The Greatest Gift, Philip Van Doren Stern
The Greatest Gift, Philip Van Doren Stern
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The Greatest Gift
A Christmas Tale

Author: Philip Van Doren Stern

Narrator: Edward Herrmann

Unabridged: 50 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 10/28/2014


Synopsis

A beautiful gift edition of the heartwarming story that became the Christmas classic, It’s a Wonderful Life.

For almost seventy years, people the world over have fallen in love with Frank Capra’s classic Christmas movie It’s a Wonderful Life. But few of those fans know that Capra’s film was based on a short story by author Philip Van Doren Stern, which came to Stern in a dream one night.

Unable at first to find a publisher for his evocative tale about a man named George Pratt who ponders suicide until he receives an opportunity to see what the world would be like without him, Stern ultimately published the story in a small pamphlet and sent it out as his 1943 Christmas card. One of those 200 cards found its way into the hands of Frank Capra, who shared it with Jimmy Stewart, and the film that resulted became the holiday tradition we cherish today.

Now fans of It’s a Wonderful Life, or anyone who loves the spirit of Christmas, can own the story that started it all in an elegant, illustrated edition that’s perfect for holiday giving. It includes an Afterword by Stern’s daughter, Marguerite Stern Robinson, that tells the story of how her father’s Christmas card became the movie beloved by generations of people around the world.

About Philip Van Doren Stern

Philip Van Doren Stern (1900–1984) was an American author, editor, and Civil War historian whose story, “The Greatest Gift,” became the basis of the classic Christmas film, It’s a Wonderful Life.

About Edward Herrmann

Edward Herrmann's films include Nixon, The Purple Rose of Cairo, Annie, and The Aviator. On television's Gilmore Girls he starred as the patriarch, Richard Gilmore. He has also appeared on The Good Wife, Law & Order, 30 Rock, Grey's Anatomy, and Oz. He earned an Emmy Award for The Practice, and remains well-known for his Emmy-nominated portrayals of FDR in Eleanor and Franklin and Eleanor and Franklin: The White House Years. On Broadway, he won a Tony Award for his performance in Mrs. Warren's Profession.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Alejandro on December 24, 2018

A priceless importance due the film that inspired NO MAN IS A FAILURE WHO HAS FRIENDS It’s not rare if you haven’t read this short story or even know about it. But certainly it could be quite rare if you haven’t watched, at least once, the film that inspired. The Greatest Gift, by Phillip Van D......more

Goodreads review by Tadiana ✩Night Owl☽ on December 23, 2018

4 stars for this 1943 short story, and an extra half-star for its having inspired one of my favorite Christmas movies of all time, It's a Wonderful Life, the great movie directed by Frank Capra and starring Jimmy Stewart. "Other men are leading exciting lives, but I – well, I’m just a small-town ban......more

Goodreads review by Paul on December 25, 2024

The greatest Christmas movie ever made, by virtually universal acclamation, is Frank Capra’s It’s a Wonderful Life (1946). In the aftermath of the Second World War, Capra, a World War II veteran, crafted, with lead actor and fellow World War II veteran Jimmy Stewart, a holiday tale of a despairing s......more

Goodreads review by Ken on November 22, 2018

Best known for its movie adaptation ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’, this really touching tale really highlights the importance of friendship and family. As George Bailey contemplates suicide, he’s visited by a guardian angle Clarence. Clarence reveals to George how many lives he has touched in the town of Be......more

Goodreads review by Saman on September 27, 2024

" ای کاش اصلا به دنیا نمی‌آمدم"... شاید بعضی از ماها تو زندگی به این نقطه رسیده باشیم.جرج پرت شخصیت اصلی داستان هم تو همین فکر و خیال بود که یه غریبه‌ی مهربون میاد سمتش و این آرزوشو برآورده می‌کنه!! و حالا جرج باید شاهد زندگی‌ای باشه که توش حضور نداره و دیگه اطرافیانش اون رو نمی‌شناسند.... کتاب موهب......more