Christmas Archives' Book Store
Here you can read Countess Maria’s book reviews of the very best Christmas books, and in some cases buy them online here
Out of Print books - some rare / unusual
I rarely review books by other authors on these pages. I suppose, having studied the Festive Season in all its facets for some thirty years or more, I have become a little particular in my choices! Call it inverted snobbery if you will! Many books are re-writes of information which has been previously published, just taken from the previous generation of books, and without any new or original research to verify the old facts.
Our Victorian fathers were great historians and innovators. Many wished to get down the facts of Christmas (and other festivals of course) before they died out. The Reformation and the later Civil War in the 16th-17th centuries meant that many of our customs were banned as ‘pagan’. Sacramentals, that is, church ceremonies which became customs, were forgotten for several generations.,, their religious significance lost and only the bones of a tradition left which no-one knew the reason behind. This then was the noble desire of the late 18th and early 19th century gentlemen, many of them clerics. They wrote books on customs, music, costume, dances, everything imaginable to prevent so much of our colourful history and custom being lost forever.
However, in several instances, facts were erroneous, taken from a scanty reference, and with no means available to them to cross-reference, these facts stood for all time as true. I have spent half a lifetime catching up on all the cross-referencing! And even then it is impossible to get all the facts right!
So this is why I am sceptical about recommending books. But so many have asked me to do so that I have begun to look for suitable titles to recommend. Have a look at The Curate's Lady - a hilarious tale set in Ireland.
Soon you will be able to subscribe to the ENCYCLOPAEDIA OF CHRISTMAS. A massive E-Book which will be available in parts and will cover every aspect of Christmas. We hope to have the details and the first part ready soon.
