A treasure trove of delights old and new, this celebratory anthology captures all the different kinds of magic associated with Christmas. Poems about the Christmas crib sit alongside those on themes of Christmas Shopping, hanging up stockings and, of course, Father Christmas. Of particular delight is a section of Christmas songs. No such book would be complete without Clement Clark Moore’s A Visit from St Nicholas and it is duly included.
What better time than Christmas to ponder the passing of the year, the mystery of the birth of Christ, the traditions of the season, and the expectation of what the New Year might usher in? And what better way to reflect on such themes than through poetry? This is a thought-provoking, satisfying collection that brings together poems ranging from traditional wassailing songs to the work of contemporary poets. Illustrated in both colour and black and white by artists such as Peter Bailey, Charles Keeping and Ian Beck, it is an anthology to treasure from childhood through to adulthood.
Michael Harrison was born and educated in Oxford and later went to Durham University, where he gained a BA in Philosophy. He then taught at a farm school in North Queensland, Australia as a member of the Bush Brotherhood. He milked the herd of cows daily and travelled the bush taking services and funerals. Michael returned to Oxford to get a teaching qualification (A.C.E.) at the University, and has since taught in Hartlepool, London, and now in Oxford.
He has written for his own pleasure for as long as he can remember but now finds, to his surprise, that people will pay him for it. In his own words:
"Editing anthologies is hard work because you have to find what you know you want. It may take hours in the Bodleian looking for the one poem you need for a particular page. Poetry should be like a wholemeal bread and honey: immediate pleasure but with some roughage working its way through the system."
Michael has worked extensively with Christopher Stuart-Clark and their anthologies, including The Oxford Treasury of Time Poems and The Oxford Book of Christmas Poems, are regarded as some of the nation’s best.
Michael is married with two sons and lives in Oxford.
