What Christmas Is

Eight Christmas pieces by three masters of the form. Dickens recalls the toys, terrors and ghost stories hung on a child's Christmas tree, and welcomes the absent to the fire. Thackeray spends a week with a schoolboy, two pantomimes and an empty purse. Chesterton defends the turkey, scolds Peter Pan, dreams a lecturer into a heaven of snowballs, and finds a king turned clown in an old Nativity play. Wit, argument and a good deal of affection, for readers who like their Christmas with an opinion. A gift edition, illustrated throughout with original paintings made for this edition and set with ornamental chapter openings.