An entertaining, often surprising look at the life of the world's
most influential fictional character.
He is the embodiment of charity and generosity, a creation of
mythology, a tool of clever capitalists. The very idea of him is
enduring and powerful.
Santa Claus was born in early-nineteenth-century America, but his
family tree goes back seven hundred years to Saint Nicholas, patron
saint of children. Intervening generations were shaggy and strange
-- whip-wielding menaces to naughty boys and girls. Yet as the
raucous, outdoor, alcohol-fuelled holiday gave way to a more
domestic, sentimental model, a new kind of gift-bringer was called
for -- a loveable elf, still judgmental but far less threatening.
In this engaging social and cultural history, Gerry Bowler examines
the place of Santa Claus in history, literature, advertising, and
art. He traces his metamorphosis from a beardless youth into a
red-suited peddler. He reveals the lesser-known aspects of the
gift-bringer's life -- Santa's involvement with social and
political causes of all stripes (he enlisted on the Union side in
the American Civil War), his starring role in the movies and as
adman for gun-makers and insurance companies. And he demolishes the
myths surrounding Santa Claus and Coca-Cola.
"Santa Claus: A Biography" will stand as the classic work on the
long-lived and multifarious Mr. Claus.
"From the Hardcover edition."
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