"If you're giving one book for Christmas, make it this one." -Jim Trelease, author, The Read-Aloud Handbook They are some of the warmest childhood memories, those unhurried evenings around the fireplace, Christmas tree, or dinner table, when there was time for a story. Now, with this collection, you can keep the story-telling tradition alive in your family, and pass it on to your children or grandchildren. Home for Christmas includes twenty time-honored tales. Several are by world-famous authors; others are little-known treasures translated from other languages. Selected for their literary quality and spiritual integrity, they will resonate with readers of all ages, year after year. With original woodcuts by David Klein

"The stories come from all over the world and represent many genres, such as parables, animal fables, historical fiction, fairy tales, and Christian fantasy. Definitely read these stories at Easter, but keep the book close and pull it out whenever you and your family need a reminder of the great Easter themes of transformation, reconciliation and the triumph of life over death."—National Catholic Register Everyone who believes Easter is about more than bunnies and eggs will be grateful for this new collection of short stories that shed light on the deeper meaning of the season. Selected for their spiritual value and literary quality, these classic tales capture the spirit of Easter in a way that will captivate readers of all ages. Parents and grandparents will find that children love to hear these stories read aloud, year after year. Easter Stories includes time-honored favorites from world-famous storytellers such as C.S. Lewis, Leo Tolstoy, Selma Lagerlof, Oscar Wilde, Elizabeth Goudge, Maxim Gorky, Ruth Sawyer, and Walter Wangerin – as well as many you’ve never heard before. Illustrated with original woodcuts.

In this second part of her notionally autobiographical trilogy, Selma Lagerloef broadens the perspective from the farm where she grew up to include the people and places around Lake Fryken in her beloved Varmland county. The personal creation myth which she began in Marbacka continues here with a focus on the self-discipline and imagination needed to fulfil a childhood ambition to become an author. It is hard work that sometimes means taking a stand against convention but also a deeply enriching process in a home steeped in storytelling and books. The mature author reveals the roots of the young bibliophile's growing skill in deploying fiction to manipulate and embellish reality, producing a wryly charming, tongue-in-cheek account that we should beware of taking at face value.

For poverty-stricken farm labourer Jan, the birth of his daughter Klara gives life a new meaning; his devotion to her develops into an obsession that excludes all else. We are taken from the miracle of a newborn child and a father's love of his baby girl into a fantasy world emerging as a result of extreme external pressures, in which Jan creates for himself the role of Emperor of Portugallia. Yet this seemingly mad world generates surprising insights and support. Described as 'perhaps the most private of Selma Lagerloef's books', the novel takes us deep into a father-daughter relationship that carries the seeds of tragedy within it almost from the start. Selma Lagerloef (1858-1940) quickly established herself as a major author of novels and short stories, and her work has been translated into close to 50 languages. Most of the translations into English were made soon after the publication of the original Swedish texts and have long been out of date. This Norvik Press series, 'Lagerloef in English', provides English-language readers with high-quality new translations of a selection of the Nobel Laureate's most important texts.

The stories of Jesus' birth and childhood are well known, but Selma Lagerloef brings them truly to life in this wonderful collection of tales for children. Her storytelling draws vividly on the colourful history and landscape of the Holy Land. She weaves in a cast of lively characters whose experiences and points of view are not usually represented: a war-hardened soldier at Herod's feast, a grumpy shepherd, Emperor Tiberius himself. Together they proclaim the human drama and divine mystery of the events of Christ's life. Previously published as The Emperor's Vision.

The Loewenskoeld Ring (1925) is the first volume of the trilogy considered to have been Selma Lagerloef's last work of prose fiction. Set in the Swedish province of Varmland in the eighteenth century, the narrative traces the consequences of the theft of General Loewenskoeld's ring from his coffin, and develops into a disturbing tale of revenge from beyond the grave. It is also a tale about decisive women. The narrative twists and the foregrounding of alternative interpretations confront the reader with a pervasive sense of ambiguity. Along with the narrative technique, the spell of the ring extends into the two subsequent volumes, Charlotte Loewenskoeld (1925) and Anna Svard (1928).

In this newly illustrated edition of the classic Swedish folk tale, Nils is shrunk to a tiny size by a dwarf, and carried across Sweden by a flock of wild geese to their summer home in the far North. Through many perils and exciting adventures, Nils wins the respect and love of the geese and finally returns home.

Nils Holgersson's Wonderful Journey through Sweden (1906-07) is truly unique. Starting life as a commissioned school reader designed to present the geography of Sweden to nine-year-olds, it quickly won the international fame and popularity it still enjoys over a century later. The story of the naughty boy who climbs on the gander's back and is then carried the length of the country, learning both geography and good behaviour as he goes, has captivated adults and children alike, as well as inspiring film-makers and illustrators. The elegance of the present translation - the first full translation into English - is beautifully complemented by the illustrations specially created for the volume.