Customer Reviews

The Xmas Files: Facts Behind the Myths and Magic of Christmas

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
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Dr. Harding's book, The Magic of Christmas/Christmas Unwrapped/X-mas Files is a fantastic and well researched book. Word to the wise. The Magic of Christmas is identical to Christmas Unwrapped and the X-mas Files by the same author. The publisher, for some unknown and absurd reason, republished this book under three different titles with three different publication dates.

The overall theme of the book is excellent for showing the Amanita muscaria mushroom/shamanic origins of the Christmas story and even goes into some archaeoastronomy.

Much of this same information has been revealed by James Arthur in Mushrooms and Mankind and by James Bursenos in The Resurrection of Santa Claus - (republished) Shaman's Drum Issue 68, 2005. Dr. Harding was probably the first to discover the information, and probably the last to go to print with it. James Arthur (2000) uses many of the same associations in his book (with no references - plagiarism?) and radio shows that he very likely took "some" material from Harding. Harding's book(s) are far better and more readable than James Highfield - The Physics of Christmas (1998), etc., which bases much of the work on Harding, though strays off numerous times into unrelated material.

However, save your money and only buy one of the 3 different versions of the book. I'm glad I needed extra Christmas presents, but I was actually looking forward to reading "further" research by Dr. Harding, not the same book under three different titles. I'm very disappointed in the deceptive tactics of his publisher not informing the public that they're all the same damn book. They don't even appear to be different editions. Same material, same page numbers, same everything page for page.

Buy it, but only buy one.

Dr. Harding's book, The Magic of Christmas/Christmas Unwrapped/X-mas Files is a fantastic and well researched book. Word to the wise. The Magic of Christmas is identical to Christmas Unwrapped and the X-mas Files by the same author. The publisher, for some unknown and absurd reason, republished this book under three different titles with three different publication dates.

The overall theme of the book is excellent for showing the Amanita muscaria mushroom/shamanic origins of the Christmas story and even goes into some archaeoastronomy.

Much of this same information has been revealed by James Arthur in Mushrooms and Mankind and by James Bursenos in The Resurrection of Santa Claus - (republished) Shaman's Drum Issue 68, 2005. Dr. Harding was probably the first to discover the information, and probably the last to go to print with it. James Arthur (2000) uses many of the same associations in his book (with no references - plagiarism?) and radio shows that he very likely took "some" material from Harding. Harding's book(s) are far better and more readable than James Highfield - The Physics of Christmas (1998), etc., which bases much of the work on Harding, though strays off numerous times into unrelated material.

However, save your money and only buy one of the 3 different versions of the book. I'm glad I needed extra Christmas presents, but I was actually looking forward to reading "further" research by Dr. Harding, not the same book under three different titles. I'm very disappointed in the deceptive tactics of his publisher not informing the public that they're all the same damn book. They don't even appear to be different editions. Same material, same page numbers, same everything page for page.

Buy it, but only buy one.