No. 311 - A Kidnapped Santa Claus

This morning in my Google Reader I read a post from Kindle Nation Daily Free Book Alert. It said, "Today we offer a special treat for Kindle Nation citizens -- some of the greatest books ever written." It then contained a listing of over 100 must-have classics.

The fourth name was L. Frank Baum, the author of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. The first book by Baum was called A Kidnapped Santa Claus. I never heard of that one.

I learned that A Kidnapped Santa Claus is a Christmas-themed short story first published in 1904. It has been called "one of Baum's most beautiful stories" and constitutes an influential contribution to the mythology of Christmas.

I also learned that this story is closely associated with another Baum novel published two years earlier in 1902 called The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus. It was available in the Kindle Store for free as well. In both stories, Santa lives in the Laughing Valley on the border of the Forest of Burzee, and is assisted by knooks, ryls, fairies, and pixies. In modern editions of the two works, they are sometimes published together.