How a father and son find the spirit of Christmas in the Alaskan wilderness.
First published in 1941, A Northern Christmas is Rockwell Kent's uplifting account of the 1918 Christmas he spent with his 9-year old son in a one-room, moss-caulked log cabin on a remote Alaskan Island. Published here in its original format, with Kent's striking illustrations, this charming keepsake edition is sure to delight a new generation of readers.
FROM THE BOOK
"We've cleaned the house, stowed everything away upon shelves and hooks and in corners; moved even my easel aside; decorated the roof timbers with dense hemlock boughs, stowed quantities of wood behind the stove -- for there must be no work on that holiday -- and now both Rockwell and I are in a state of suppressed excitement over tomorrow.
"What a strange thing! Nothing is coming to us, no change in any respect in the routine of our lives but what we make ourselves, -- and yet the day looms so large and magnificent before us! I suppose the greatest festivals of our lives are those at which we dance ourselves . . . This is the true Christmas land. The day should be dark, the house further overshadowed by the woods, tall and black. And there in the midst of that somber, dreadful gloom the Christmas tree should blaze in glory unrivaled by moon or sun or star."
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ROCKWELL KENT (1872 - 1971) is perhaps best known for his illustrations for The Complete Works of William Shakespeare and Moby Dick. Kent also created the "random house" that, despite revision throughout the years, has been the colophon of that company since its inception in 1928. Kent's other travel books include N by E, Wilderness, and Voyaging, all reissued by Wesleyan/UPNE.
DOUG CAPRA teaches English in Seward, Alaska, where he has lived since 1971. He has written two books on Seward history and spent many years researching and writing about Kent in Alaska. His articles on Kent have appeared in such publications as Alaska Magazine and The Kent Collector.
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