Three Christmas Blogger Links & Two of My Treasured Christmas Books

Today's Christmas Blogger Links:
Tracy of Bitter Tea and Mystery: "Christmas Mysteries"

Stu of Winston's Dad's Blog: "A Couple of Great Christmas Songs and a Bonus Story"

Katrina of Pining for the West: "Christmas with Miss Read"

I love each and every one of the Christmas books I've collected over the years equally. That's a lie, actually. A truer statement would be this: I cherish the unique aspects of each book in my collection so that each volume is equally special to me. Yes, that does it, I think.

The original 1949 first edition of The Pussycat's Christmas by Margaret Wise Brown! It's Christmas Eve, with all the sights, sounds, scents, and magic as experienced by an irrepressible young cat. The best part of the book is what the little cat hears, sees, and smells while the family goes to church for the midnight service. I've loved it since early childhood. Reading it still gives me chills. Brown's text is truly inspired. The original, incomparable 1949 illustrations by Helen Stone usher the reader into the essence of the cat's world. If you ever find a way to see them, you will be so rewarded. In 1994, the book was published in a new edition with new illustrations by Anne Mortimer. Nice pictures, yes, but the magic of the original is lost. My copy is falling apart, and I must splurge and have someone rebind it for me, with a new cover. The dustcover on my inherited copy is long gone, though I have seen the original in a library. Oh, sigh.

The Annotated Christmas Carol, published by W.W. Norton. Well, you already know I love annotated classics. Annotations do have a way of keeping me from turning the pages too quickly. The book is filled with historic illustrations, the history of the classic, and enlightening information that a modern reader just can't get without the editor at their elbow.