Jolly Old Santa Claus: Collectors Edition Featuring the Original Story : I grew up with the original copy of this book, so I was both excited and dissappointed when I found the reprint.

My mom’s old copy is falling apart, but I remember leafing through this ‘Ideals’ book, gawking over the fanciful paintings of Santa and his Elves working to fulfill their part of the Christmas season. I was mesmorized, as were all my siblings and it seems (from the reviews on Amazon) that many others were as well. We never ‘read’ this book, it was all about those amazing paintings (art for children’s books has come a long way since those days, which may or may not make the artwork less amazing today, depending on your taste). So my excitement upon seeing this reprint is understandable. Why the dissappointment?

Well, the paintings have been cropped. Some images have been left out. So, sniff, not as wonderful as I would hope. BUT, if this is your first exposure to this book, you may not miss what is missing.

All in all, I’m glad to have found a copy, any copy, of this book, even if incomplete.