The Faber Book of Christmas

A joyful yuletide anthology cloth-bound in exquisite Liberty Fabric.
If the most wonderful time of year is enough to plunge you into a gloom, look no further. This collection of spirited stories and vibrant poetry will brighten your mood as it brings together Charles Dickens and Philip Larkin, W.H.Auden and Wendy Cope, Jilly Cooper, and Dylan Thomas. From tales of carolling and snatched mistletoe kisses to "The Worst Christmas Dinner, Ever", there's something here to amuse and interest Christmas lovers, grinches, and everyone in between. Starred review
Judge this book by its attention-grabbing Liberty of London cover with the bright colors and festive design; the stories inside will be pretty close to that cheery feel, with pieces ranging from classic to contemporary, funny to sentimental, short to long, and from prose to poem to hymn. Easy to pick up briefly and return to later, this book cold solve some holiday angst for dedicated readers who don't have much spare time." Library Journal

Simon Rae's award-winning W. G. Grace: A Life received widespread acclaim on its publication in 1998. He has also edited a number of anthologies, and for five years presented BBC Radio 4's 'Poetry Please!'. For nearly ten years he wrote regular topical poems for the Guardian and published two collections of them, Soft Targets and Rapid Response. More recently he collaborated with Ronald Searle on a book of cartoons and poems, The Face of War, and in 1999 he won the National Poetry Prize. His first stage play, A Quiet Night In, was produced in Bristol and London the same year. In 1999/2000 he was poet in residence with Warwickshire County Cricket Club and MAC at Edgbaston, and he was Royal Literary Fund Fellow at Warwick University for 2000/2001.