The Christmas Book

by Phaidon Press, Dolph Gotelli (Other Contributor), David Trigg (Other Contributor)

A visual celebration of Christmas, from religious beginnings to festive cultural touchstones – a book to treasure This book is a unique and groundbreaking visual celebration of Christmas, a joyous religious and cultural occasion observed by billions of people around the world. The origins of Christmas are in the Christian observance of the birth of Christ on 25 December and, since the early 20th century, it has become a secular holiday with a myriad decorations, rituals, and themes. Key themes covered include advent and the nativity; the Christmas tree and holiday decorations; gift giving and carol singing; classic Christmas films; and festive music.

This extraordinary book showcases a broad spectrum of global festive traditions from many different cultures, such as fried chicken eaten for Christmas dinner, surfing Santas, and shoes filled with carrots.

A collection of more than 200 rich and evocative images, paintings, books, prints, sculptures, textiles, ceramics, and photography, thoughtfully paired to highlight similarities and contrasts between them, the works included feature a diverse range of both lesser-known and iconic artists, including Sandro Botticelli, Grandma Moses, Beatrix Potter, Norman Rockwell, Andy Warhol, and many more.

These significant works cover festive topics such as Advent; the Christmas tree and holiday decorations; gift giving and carol singing; and classic Christmas films and music.

Essays by Sam Bilton, Dolph Gotelli and David Trigg explore traditional festive food and drink, Santa Claus throughout history, and the religious origins of Christmas. In  The Christmas Book, the significant artistic and cultural influence of Christmas throughout history is explored through a wide range of beautiful and significant artworks and images from across the ages and six continents, creating the ultimate cultural companion to the festive season.

Genres: Christmas, History, Art, Nonfiction, Cultural

240 pages, Hardcover

First published August 16, 2023

About the author

Phaidon Press is a global publisher of books on art, architecture, design, fashion, photography, and popular culture, as well as cookbooks, children's books, and travel books. The company is based in London and New York City, with additional offices in Paris and Berlin. -wikipedia

Reviews

[raccoon reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was lovely! A huge picture of each piece of art and then a short history of the piece. I think I might check this out next Christmas to browse throughout December.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is compiled of photo essays about Advent; the Christmas tree and holiday decorations; gift giving and carol singing; and classic Christmas films and music, mostly from America but also from around the world and from various time periods. It was a visual feast for the eyes and a great way to close out the year.

There's some great nostalgic Americana included in this book as well as some holiday themed items from around the world.

[Melki · Rating 3 out of 5]

I see this is getting rave reviews, but for me it was just a so-so perusal, and a pretty flimsy excuse for an expensive coffee table book. From what I can gather some "experts on Christmas" chose favorite icons, then featured one photo, and a couple of paragraphs about each image.


While I'm tickled pink at the some of the inclusions: Rankin/Bass, the ugly Christmas sweater, and NORAD's Santa Tracker, I'm utterly baffled by some of the choices. Instead of Chris Van Allsburg's classic book, The Polar Express, they chose to feature the meh film version by Robert Zemeckis. And, why chose the Richard Scarry Little Golden Book version of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer instead of the original by Robert Lewis May?

It was baffling little exclusions like these that kept me from enjoying this more. I think for an annual jolly-time read, I'll stick with Christmas in America, and take this one back to the library.

Bah-ho-humbug.

[Jay Gabler · Rating 4 out of 5]

The several writers behind the volume all seem to have gloried in their assigned task: to explain the significance of holiday images and artifacts spanning centuries, curated to encompass the variety of religious, cultural and commercial Christmas traditions. The entire tome is almost overwhelming in its illustration of how much Christmas culture there now is.

I reviewed The Christmas Book for the Duluth News Tribune.

[Angie Kennedy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautiful objects and interesting trivia bits about them...also some typos, which was disappointing.

[Elana · Rating 4 out of 5]

This would have been 5 stars as the images and text were delightful, but…the typos! So many typos!

[Joshua · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book that delves into the history, art, and traditions of Christmas.

[Juli Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a gorgeously curated, fascinating look at the "stuff" of Christmas. Almost more like a museum exhibition than a book, and with all the fabulous production quality expects from Phaidon.

[Saturday's Child · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a great read to enjoy in the days before Christmas as there were lots of interesting facts to accompany the lovely illustrations and photographs.

[Dan B · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not enough facts to be of any interest. Just a few sentences explaining what the thing is. Maybe just not my cup of tea but seems really overpriced.

[Aimee Potts · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has a huge range of Christmas art as well as some very enjoyable essays at the beginning.