmas" in some 85 foreign languages. Carols and songs in the public domain (copyright has expired) include printed lyrics, and many entries for literary works reproduce considerable passages of prose or poetry. Entries focusing on history, ancient traditions, and foreign countries are by far the strong points of this book.

The negative side: The encyclopedia attempts to cram too many entries into too little space. The result is that many so-called "entries" are reduced to nothing more than brief definitions of terms, objects, or persons. Lyrics to copyrighted songs are absent. With a few exceptions, entries discussing popular media subjects provide scant information beyond the bare essentials of author/lyricist/composer, dates, places, director, or principal actors. Generally lacking are human-interest details or background notes (how or why the story, movie, or song came into existence), or detailed plot descriptions. The most serious deficiencies are the lack of an index and lack of a bibliography, two basic elements requisite in any reputable reference work.

I must correct a typographical error. I stated that there were 227 numbered text pages. There are actually 257.