Can reindeer fly? Why is Santa Claus fat? Could scientists clone the perfect Christmas tree? Was the Star of Bethlehem really a comet? Why is Rudolph’s nose red? How does Santa manage to deliver presents to an estimated 842 million households in a single night? What could we do to guarantee a white Christmas every year? These are among the questions explored in an irresistibly witty book that illuminates the cherished rituals, legends, and icons of Christmas from a unique and fascinating perspective: science.
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"If you like reading about all things science, you will like this book. My only complaint is that it talks a lot about science with sometimes thin connections to Christmas. Once I accepted this as a literature review of science attempting to be fun I really enjoyed it. " — Bryan (4 out of 5 stars)
"If you like reading about all things science, you will like this book. My only complaint is that it talks a lot about science with sometimes thin connections to Christmas. Once I accepted this as a literature review of science attempting to be fun I really enjoyed it. "
" Read the first half of it (more or less) this year. Will read the rest of it next holiday season. "
" This was completely contrived, ridiculous, and not that interesting. "
" Very interesting book, but I just can't get that into it now that Christmas is past. I will bring it out in December and try again. "
" Some good, like the biochemistry of food and drink. There is some stuff of questionable research like the faith-makes-you-well section. "
" Thanks to this book, I now understand the relationship between Santa Claus, flying reindeer, and the hallucinogens in fly agaric mushrooms. "
" Borrowed this book from the public library. Very interesting to read and it is good to read just to get in the thanksgiving and christmas season. "
" This book is full of a bunch of "gee-whiz" facts related to Christmas. Some of it is pretty interesting some of it not. I was really happy when, after three years of half hearted reading at Christmastime, I finished it. "
Roger Highfield was born in Wales, raised in north London, and became the first person to bounce a neutron off a soap bubble. He has written several books, sat on a few committees, and was the science editor of the Daily Telegraph for two decades. Today, he is the editor of New Scientist magazine, the global science and technology weekly.
Gerard Doyle, a seasoned audio narrator, he has been awarded dozens of AudioFile Earphones Awards, was named a Best Voice in Young Adult Fiction in 2008, and won the prestigious Audie Award for best narration. He was born of Irish parents and raised and educated in England. In Great Britain he has enjoyed an extensive career in both television and repertory theater and toured nationally and internationally with the English Shakespeare Company. He has appeared in London’s West End in the gritty musical The Hired Man. In America he has appeared on Broadway in The Weir and on television in New York Undercover and Law & Order. He has taught drama at Ross School for the several years.
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