The Greatest Christmas Tales & Poems : Over 230 Stories, Poems & Carols

The Greatest Christmas Tales & Poems is a treasure trove that captures the spirit of Christmas through an unparalleled amalgamation of literary mastery. This anthology knits together a remarkable array of stylesfrom the poetical enchantments of William Wordsworth and Alfred Lord Tennyson to the narrative depths explored by Charles Dickens and Leo Tolstoy, traversing the landscapes of folklore with the Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Andersen. Emerging from within these pages is a panoramic view of the festive season, observed through myriad prisms of culture, emotion, and era, making it a seminal collection that highlights the universal appeal and diverse interpretations of Christmas. The contributing authors, an illustrious roster of literary giants spanning the 19th to early 20th centuries, bring to this anthology their unique backgrounds, thereby enriching it with a wide cultural and historical span. This collective work not only reflects the Victorian fascination with Christmas as a cornerstone of family and societal celebrationas seen in works by Dickens and Trollopebut also delves into the deeper psychological and ethical questions of the human condition, encapsulated in the tales by Dostoevsky and Tolstoy. Such diversity offers a comprehensive view of the eras literary movements, from Romanticism to Realism, and their relationship with Christmas traditions, spirituality, and moral contemplations. For the reader seeking to immerse themselves in the festive season, The Greatest Christmas Tales & Poems provides a unique lens through which the holiday is both celebrated and scrutinized. It invites an exploration into the rich tapestry of Christmas as seen by celebrated authors, whose works traverse the boundaries of time and culture to speak of universal themes of joy, hope, and reflection. This anthology stands as an educational journey and a testament to the power of literature to encapsulate the essence of human experiences and traditions, making it an indispensable addition to any collection.

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1841 books
Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens was born in 1812 and grew up in poverty. This experience influenced ‘Oliver Twist’, the second of his fourteen major novels, which first appeared in 1837. When he died in 1870, he was buried in Poets’ Corner in Westminster Abbey as an indication of his huge popularity as a novelist, which endures to this day.
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1320 books
Mark Twain
Mark Twain, born Samuel Langhorne Clemens in 1835, left school at age 12. His career encompassed such varied occupations as printer, Mississippi riverboat pilot, journalist, travel writer, and publisher, which furnished him with a wide knowledge of humanity and the perfect grasp of local customs and speech manifested in his writing. It wasn't until The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1885), that he was recognized by the literary establishment as one of the greatest writers America would ever produce. Toward the end of his life, plagued by personal tragedy and financial failure, Twain grew more and more cynical and pessimistic. Though his fame continued to widen--Yale and Oxford awarded him honorary degrees--he spent his last years in gloom and desperation, but he lives on in American letters as "the Lincoln of our literature."
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126 books
William Wordsworth
William Wordsworth was a major English Romantic poet who, with Samuel Taylor Coleridge, helped to launch the Romantic Age in English literature with the 1798 joint publication Lyrical Ballads.
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580 books
Walter Scott
Sir Walter Scott was born in Scotland in 1771 and achieved international fame with his work. In 1813 he was offered the position of Poet Laureate, but turned it down. Scott mainly wrote poetry before trying his hand at novels. His first novel, Waverley, was published anonymously, as were many novels that he wrote later, despite the fact that his identity became widely known.
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347 books
Beatrix Potter
Helen Beatrix Potter was an English writer, illustrator, natural scientist and conservationist; she was best known for her children's books featuring animals, such as The Tale of Peter Rabbit.
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185 books
Emily Dickinson
Emily Dickinson (1830–1886) was an American poet. Born in Amherst, Massachusetts, to a successful family with strong community ties, she lived a mostly introverted and reclusive life, but today is considered to be one of the most influential poets in American history.
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462 books
O. Henry
William Sydney Porter—later to be known as O. Henry—was born in North Carolina in 1862. Known for his surprise endings and ability to capture the hope and pathos of ordinary people, Henry is best remembered for his stories about New York City. The Gift of the Magi was written in 1906, four years before his death.
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842 books
Leo Tolstoy
Leo Tolstoy grew up in Russia, raised by a elderly aunt and educated by French tutors while studying at Kazen University before giving up on his education and volunteering for military duty. When writing his greatest works, War and Peace and Anna Karenina, Tolstoy drew upon his diaries for material. At eighty-two, while away from home, he suffered from declining health and died in Astapovo, Riazan in 1910.
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85 books
Clement Moore
Clement Clarke Moore, (1779-1863), was a professor at New York City's General Theological Seminary (built on land donated by his father) who, in an 1836 reprint of A Visit From St. Nicholas (more commonly known today as Twas the Night Before Christmas), was first credited as the author of the poem, and later included it in an anthology of his work.
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The Greatest Christmas Tales & Poems : Over 230 Stories, Poems & Carols

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