One of six beloved Christmas classics in collectible hardcover
editions
Written in 1831 by the father of Russian literature, this uproarious
tale tells of the blacksmith Vakula's battle with the devil, who has
stolen the moon and hidden it in his pocket, allowing him to wreak havoc
on the village of Dikanka. Both the devil and Vakula are in love with
Oksana, the most beautiful girl in Dikanka. Vakula is determined to win
her over; the devil, equally determined, unleashes a snowstorm to thwart
Vakula's efforts. Zany and mischievous, and drawing inspiration from the
folk tales of Gogol's far-flung village in Ukraine, The Night Before
Christmas is the basis for many movie and opera adaptations, and is
still read aloud to children on Christmas Eve in Ukraine and Russia.
Penguin Christmas Classics
Give the gift of literature this Christmas.
Penguin Christmas Classics honor the power of literature to keep on
giving through the ages. The six volumes in the series are not only our
most beloved Christmas tales, they also have given us much of what we
love about the holiday itself. A Christmas Carol revived in Victorian
England such Christmas hallmarks as the Christmas tree, holiday cards,
and caroling. The Yuletide yarns of Anthony Trollope popularized
throughout the British Empire and around the world the trappings of
Christmas in London. The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus created
the origin story for the presiding spirit of Christmas as we know it.
The holiday tales of Louisa May Alcott shaped the ideal of an American
Christmas. The Night Before Christmas brought forth some of our
earliest Christmas traditions as passed down through folk tales. And
The Nutcracker inspired the most famous ballet in history, one seen by
millions in the twilight of every year.
Beautifully designed hardcovers--with foil-stamped jackets, decorative
endpapers, and nameplates for personalization--in a small trim size that
makes them perfect stocking stuffers, Penguin Christmas Classics embody
the spirit of giving that is at the heart of our most time-honored
stories about the holiday.
Collect all six Penguin Christmas Classics:
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
Christmas at Thompson Hall: And Other Christmas Stories by Anthony
Trollope
The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus by L. Frank Baum
A Merry Christmas: And Other Christmas Stories by Louisa May Alcott
The Night Before Christmas by Nikolai Gogol
The Nutcracker by E. T. A. Hoffmann
For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of
classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700
titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works
throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the
series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and
notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as
up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.
