Description: Illustrated children’s book entitled Santa Claus at Sea, published by Estes & Lauriat of Boston, Massachusetts, copyright 1887. The cover art is the best part of this book. The full title is Santa Claus at Sea, and Other Stories. Santa Claus at Sea is the first story but is only a couple of pages long. The story is in the form of a letter written on Christmas night from Santa to a boy named Carl. He tells Carl that he had already delivered presents to Boston and California. To get to the boy in Hawaii, across the Pacific Ocean, Santa had to swap out his sleigh for a boat. His reindeer swam very fast, and they passed by a large steamer as they approached Honolulu. Santa saw Carl’s father on board and assured the boy that his father would soon be home. He ends the letter by telling Carl to stop being a cry baby when he plays with other boys. “Boys who play hard,” Santa tells him, “ought to expect to get hurt sometimes, and you must try to see how much you can bear without crying.” The book includes several other illustrated short stories, but none seem related to the Christmas holiday. The cover art shows a white bearded Santa Claus seated in the back of a small wooden boat, holding the reins of the reindeer swimming ahead of and pulling the vessel. Toys litter the bottom of the boat. There is an inset circle above and behind Santa showing a contrasting scenes. Three children sit by a fireplace as a boy, Carl no doubt, reads a letter. There’s a black and white illustration following the story that also shows Santa being towed in a boat through rough seas by his reindeer. I looked everywhere on the internet for a copy of this book but found none—not even a picture of the cover art. This must be a rare children’s Christmas book. The book is in only good or better condition with wear and soiling consistent with its age and use. The spine has wear and a bit of paper loss, and the corners are worn too. The low quality paper inside shows a good bit of foxing, more so with the flyleaves at front and back. A really nice Christmas illustration!
Price: 59.99 USD
Location: Ashaway, Rhode Island
End Time: 2024-12-11T14:54:30.000Z
Shipping Cost: 0 USD
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Item Specifics
Restocking Fee: No
Return shipping will be paid by: Buyer
All returns accepted: Returns Accepted
Item must be returned within: 14 Days
Refund will be given as: Money Back
Publication Year: 1887
Language: English
Book Title: Santa Claus
Author: (No Author)
Topic: Christmas
