The Autobiography of Santa Claus (Hardcover)

~ (Author) "I live at the snowy North Pole now, but my life began surrounded by sand..." (more)
Key Phrases: flying reindeer, toy factory, Saint Nicholas, North Pole, Willie Skokan (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

This enchanting Christmas classic returns for a new holiday season, combining historical fact with glorious legend as St. Nicholas himself reveals the definitive story of Santa Claus.

With seven centuries of holiday magic all rolled into twenty-four chapters-one for each cold December night leading up to Christmas-The Autobiography of Santa Claus is a great gift for the whole family!

About the Author

Jeff Guinn is an award-winning journalist and books editor of The Fort Worth Star Telegram.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Tarcher (October 27, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1585422657
• ISBN-13: 978-1585422654
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (54 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #38,221 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

55 of 56 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, Comixtreme.com columni... (Ama, Louisiana United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

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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.

42 of 43 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 (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

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

23 of 23 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.