The Battle for Christmas
A Cultural History of America's Most Cherished Holiday
$34.84
- Paperback
400 pages
- Release Date
28 October 1997
Summary
PULITZER PRIZE FINALIST
Drawing on a wealth of research, this “fascinating” book charts the invention of our current Yuletide traditions, from St. Nicholas to the Christmas tree and, perhaps most radically, the practice of giving gifts to children.
Anyone who laments the excesses of Christmas might consider the Puritans of colonial Massachusetts—they simply outlawed the holiday. The Puritans had their reasons, since Christmas was once an occasion for drunkenness and riot, when…
Book Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780679740384 |
|---|---|
| ISBN-10: | 0679740384 |
| Author: | Stephen Nissenbaum |
| Publisher: | Random House USA Inc |
| Imprint: | Random House USA Inc |
| Format: | Paperback |
| Number of Pages: | 400 |
| Release Date: | 28 October 1997 |
| Weight: | 340g |
| Dimensions: | 204mm x 132mm x 21mm |
| Series: | Vintage |
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What They're Saying
Critics Review
“Fascinating.”
“Fascinating.” —The New York Times Book Review
“Captivating…entertaining and erudite…challenges and demolishes a variety of cherished assumptions.” —Newsday
“Christmas…too often fails to wholly satisfy the spirit or the senses. How and why the yuletide came to this is the subject of historian Stephen Nissenbaum’s fascinating new study. ” —Newsweek
About The Author
Stephen Nissenbaum
STEPHEN NISSENBAUM received his A.B. from Harvard College in 1961, his M.A. from Columbia University in 1963, and his Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin in 1968. He has taught at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst since 1968, and is currently professor of history there. He has been the recipient of fellowships from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the American Council of Learned Societies, the American Antiquarian Society, the Massachusetts Historical Society, and the Charles Warren Center at Harvard. In addition, he was James P. Harrison Professor of History at the College of William and Mary, 1989-90. Active in the public humanities, he has served as member and president of the Massachusetts Foundation for the Humanities, and as historical advisor for several film productions. The Battle for Christmas was a Pulitzer Prize finalist in History in 1997.
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