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Stories of Saint Nicholas
"Some of Paulding's best Dutch-American work was collected into The Book of St. Nicholas (1836). Not all of the stories in that book have to do with St. Nicholas; the present volume reprints only those that do."
(from the Forward)
James Kirke Paulding, like his famous contemporary, Washington Irving, was known for his colorful tales of the Dutch tradition and customs in the Hudson Valley. Throughout the 1820s and 1830s, Paulding wrote a number of Christmas tales, the best of which are brought together in this collection and which predate Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol.
Paulding presents his stories as they have been translated from the original Dutch by a fictitious author. In them Saint Nicholas--a sixteenth-century Dutch Protestant backer--miraculously befriends those who uphold Dutch traditions and sets straight those who are either mean or given to "newfangled notions."
Young children will greatly enjoy "The Origins of the Baker's Dozen," "Claas Schlaschenschlinger," and, for the most part, "The Ride of St. Nicholas on Newyear's Eve." Stories of St. Nicholas will appeal to general readers and especially those interested in the New York Dutch customs and traditions.
(from the Forward)
James Kirke Paulding, like his famous contemporary, Washington Irving, was known for his colorful tales of the Dutch tradition and customs in the Hudson Valley. Throughout the 1820s and 1830s, Paulding wrote a number of Christmas tales, the best of which are brought together in this collection and which predate Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol.
Paulding presents his stories as they have been translated from the original Dutch by a fictitious author. In them Saint Nicholas--a sixteenth-century Dutch Protestant backer--miraculously befriends those who uphold Dutch traditions and sets straight those who are either mean or given to "newfangled notions."
Young children will greatly enjoy "The Origins of the Baker's Dozen," "Claas Schlaschenschlinger," and, for the most part, "The Ride of St. Nicholas on Newyear's Eve." Stories of St. Nicholas will appeal to general readers and especially those interested in the New York Dutch customs and traditions.
156 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1836
About the author
James Kirke Paulding
365 books6 followers1778-1860
American writer who also was the United States Secretary of the Navy for 3 years.
He worked with Washington Irving on a short-lived satirical periodical Salmagundi. The magazine coined the term Gotham to describe New York.
Martin Van Buren appointed him Secretary of the Navy in June 1838. As Secretary, he was a conservative figure, whose extensive knowledge of naval affairs was balanced by notable lack of enthusiasm for new technology.
Paulding was associated with the Knickerbocker literary group
American writer who also was the United States Secretary of the Navy for 3 years.
He worked with Washington Irving on a short-lived satirical periodical Salmagundi. The magazine coined the term Gotham to describe New York.
Martin Van Buren appointed him Secretary of the Navy in June 1838. As Secretary, he was a conservative figure, whose extensive knowledge of naval affairs was balanced by notable lack of enthusiasm for new technology.
Paulding was associated with the Knickerbocker literary group
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
December 21, 2020
A few months back, I was randomly interested in researching the history of the baker's dozen and why it includes 13 items, and found this extensive article on Culinary Lore. Most of it reconfirmed what I had already known before, but it also included one of the stories from this book--how Santa disguises himself as a witch and tries to convince a baker to give them 13 instead of 12 Newyear cookies. (The Dutch are big on cookies, you will very quickly find out :D). The story was so surreally weird that I had to search out the book that the stories were in to read more.
Paulding wrote The Book of St. Nicholas to collect American-Dutch legends and stories--this book only contains the stories about St. Nick. There are 5 of them (plus an intro from Paulding) and they are very heavy on the Catholic-bashing snark and heavy with the moral hammer too. They're definitely legends, but with an overarching moral lesson, mainly all centered around living a pious lifestyle within your means, and staying (very) loyal to Dutch traditions.
"The Legend of Saint Nicholas" (4 stars) sets out the origin story for Dutch St. Nick and was an enjoyably easy read.
"Claas Schlaschenschlinger" (4 stars) details the voyage of a Dutch immigrant to New Amsterdam, his struggles of making a living, and how he was saved by St. Nick, whom he was named after.
"The Revenge of Saint Nicholas" (3 stars) was essentially the witches from the Scottish Play, but as moral sinners. The names of them made it all quite predictable, although it was still a decent read.
"The Story of the Baker's Dozen" (5 stars) was again, a favorite (the article linked above more or less reprints the story verbatim, so I had essentially already read it)--the Fleischer cartoon imagery was delightful and it was the most fun of all the stories, since the moral lesson was the least religious one.
"The Ride of Saint Nicholas on Newyear's Eve" (2 stars) is the longest story and the one that drags the most. It felt quite similar to "Claas" and "Revenge" in its telling, good and evil characters, and morals, and is the one that I probably would only skim through if I wanted to read it again.
Overall, the style was very wordy and ostentatious (as a Strange Planet comic fan, I couldn't help but feeling like a b e i n g wrote this), but still easy to read and follow. While I can't see myself rereading the entirety of the book again, there are still the three stories I really enjoyed that I can see myself wanting to work into my holiday reading schedule every year.
Paulding wrote The Book of St. Nicholas to collect American-Dutch legends and stories--this book only contains the stories about St. Nick. There are 5 of them (plus an intro from Paulding) and they are very heavy on the Catholic-bashing snark and heavy with the moral hammer too. They're definitely legends, but with an overarching moral lesson, mainly all centered around living a pious lifestyle within your means, and staying (very) loyal to Dutch traditions.
"The Legend of Saint Nicholas" (4 stars) sets out the origin story for Dutch St. Nick and was an enjoyably easy read.
"Claas Schlaschenschlinger" (4 stars) details the voyage of a Dutch immigrant to New Amsterdam, his struggles of making a living, and how he was saved by St. Nick, whom he was named after.
"The Revenge of Saint Nicholas" (3 stars) was essentially the witches from the Scottish Play, but as moral sinners. The names of them made it all quite predictable, although it was still a decent read.
"The Story of the Baker's Dozen" (5 stars) was again, a favorite (the article linked above more or less reprints the story verbatim, so I had essentially already read it)--the Fleischer cartoon imagery was delightful and it was the most fun of all the stories, since the moral lesson was the least religious one.
"The Ride of Saint Nicholas on Newyear's Eve" (2 stars) is the longest story and the one that drags the most. It felt quite similar to "Claas" and "Revenge" in its telling, good and evil characters, and morals, and is the one that I probably would only skim through if I wanted to read it again.
Overall, the style was very wordy and ostentatious (as a Strange Planet comic fan, I couldn't help but feeling like a b e i n g wrote this), but still easy to read and follow. While I can't see myself rereading the entirety of the book again, there are still the three stories I really enjoyed that I can see myself wanting to work into my holiday reading schedule every year.
December 21, 2020
Overall rating: 3.5 stars, rounded up. This was entertaining and a fairly quick, easy read, and I liked the quaint and unique style. That said, some of the stories were a bit too long and a bit too moralistic, and there was also some subtle misogyny that tempered my enjoyment at times (e.g. blaming women for the moral failings of society, assigning value to women based on their physical appearance, etc.) On the whole, though, this was a fun read, and I especially appreciated the glimpse into Dutch culture/history as well as New York (“New Amsterdam”) history.
Individual ratings:
The Author’s Advertisement (more a framing device/preface than a story proper, but still clever enough to be worth rating): 3.5 stars
The Legend of Saint Nicholas: 4 stars
Claas Schlaschenschlinger: 4 stars
The Revenge of Saint Nicholas: 2.5 stars
The Origin of the Baker’s Dozen: 4.5 stars
The Ride of Saint Nicholas on Newyear’s Eve: 3.5 stars
Individual ratings:
The Author’s Advertisement (more a framing device/preface than a story proper, but still clever enough to be worth rating): 3.5 stars
The Legend of Saint Nicholas: 4 stars
Claas Schlaschenschlinger: 4 stars
The Revenge of Saint Nicholas: 2.5 stars
The Origin of the Baker’s Dozen: 4.5 stars
The Ride of Saint Nicholas on Newyear’s Eve: 3.5 stars
December 19, 2018
I was not familiar with the Dutch Saint Nicholas, so interesting for the historical context. Probably not the best collection of stories for kids, but interesting for older teens or adults curious about the legend of Santa Claus.
October 16, 2009
Weird. This is more a book I'm glad I read than one I'd be glad to suggest to others to read. Paulding was one of the early Americans to play a role in "inventing" the American version of Santa Claus/Saint Nicholas, as a Dutch, Calvinist Saint who took a special interest in New Amsterdam/New York.
Definitely worth tracking down if you're interested in the scholarship of Santa Claus. Otherwise, well...I suppose it's funny to read how anti-Catholic dude was, maybe.
Definitely worth tracking down if you're interested in the scholarship of Santa Claus. Otherwise, well...I suppose it's funny to read how anti-Catholic dude was, maybe.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews