Celebrate the merriest season of the year with award-winning author and music journalist Annie Zaleski’s collection of the 100 most popular and beloved holiday songs of all time. This is Christmas, Song by Song: The Stories Behind 100 Holiday Hits by author Annie Zaleski.
‘Tis the season! Break out the eggnog, hang the mistletoe, blast those Christmas songs, and settle down in your favorite armchair with this beautifully illustrated volume exploring well-known and lesser-known behind-the-scenes stories of the 100 most cherished holiday songs of all time and their everlasting impact. From artists such as Bing Crosby and Ella Fitzgerald all the way up to Mariah Carey, Ariana Grande, and the newest top Christmas song title holder, Brenda Lee. This all-encompassing collection of holiday favorites (called one of “the 25 best Christmas books of all time” by Book Riot) is sure to warm your heart during the merriest season of the year.
What song was listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the best-selling single of all time? Which popular Christmas tune was reportedly written to commemorate Thanksgiving? What holiday song led to a special meet-and-greet between the song’s 10-year-old singer and a 700-pound hippopotamus?
Spanning musical genres and decades of classics and modern hits, some of the featured songs include:
“White Christmas” by Bing Crosby
“All I Want for Christmas Is You” by Mariah Carey
“Deck the Halls” by Mannheim Steamroller
“Christmas Tree Farm” by Taylor Swift
“Christmas Time (Is Here Again)” by The Beatles
“Feliz Navidad” by José Feliciano
“Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” by Gene Autry
“You Make It Feel Like Christmas” by Gwen Stefani
“Santa Baby” by Eartha Kitt
“Rockin’ around the Christmas Tree” by Brenda Lee
“Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays” by NSYNC
“Run Rudolph Run” by Chuck Berry
And many more!
Including full-color illustrations throughout, this gorgeously packaged compendium is the perfect gift for you and your loved ones to experience the holiday magic year after year.
Order book here: https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/annie-zaleski/this-is-christmas-song-by-song/9780762482726/
About the Author
Annie Zaleski is an author, editor, and journalist with a focus on music and pop culture. Her work has appeared in dozens of publications, including NPR Music, The Guardian, Time, Rolling Stone, Salon, Billboard, The A.V. Club, Vulture, Alternative Press, Stereogum, Classic Pop, The Los Angeles Times, and Cleveland Plain Dealer. She is the author of a 33 1/3 book on Duran Duran’s Rio, Lady Gaga: Applause, and Pink: Raise Your Glass, and contributed an essay to Go All The Way: A Literary Appreciation of Power Pop, among others. She lives in Cleveland, Ohio.
About the Illustrator
Darling Clementine is a duo of designers and illustrators, Ingrid Reithaug & Tonje Holand. Ingrid and Tonje both did their university degreed in the UK, but are now working and living in Oslo. Since launching their independent stationer line in 2006, they have developed a worldwide brand with an extensive assortment, selling everywhere from Tokyo to Helsinki. Their style was the platform when establishing a design studio with the same name, undertaking a wide range of various commissions. These days, the business is divided in two sections, DC Creative & DC Decorative. DC Creative takes on all sorts of design and illustration commissions, alongside DC Decorative, who aim to develop and take care of the brand, constantly launching new products.
About the Book:
This is Christmas, Song by Song: The Stories Behind 100 Holiday – By Annie Zaleski
Illustrated by Darling Clementine
Running Press
Publication date: October 17, 2023
Hardcover, 7×8 inches; 224 pages
Price: $27.00 US
ISBN: 9780762482726
Also available as an e-book
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Celebrate the holidays with this merry collection of beloved Christmas albums paired with mood-setting cocktails—a companion to the bestselling listening party guide, A Booze & Vinyl Christmas by author André Darlington.
Whether you’re planning your finest Ugly Christmas Sweater Party or spending a quiet evening by the stocking-lined fireside at home, make the season bright with this guide to 40 favorite holiday albums from the 1940s to the present.
Divided into four thematic chapters – Rock the Halls, Warm & Fuzzy, Jazzy & Classical, and Gift-Wrapping Station, each entry features liner notes on the album and accompanying boozy beverage recipes that complement the music or connect the drink to the artist. Yummy holiday food recipes sprinkled throughout make this the ultimate holiday cocktail party guide. André shares his trademark tips and tools for setting up the bar with twelve bottles, pantry staples to have on hand, and sensational, homemade syrups that sparkle with flavors of winter.
Each entry features liner notes on the album and accompanying boozy beverage recipes that complement the music or connect the drink to the artist. Select holiday food recipes throughout complete the experience.
From seasonal sparklers and spirited sippers to party punches and winter warmers, this one-of-a-kind guide will make Christmas much boozier and brighter! Create a retro Christmas party with the Beach Boy’s Christmas Album serving a Lil Christmas Coupe
and Auld Lang Syne and a tin full of Rum Balls. Admire the twinkling tree lights while listening to Sir Simon Rattle and the Berlin Philharmoniker Orchestra’s The Nutcracker while sipping a Snow Queen and feasting on Sugar Plums. Nothing is more pleasing than a good old-fashioned open house with singing cowboy Gene Autry’s Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer spinning on the turntable and guests getting all toasty with mugs of Shepherd’s Watch and bowls of Figgy Pudding – and have the remote handy so you can cue up the classic film for a festive listening and viewing experience.
A Booze & Vinyl Christmas has everyone’s favorite recording artists getting into the Christmas spirit: Johnny Mathis, the Beach Boys, Elvis, the Jackson 5, Mariah Carey, Bob Dylan, Justin Bieber, Gwen Stefani, Sia, Dolly Parton, Bing Crosby, Nat King Cole, Vince Guaraldi, Barbara Streisand, Willie Nelson, Boyz II Men, Celine Dion, Carrie Underwood, Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Dean Martin, Michael Bublé, and John Legend.
About the Author
André Darlington is a former restaurant critic and restaurateur turned award-winning beverage writer. He is the bestselling author of nine cocktail books including Bar Menu, Gotham City Cocktails: Official Handcrafted Food & Drinks from the World of Batman, The Official John Wayne Cocktail Book, and Booze Cruise: A Tour of the World’s Essential Mixed Drinks, for which he became the first cocktail writer to circumnavigate the globe in a hundred years. André is co-author of Booze & Vinyl Vol. 2 as well as Booze & Vinyl, hailed by Esquire as one of the most anticipated books of 2018. In 2016, he became an entertainment expert of Turner Classic Movies and co-wrote TCM’s Movie Night Menus. André has been a wine columnist for Mandarin Quarterly and a cocktail columnist for Organic Life. He has been a guest on national radio and his work has been translated into French, Chinese, Italian, Korean and Russian, and has been featured in New York Magazine, PASTE, Parade, Imbibe, Maxim, and Refinery 29, among others. He is currently writing Cowboy Cocktails for Quarto Group and Forbidden Cocktails for Running Press. Find news and information as www.andredarlington.com and follow him on social media @andredarlington.
About the Book
A Booze & Vinyl Christmas: Merry Music-And-Drink Pairings to Celebrate the Season – By André Darlington
Photography by Jason Varney
Running Press
Publication date: October 3, 2023
Hardcover; 7×8 inches; 160 pages
Price: $26.00 US
ISBN: 9780762482856
Also available as an eBook