The Keeping of Christmas at Bracebridge Hall by Washington Irving
5/10
I used to always, in the run up to Christmas, read a book that conjured up scenes of Christmas in the jolly days of yore. Thomas Hardy's 'Under the Greenwood Tree' is a favourite just for one section telling of old Christmas traditions. There are several Charles Dickens short stories that do the job, too.
But I found 'The Keeping of Christmas at Bracebridge Hall' a while ago on an old junk stall, and was attracted to it because it was clearly a very old hardback, with its paper cover still on it, with nice illustrations on the front and throughout. When I've done web searches about this book, I have found a couple of auction sites for rare old books which feature it - so, you never know, I might have purchased a goldmine. It has no publication date on it. Maybe one day I'll get it valued.
Anyway, it is a great resource for understanding old Christmas traditions - it's a series of essays about the author's travels in England, as a visiting American.
Not an easy book to sustain an interest in, though, so I put it down, after enjoying the Christmas at Bracebridge chapter. I'll probably pick it up again next November, to read in front of a roaring log fire.
5/10
I used to always, in the run up to Christmas, read a book that conjured up scenes of Christmas in the jolly days of yore. Thomas Hardy's 'Under the Greenwood Tree' is a favourite just for one section telling of old Christmas traditions. There are several Charles Dickens short stories that do the job, too.
But I found 'The Keeping of Christmas at Bracebridge Hall' a while ago on an old junk stall, and was attracted to it because it was clearly a very old hardback, with its paper cover still on it, with nice illustrations on the front and throughout. When I've done web searches about this book, I have found a couple of auction sites for rare old books which feature it - so, you never know, I might have purchased a goldmine. It has no publication date on it. Maybe one day I'll get it valued.
Anyway, it is a great resource for understanding old Christmas traditions - it's a series of essays about the author's travels in England, as a visiting American.
Not an easy book to sustain an interest in, though, so I put it down, after enjoying the Christmas at Bracebridge chapter. I'll probably pick it up again next November, to read in front of a roaring log fire.
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