Old Christmas, From the Sketchbook of Washington Irving + Audio
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From the Sketchbook of Washington Irving
By Oliver P. Temple, 1886
168 pages
Requires Adobe Reader 5.0 or higher to View (or MAC Preview Ver. 3)
$9.95 + $1.99 shipping and handling
"Old Christmas" is a collection of five Christmas "sketches" by
Washington Irving from his famous Sketch Book. It describes Irving's
experiences at the English country estate of Mr. Bracebridge during
the "coaching days" of the early 19th century, focusing on the sights,
sounds, smells and traditions of "Old" Christmas.
In spirit it hearkens back to the Middle Ages -- before the "peasants"
had learned to read newspapers or were talking politics at the local
pub, when manner lords opened their halls for the local folk to feast
in a show of gratitude, under the watchful stare of painted ancient
family crusaders and armored statues. This wonderful account has a
tangible sense of realism mixed with romanticism and the comforts of
tradition.
The pen and ink drawings throughout are by Frank Dadd. This
illustrated edition was created in 1916. The pictures bring the book
to life, we see the exact "physiognomy" and "countenance" of the many
curious Dickens-like characters, the scenes of feasting and dancing,
the old English kitchens, the stage coach, the dress and mannerisms of
a "Coachy" - priceless details that effortlessly transport the reader
back in time.
-Bonus Audio Files –
Also includes audio files of human readings of all chapters of this
book. These MP3 files can be played on a computer or copied to any MP3
player.
Five files, eleven to thirty-two minutes each, total listening time
nearly two hours.
You can also burn to CD and play in your auto CD player (may require
multiple CD’s and CD burning software.).
These are public domain recordings produced with volunteer readers