Case 14
- Christmas Poetry and Stories
Eleanor Farjeon. Come Christmas. London: W. Collins Sons & Co., [1927]
Eleanor
Farjeon’s popular volume of Christmas poems for children is deeply imbued with
the author’s infectious love of Christmas. Many of her poems have a strong
Christian flavour, and some, including ‘The shepherd and the King’ have been set
to music in more recent times as Christmas carols.
The book of Christmas: a collection of carols, stories, and games for the Christmas season. Wellington: A.H. & A.W. Reed, 1943.
This
Reed volume of Christmas fare for children attempts to attract and hold the
attention of youngsters with its variegated menu of poems, carols,
illustrations, games, puzzles, short Christmas stories, and historical
Christmas anecdotes – including the origins of Christmas cards, Christmas
carols, and Christmas dinners, and an account of what Samuel Pepys did on
Christmas day.
The book of Christmas: a collection of carols, stories, and games for the Christmas season. Wellington: A.H. & A.W. Reed, 1943.
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A.H. & A.W. Reed. First New Zealand Christmases. Dunedin: A.H. Reed, 1933.
With its
striking cover image of a manuka tree in flower, the 1933 first edition of First New Zealand Christmases was the
inaugural literary collaboration between A.H. and A.W. Reed. Evidently
considered an apt Christmas gift, it was a resounding success, selling several
thousand copies. Aimed at young readers, it told the story of the Christian
origins of European settlement in New Zealand.
A.H. & A.W. Reed. First New Zealand Christmases. New edition. Wellington: A.H. & A.W. Reed, 1955.
After
several reprints, First New Zealand
Christmases was reissued in a simpler, plainer format in 1955. With its
smaller size, larger fonts, use of simpler illustrations and maps, in addition
to the removal of busy-looking facsimile materials and narrative asides, it was
clearly an attempt to entice younger readers to the true Christmas message. The
revised edition, nevertheless, failed to match the success of the
manuka-covered original.
A.H. & A.W. Reed. First New Zealand Christmases. New edition. Wellington: A.H. & A.W. Reed, 1955.
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