The Santa Claus Man: The Rise and Fall of a Jazz Age Con Man and the Invention of Christmas in New York
Alex Palmer
Oct 2015 · Tantor Media Inc · Narrated by Eric Michael Summerer
headphones
Audiobook
8 hr 48 min
Unabridged
family_home
Eligible
info
Want a free 53 min sample? Listen anytime, even offline.
Add
About this audiobook
Before the charismatic John Duval Gluck, Jr., came along, letters from New York City children to Santa Claus were destroyed, unopened, by the U.S. Post Office. Gluck saw an opportunity and created the Santa Claus Association. The effort delighted the public, and for fifteen years money and gifts flowed to the only group authorized to answer Santa's mail. Gluck became a Jazz Age celebrity, rubbing shoulders with the era's movie stars and politicians, and even planned to erect a vast Santa Claus monument in the center of Manhattan—until Gotham's crusading charity commissioner discovered some dark secrets in Santa's workshop.
The rise and fall of the Santa Claus Association is a caper both heartwarming and hard-boiled, involving stolen art, phony Boy Scouts, a kidnapping, pursuit by the FBI, a Coney Island bullfight, and above all, the thrills and dangers of a wild imagination. It's also the larger story of how Christmas became the extravagant holiday we celebrate today, from Santa's early beginnings in New York to the country's first citywide Christmas tree and Macy's first grand holiday parade.
The rise and fall of the Santa Claus Association is a caper both heartwarming and hard-boiled, involving stolen art, phony Boy Scouts, a kidnapping, pursuit by the FBI, a Coney Island bullfight, and above all, the thrills and dangers of a wild imagination. It's also the larger story of how Christmas became the extravagant holiday we celebrate today, from Santa's early beginnings in New York to the country's first citywide Christmas tree and Macy's first grand holiday parade.
Before the charismatic John Duval Gluck, Jr., came along, letters from New York City children to Santa Claus were destroyed, unopened, by the U.S. Post Office. Gluck saw an opportunity and created the Santa Claus Association. The effort delighted the public, and for fifteen years money and gifts ...
Discover more
About the author
Alex Palmer is a journalist and author living in New York City. His work has appeared in Slate, Rhapsody, Vulture, the New York Daily News, Publishers Weekly, the Rumpus, and many other publications. Visit him at alexpalmerwrites.com.
AudioFile Earphones Award winner Eric Michael Summerer is a voice actor and producer who has narrated numerous audiobooks as well as countless instructional recordings and video games. He earned an Audie Award nomination for Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke.
Alex Palmer is a journalist and author living in New York City. His work has appeared in Slate, Rhapsody, Vulture, the New York Daily News, Publishers Weekly, the Rumpus, and many other publications. Visit him at alexpalmerwrites.com.
AudioFile Earphones Award winner Eric Michael Summerer is a vo...
Rate this audiobook
Tell us what you think.
Listening information
Smartphones and tablets
Install the Google Play Books app for Android and iPad/iPhone. It syncs automatically with your account and allows you to read online or offline wherever you are.
Laptops and computers
You can read books purchased on Google Play using your computer's web browser.
