The Autobiography of Santa Claus

by Jeff Guinn

Book Overview

This Christmas classic combines solid historical fact with glorious legend to deliver the definitive story of Santa Claus. For anyone who has ever wondered, you're right to believe in him In this... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1585422657
• ISBN13: 9781585422654
• Release Date: October 2003
• Publisher: Tarcher
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 0.98 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 5.8" x 8.5"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

Not what I expected

Im a Christmas nut and my bookshelves are lined with Christmas books. When I came across this I thought it would make a perfect addition to my book collection. It really wasn't what I was expecting. Parts of it were neat but it's definitely not the modern commercialized version of Santa Claus that I figured it would be about.

Interesting and fun read

Well most of know that Santa started out as St. Nicholas, a bishop from Asia minor and of course we know he ended up at the North Pole as the man we know today.But, what happened in between? How did Nicholas start his gift giving and how did he get to where he is today? Jeff Guinn attempts to explain all of that in this delightful book. Read how Santa started out and met the future Mrs. Claus. His travels throughout the world and his eventually settling at the North Pole.Guinn takes know facts about the actualy St. Nicholas and weaves them into the Santa Mythology we are all familiar with. Fun book to read.

A wonderful mixture of fantasy and history

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.

When You Believe

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

This is the BEST gift from Santa yet!

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.