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Holiday Tales
"Holiday Tales" from William Henry Harrison Murray. Clergyman and author of an influential series of articles and books which popularized the Adirondacks (1840-1904).
60 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1897
23 people are currently reading
94 people want to read
About the author
William Henry Harrison Murray
107 books4 followersWilliam Henry Harrison Murray (1840–1904), also known as Adirondack Murray, was a clergyman and author of an influential series of articles and books which popularized the Adirondacks; he became known as the father of the Outdoor Movement.
Born in Guilford, Connecticut, he graduated from Yale in 1862 and served as a minister in Greenwich, Connecticut and Meriden, Connecticut from 1869 through 1873. He also delivered Sunday evening lectures about the Adirondacks in a Boston music-hall that proved highly popular, and he published a series of articles based on the lectures in a Meriden newspaper. In 1869, they were published as a book, Adventures in the Wilderness; or, Camp-Life in the Adirondacks.
The literary tone of the book made it extremely successful; it went through eight printings in its first year. Murray promoted New York's north woods as health-giving and spirit-enhancing, claiming that the rustic nobility typical of Adirondack woodsmen came from their intimacy with wilderness. A subsequent printing, subtitled Tourist's Edition, included maps of the region and train schedules from various Eastern cities to the Adirondacks.
Although the book was to become one of the most influential books in the conservation movement of the 19th century, paradoxically, within five years it led to the building of over 200 "Great Camps" in the Adirondacks; "Murray’s Fools" poured into the wilderness each weekend, packing specially scheduled railroad trains.
Born in Guilford, Connecticut, he graduated from Yale in 1862 and served as a minister in Greenwich, Connecticut and Meriden, Connecticut from 1869 through 1873. He also delivered Sunday evening lectures about the Adirondacks in a Boston music-hall that proved highly popular, and he published a series of articles based on the lectures in a Meriden newspaper. In 1869, they were published as a book, Adventures in the Wilderness; or, Camp-Life in the Adirondacks.
The literary tone of the book made it extremely successful; it went through eight printings in its first year. Murray promoted New York's north woods as health-giving and spirit-enhancing, claiming that the rustic nobility typical of Adirondack woodsmen came from their intimacy with wilderness. A subsequent printing, subtitled Tourist's Edition, included maps of the region and train schedules from various Eastern cities to the Adirondacks.
Although the book was to become one of the most influential books in the conservation movement of the 19th century, paradoxically, within five years it led to the building of over 200 "Great Camps" in the Adirondacks; "Murray’s Fools" poured into the wilderness each weekend, packing specially scheduled railroad trains.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
November 20, 2019
This is a short listen, but a very nice one for the wintery months. Perhaps it should be noted that these stories are as much about charity, the celebration of Christmas, and friendship as they are a naturalist describing the Adirondack wilderness of the 1860s. There is also a religious, though not preachy tone to them. John McDonough, also wonderful narrating Jan Karon's Mitford series and other titles, is excellent here and does a great job bringing life to these two stories.
November 8, 2015
The first of my Christmas reads this year! A fun reminder of the most important things about the holidays...family, friends, love and kindness.
December 11, 2020
“When food is well prepared it delights the eye, it intoxicates the nose, it pleases the tongue, it stimulates the appetite, and prolongs the healthy craving which it finally satisfies, even as the song of the mother charms the child which it gradually composes for slumber."
― William H.H. Murray
"The sky hung over the frozen world like a dome of gray steel, whose invisibly matched plates were riveted here and there by a few white, gleaming stars.”
― William H.H. Murray,
During the intro to the book, the narrator suggests that this book did for America what A Christmas Tale did for England. Which is to, this classic Christmas story by William Murray has stood the test of time.
And for good reason.
The prose is beautiful. The way it is able to bring a lone cabin, the remote snowy terrain, and above all a crackling fire truly alive and infuse it with meaning is a big part of the book's enchantment.
There is a poetry to the descriptives that feel intimately connected to its setting. It transports us to both a particular time and place (written in the late 1800's), as well as to something more universal. Truths that transcend time and place.
At one point our main character is musing about precisely how it is we journey from the Old Testament story to the birth of Christ. Facing the sometimes evasive and confusing language of scripture, he describes the art of encountering a word or a sentence and forcing oneself to simply sit with it, waiting to see where it leads. It's such a marvelous insight to the power of the Christmas story to form us. And in chapter 2 in particular, we get these honest confessions that connect this struggle, which is at its heart a spiritual one, to their lives, to the world around them. Finding beauty in the struggle.
And the food. Love the presence of the food. It is a love letter to all tbe wonderful things that we enjoy over the holidays, a detailed construction of that picturesque setting that so many imagine over the holidays. The uncluttered and uninterrupted joy of a fireplace, a friend and family, a hot drink or good food, all set against a silent, cool night.
This is definitely one that I hope to revisit over future Christmas', and one I hope to purchase as well. I just want the freedom to sit with some of these sections and sentences and underline them so I have them to revisit.
― William H.H. Murray
"The sky hung over the frozen world like a dome of gray steel, whose invisibly matched plates were riveted here and there by a few white, gleaming stars.”
― William H.H. Murray,
During the intro to the book, the narrator suggests that this book did for America what A Christmas Tale did for England. Which is to, this classic Christmas story by William Murray has stood the test of time.
And for good reason.
The prose is beautiful. The way it is able to bring a lone cabin, the remote snowy terrain, and above all a crackling fire truly alive and infuse it with meaning is a big part of the book's enchantment.
There is a poetry to the descriptives that feel intimately connected to its setting. It transports us to both a particular time and place (written in the late 1800's), as well as to something more universal. Truths that transcend time and place.
At one point our main character is musing about precisely how it is we journey from the Old Testament story to the birth of Christ. Facing the sometimes evasive and confusing language of scripture, he describes the art of encountering a word or a sentence and forcing oneself to simply sit with it, waiting to see where it leads. It's such a marvelous insight to the power of the Christmas story to form us. And in chapter 2 in particular, we get these honest confessions that connect this struggle, which is at its heart a spiritual one, to their lives, to the world around them. Finding beauty in the struggle.
And the food. Love the presence of the food. It is a love letter to all tbe wonderful things that we enjoy over the holidays, a detailed construction of that picturesque setting that so many imagine over the holidays. The uncluttered and uninterrupted joy of a fireplace, a friend and family, a hot drink or good food, all set against a silent, cool night.
This is definitely one that I hope to revisit over future Christmas', and one I hope to purchase as well. I just want the freedom to sit with some of these sections and sentences and underline them so I have them to revisit.
November 21, 2022
This book has two stories: How John Norton the Trapper Kept His Christmas and John Norton's Vagabond. Both are stories about generosity and the Christmas spirit of love and goodwill. The book was published in 1897 and there are some language differences for the modern reader to discern. Besides that, John Norton, most often referred to as the Trapper or the Old Man, speaks in the vernacular of some kind of geographically old timer accent. His conversation is written as such throughout the book. This can make for an annoying read or an endearment towards the character.
John has a good, tender, and genuine heart. He has an overwhelming desire to help a terribly impoverished woman and her children at Christmas time. In making this a reality, his friend, Wild Buffalo Bill gets involved. In the process of preparing to spread the true meaning of Christmas, Bill has a reformation of sorts and never touches alcohol again. In the second half of the book Bill states that it has been a year since he had a drop. The second part of the book is the second story. The Trapper feels compelled to open his doors Christmas day to any woodsmen and vagabonds. He prepares a masterful feast and there is much joy in the midst of a terrible storm the author interjects some lovely, almost lyrical, passages that speak deeper insight of life after much telling of antics and descriptions of various goings on.
If you like Christmas books, a look at the past, other cultures in America (a small slice of history) then give this a go.
I gave it 4 stars for the historical value, earnest quest for the Christmas spirit, and the writing.
John has a good, tender, and genuine heart. He has an overwhelming desire to help a terribly impoverished woman and her children at Christmas time. In making this a reality, his friend, Wild Buffalo Bill gets involved. In the process of preparing to spread the true meaning of Christmas, Bill has a reformation of sorts and never touches alcohol again. In the second half of the book Bill states that it has been a year since he had a drop. The second part of the book is the second story. The Trapper feels compelled to open his doors Christmas day to any woodsmen and vagabonds. He prepares a masterful feast and there is much joy in the midst of a terrible storm the author interjects some lovely, almost lyrical, passages that speak deeper insight of life after much telling of antics and descriptions of various goings on.
If you like Christmas books, a look at the past, other cultures in America (a small slice of history) then give this a go.
I gave it 4 stars for the historical value, earnest quest for the Christmas spirit, and the writing.
October 25, 2022
I listened to this years ago but I still remember how captivated I was by the writing style and kept a few evocative quotes:
“Was it work or vain waiting for happier fortunes that made her look so tired? Alas, the weariness of waiting for what we long for and long for purely, but which never comes. Is it the work or the longing, the long longing, that has put the silver in your head friend, and start the smooth bloom of your cheeks, my lady, with those ugly lines?“
“But the rapid hours slid noiselessly down the icy grooves of the night, and soon the cold morning put its white face against the frozen windows of the east and appeared shiveringly forth. Who says the earth cannot look as: forbidding is the human countenance?“
“The sky hung over the frozen world like a dome of gray steel whose invisibly matched plates were riveted here and there by a few white, gleaming stars. The surface of the snow sparkled with crystals the flash colorlessly cold. The air seemed armed and full of sharp, eager points that prickled the skin painfully. The great tree trunks cracked out sharp protests against the frosty entrances being made beneath their bark. The lake from under the smothering ice roared in dismay and pain and sent the thunders of its wrath at its imprisonment around the resounding shores.”
His is a varied style, not all long alliterative descriptions or personification:
“A bitter morn. A bitter morn. Ah me, a bitter morn for the poor.”
“Was it work or vain waiting for happier fortunes that made her look so tired? Alas, the weariness of waiting for what we long for and long for purely, but which never comes. Is it the work or the longing, the long longing, that has put the silver in your head friend, and start the smooth bloom of your cheeks, my lady, with those ugly lines?“
“But the rapid hours slid noiselessly down the icy grooves of the night, and soon the cold morning put its white face against the frozen windows of the east and appeared shiveringly forth. Who says the earth cannot look as: forbidding is the human countenance?“
“The sky hung over the frozen world like a dome of gray steel whose invisibly matched plates were riveted here and there by a few white, gleaming stars. The surface of the snow sparkled with crystals the flash colorlessly cold. The air seemed armed and full of sharp, eager points that prickled the skin painfully. The great tree trunks cracked out sharp protests against the frosty entrances being made beneath their bark. The lake from under the smothering ice roared in dismay and pain and sent the thunders of its wrath at its imprisonment around the resounding shores.”
His is a varied style, not all long alliterative descriptions or personification:
“A bitter morn. A bitter morn. Ah me, a bitter morn for the poor.”
December 24, 2020
Listened to the audiobook. Lovely, simple morals tales from the 1800s. The author creates the character of a trapper living in a simple cabin in the woods in the Adirondacks. These two tales tell how he keeps Christmas. The introduction to the book said that the author told these stories over 500 times in the Lyceum movement of the mid 1800s in the US. Lovely work to listen to for the Christmas season with a message of Give Unto Others...
Would highly recommend for RH - Merry Christmas!
Would highly recommend for RH - Merry Christmas!
December 27, 2022
There were two short stories in this Holiday Tales book.
Honestly, the stories were just eh.
A lot of "ye" and "thee." Definitely written on an older style English.
Reading these with my teen provided a nice little way to bond, though. Very clean stories.
Honestly, the stories were just eh.
A lot of "ye" and "thee." Definitely written on an older style English.
Reading these with my teen provided a nice little way to bond, though. Very clean stories.
December 10, 2016
A heartwarming tale of a trapper in the Adirondacks who discovers the real meaning of Christmas through his actions. Beautifully written!
December 17, 2020
Old-fashioned, sentimental stories. I like it.
December 18, 2020
I listened to the audiobook and it was well read using different voices. The stories were pleasant, a good read.
January 30, 2021
A couple of sweet stories from the "olden days" to remind us that Christmas can be joyful in simplicity as well as abundance.
December 18, 2021
This is an older book, but I was quite in the mood for Christmas as it was seen years ago.
December 20, 2023
This is classic Christian goodness at Christmas time. Wholesome as wholesome can be.
December 11, 2024
Listened on Audible (Included).
January 9, 2021
I listened to this book and the reader was perfect for the story. Two good episodes about giving and forgiving.
December 21, 2009
The intro of this book states that what Dickens did for England in 'A Christmas Carol', Murray does for America in this book.
While it is not quite the mini-masterpiece that 'Christmas Carol' is I still loved the story and the heartfelt emotions it evoked. It's worth the short read to get a fun, touching Christmas story!
Here's a favorite part:
"Thus were they seated, ready to begin the repast ; but the plates remained untouched, and the happy noises which had to
that moment filled the cabin ceased ; for the Angel of Silence,
with noiseless step, had suddenly entered the room. There's a
silence of grief, there's a silence of hatred, there's a silence of
dread ; of these, men may speak, and these they can describe.
But the silence of our happiness, who can describe that ? When
the heart is full, when the long longing is suddenly met, when
love gives to love abundantly, when the soul lacketh nothing
and is content, then language is useless, and the Angel of
Silence becomes our only adequate interpreter. A humble table,
surely, and humble folk around it ; but not in the houses of the
rich or the palaces of kings does gratitude find her only home,
but in more lowly abodes and with lowly folk ay, and often
at the scant table, too, she sitteth a perpetual guest. Was it
memory ? Did the Trapper at that brief moment visit his absent
friend ? Did Wild Bill recall his wayward past ? Were the
thoughts of the woman busy with sweet scenes of earlier days ?
And did memory, by thus reminding them of the absent and
the past, of the sweet things that had been and were, stir within their hearts thoughts of Him from whom all gifts descend, and of His blessed Son, in whose honor the day was named ?
O Memory ! thou tuneful bell that ringeth on forever, friend
at our feasts, and friend, too, let us call thee, at our burial,
what music can equal thine ? For in thy mystic globe all tunes
abide, the birthday note for kings, the marriage peal, the
funeral knell, the gleeful jingle of merry mirth, and those sweet chimes that float our thoughts, like fragrant ships upon a fra
grant sea, toward heaven, all are thine ! Ring on, thou tune
ful bell ; ring on, while these glad ears may drink thy melody ;
and when thy chimes are heard by me no more, ring loud and
clear above my grave that peal which echoes to the heavens,
and tells the world of immortality, that they who come to
mourn may check their tears and say," Why do we weep ? He
liveth still!""
While it is not quite the mini-masterpiece that 'Christmas Carol' is I still loved the story and the heartfelt emotions it evoked. It's worth the short read to get a fun, touching Christmas story!
Here's a favorite part:
"Thus were they seated, ready to begin the repast ; but the plates remained untouched, and the happy noises which had to
that moment filled the cabin ceased ; for the Angel of Silence,
with noiseless step, had suddenly entered the room. There's a
silence of grief, there's a silence of hatred, there's a silence of
dread ; of these, men may speak, and these they can describe.
But the silence of our happiness, who can describe that ? When
the heart is full, when the long longing is suddenly met, when
love gives to love abundantly, when the soul lacketh nothing
and is content, then language is useless, and the Angel of
Silence becomes our only adequate interpreter. A humble table,
surely, and humble folk around it ; but not in the houses of the
rich or the palaces of kings does gratitude find her only home,
but in more lowly abodes and with lowly folk ay, and often
at the scant table, too, she sitteth a perpetual guest. Was it
memory ? Did the Trapper at that brief moment visit his absent
friend ? Did Wild Bill recall his wayward past ? Were the
thoughts of the woman busy with sweet scenes of earlier days ?
And did memory, by thus reminding them of the absent and
the past, of the sweet things that had been and were, stir within their hearts thoughts of Him from whom all gifts descend, and of His blessed Son, in whose honor the day was named ?
O Memory ! thou tuneful bell that ringeth on forever, friend
at our feasts, and friend, too, let us call thee, at our burial,
what music can equal thine ? For in thy mystic globe all tunes
abide, the birthday note for kings, the marriage peal, the
funeral knell, the gleeful jingle of merry mirth, and those sweet chimes that float our thoughts, like fragrant ships upon a fra
grant sea, toward heaven, all are thine ! Ring on, thou tune
ful bell ; ring on, while these glad ears may drink thy melody ;
and when thy chimes are heard by me no more, ring loud and
clear above my grave that peal which echoes to the heavens,
and tells the world of immortality, that they who come to
mourn may check their tears and say," Why do we weep ? He
liveth still!""
January 12, 2021
Two wonderful stories about what Christmas really means.
January 13, 2018
There’s something of a knack to reading a piece in the time it’s written in, to sort of translate in the head the language structure and the cultural understandings of the past in order to enjoy and sometimes even learn from authors of a bygone era. When you’re something of a history geek, as I count myself, with practice it becomes something of a skill.
But, darn. These stories by a Boston Brahmin minister (who knew the Adirondacks because he hired a guide to explore them) about the quant, naive mountain folk—of their simple faith and whimsical outlooks on life were just too much for my preserves full, as they were, of an arrogant superiority and narrow sterotypes.
—a poor woman using a new bed sheet for a tablecloth on Christmas day...how very droll.
But, darn. These stories by a Boston Brahmin minister (who knew the Adirondacks because he hired a guide to explore them) about the quant, naive mountain folk—of their simple faith and whimsical outlooks on life were just too much for my preserves full, as they were, of an arrogant superiority and narrow sterotypes.
—a poor woman using a new bed sheet for a tablecloth on Christmas day...how very droll.
November 27, 2019
If you're looking for a short, feel-good, moralistic yet fun, old-fashioned Christmas tale, this story pair is ideal. Coincidentally that's exactly what I was looking for, and this delivered with a bonus gloss of traditional Americana. Sort of Charles Dickens meets Johnny Appleseed as illustrated by Norman Rockwell.
Made for a pleasant audiobook. Although it was ideal in many ways, the vernacular dialogue could be a bit much, and I thought the first story more successful than the second. 3.5 stars rounded up, mostly because it's exactly what I wanted to read at the moment.
Made for a pleasant audiobook. Although it was ideal in many ways, the vernacular dialogue could be a bit much, and I thought the first story more successful than the second. 3.5 stars rounded up, mostly because it's exactly what I wanted to read at the moment.
December 22, 2011
Written in 1897 this is a wonderful, heart-warming story of an old trapper named John Norton who lives in a cabin in the Adirondacks. There are two stories about the Trapper celebrating Christmas, one in which he brings Christmas to a poor woman and her children abandoned in a cabin in the forest and another in which he decides to make a huge Christmas feast for all the lonely men living alone in his part of the Adirondacks. Colorful, witty and charming. Very nice for this time of year.
December 26, 2014
Two nice short tales set during Christmas time and featuring the characters Trapper John Norton and Wild Bill.
Quite heavy on the religious message but didn't detract from the story.
Quite a quick read, felt like I got through it very quickly in only about three sittings.
Liked the way it was written, particularly the Trapper's way of speaking.
Of the two, the first story was my favourite.
Quite heavy on the religious message but didn't detract from the story.
Quite a quick read, felt like I got through it very quickly in only about three sittings.
Liked the way it was written, particularly the Trapper's way of speaking.
Of the two, the first story was my favourite.
December 19, 2011
Two heartwarming Christmas stories featuring a crusty old Adirondack trapper originally published in 1898.
To the modern reader they are incredibly dated and wordy... The dialect makes them difficult to read. And, they are unabashedly sentimental. If, however, you can read beyond that, they are also fun, with a certain humor, and a good heartedness that is perfect for the season.
To the modern reader they are incredibly dated and wordy... The dialect makes them difficult to read. And, they are unabashedly sentimental. If, however, you can read beyond that, they are also fun, with a certain humor, and a good heartedness that is perfect for the season.
November 11, 2013
Murray loved the outdoors in general and the Adirondacks in particular. His stories were so popular he read them over five hundred times in theatres and auditoriums. This book contains two stories of Christmas with an old trapper and his friends.
November 25, 2015
Lovely and heartwarming
Absolutely lovely story telling. I thought the author captured the dialect and manners of the old woodsman perfectly and I swear I'd know him in an instant if ever I met him! The true meaning of what Christmas is all about in a heartwarming and gentle tale.
Absolutely lovely story telling. I thought the author captured the dialect and manners of the old woodsman perfectly and I swear I'd know him in an instant if ever I met him! The true meaning of what Christmas is all about in a heartwarming and gentle tale.
November 15, 2017
I listened to the audiobook and enjoyed the fun of the old language. A very old fashioned story of a trapper and people around him sharing the little they have during the Christmas season. Refreshing.
December 18, 2024
4 stars mainly because of the narrator John McDonough!! He is my favorite! If you haven’t listened to the Mitford series then what are you waiting for?! He narrates those and it just makes it come to life.
June 2, 2012
listened to download version of this cassette that I got as a trial from net library (so not from overdrive either, but...).
May 21, 2013
Good stories, but a little slow going and hard to read because of the heavy spoken english.
January 1, 2018
This one's difficult to rate. I liked portions of it well enough to give 3 stars.
November 12, 2017
This is an old story of people helping people during times when life is at its worst and still finding things to laugh about.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews