Rating: 
Summary: THE BEST Book for the history of Carols!
Review: As a Music Educator and researcher, I must give credit where credit is due. This compact but most authoritative work is a testimony to the author's tenacity for getting the details to some somewhat obscure information (in the case of some very old traditional carols such as 'O Come, O Come, Emmanuel'). He gives the complete story and history of each carol plus some rather modern traditional Christmas songs such as, " Twelve Days of Christmas", "White Christmas", and "The Christmas Song". In fact, the story behind the "Christmas Song" ("chestnuts roasting by the open fire...") has some little known facts I was not even aware of about Mel Torme and Nat King Cole. Despite my other collection of books about Christmas carols, I must say this book is the best of all I have read. I could not rate this higher!! You will not regret the purchase of this either as a gift or for yourself. I'm urging all my own students to purchase this as well. My thanks to Zondervan publishers---they continue to publish some truly wonderful books! Well, don't just sit there---go add this book to your "shopping cart" (and Merry Christmas!).
Rating: 
Summary: Great book on Christmas carol backgrounds
Review: A small book by size, but large by content, this book features over twenty Christmas carols and their histories. A downside is that the scores for the carols is excluded. But the background information is thorough and aids in understanding each song. Written for a grade school child to read with little trouble.
Rating:
Summary: Great resource -- and good reading!
Review: Ace Collins takes a good number of our favorite carols and Christmas songs and gives you "the rest of the story." For example -- did you know that Gene Autry really didn't want to sing about a Reindeer with a red nose? Or that Mel Torme wrote "The Christmas Song" in the middle of a California heat wave? These are only tidbids -- you'll never hear "I Wonder as I Wander" without tearing up after you hear this song's provenance. Or take "O Holy Night" for granted once you learn how it was actually reviled by the church for . . . no, I won't tell you more. Buy the book. Pick up half a dozen of these and give them as gifts next holiday season -- your friends & family will thank you!
Rating:
Summary: Great resource -- and good reading!
Review: Ace Collins takes a good number of our favorite carols and Christmas songs and gives you "the rest of the story." For example -- did you know that Gene Autry really didn't want to sing about a Reindeer with a red nose? Or that Mel Torme wrote "The Christmas Song" in the middle of a California heat wave? These are only tidbids -- you'll never hear "I Wonder as I Wander" without tearing up after you hear this song's provenance. Or take "O Holy Night" for granted once you learn how it was actually reviled by the church for . . . no, I won't tell you more. Buy the book. Pick up half a dozen of these and give them as gifts next holiday season -- your friends & family will thank you!
Rating:
Summary: Purely excellent
Review: I heard about this book by listening to WMBI in Chicago the week before Christmas. They had the author on, telling one Christmas carol song per day. Immediately I purchased the book, and am thoroughly enjoying it!Ace tells the stories of 31 favorite Christmas songs. They aren't all traditional carols, but include "Mary Did You Know", and a couple of secular-based Christmas songs such as "Silver Bells" and "Rudolph". I would love to know where Mr. Collins got all his information - there is no Bibliography. The book itself is very attractive - you can see what the cover is like above, but inside, the print is a deep blue, and there are simple drawings and borders using the same blue. This makes it very visually appealing. The best way to read "Stories Behind the Best-Love Songs of Christmas" would probably be to read one chapter per day for the 31 days before Christmas. But you can also read it straight through, or dip into the chapter that talks about YOUR favorite Christmas song. As a perfect companion to Ace Collins' book, I recommend "Christ in the Carols" by Christopher and Melodie Lane. In this book, the emphasis is on finding Christ in the carols and how these carols express so beautifully the glorious and mysterious incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ! Take the time out this Christmas to enjoy the history and meaning of these beloved songs of Christmas! This book would make a wonderful gift! You might be interested in checking out my other reviews of Christian books adn music.
Rating:
Summary: What a fascinating book!
Review: I heard about this book by listening to WMBI in Chicago the week before Christmas. They had the author on, telling one Christmas carol song per day. Immediately I purchased the book, and am thoroughly enjoying it! Ace tells the stories of 31 favorite Christmas songs. They aren't all traditional carols, but include "Mary Did You Know", and a couple of secular-based Christmas songs such as "Silver Bells" and "Rudolph". I would love to know where Mr. Collins got all his information - there is no Bibliography. The book itself is very attractive - you can see what the cover is like above, but inside, the print is a deep blue, and there are simple drawings and borders using the same blue. This makes it very visually appealing. The best way to read "Stories Behind the Best-Love Songs of Christmas" would probably be to read one chapter per day for the 31 days before Christmas. But you can also read it straight through, or dip into the chapter that talks about YOUR favorite Christmas song. As a perfect companion to Ace Collins' book, I recommend "Christ in the Carols" by Christopher and Melodie Lane. In this book, the emphasis is on finding Christ in the carols and how these carols express so beautifully the glorious and mysterious incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ! Take the time out this Christmas to enjoy the history and meaning of these beloved songs of Christmas! This book would make a wonderful gift! You might be interested in checking out my other reviews of Christian books adn music.
Rating:
Summary: What a wonderful book!
Review: I really enjoyed this book. It was so interesting to hear the stories behind all the Christmas songs. The only reason I rated it a four is that not all the song lyrics are included. Even when it is a song I know by heart, I liked reading through the words, especially songs that have several verses that we don't always sing. Very sweet, easy to read, and interesting.
Rating:
Summary: What a wonderful book!
Review: I really enjoyed this book. It was so interesting to hear the stories behind all the Christmas songs. The only reason I rated it a four is that not all the song lyrics are included. Even when it is a song I know by heart, I liked reading through the words, especially songs that have several verses that we don't always sing. Very sweet, easy to read, and interesting.
Rating: 
Summary: Big disappointment
Review: I was expecting accurate information regarding the history of Christmas songs and carols. Instead, Ace Collins has taken some facts about the carols and woven fairytales around them. In some cases he has taken a few facts and assumed results that are erroneous.
Having personally researched "Silent Night" in Austria, I can say for certain that Collins has presented another fanciful story based on some facts and some misconceptions about the world's best-loved carol.
The tale about "The Twelve Days of Christmas" being a secret catechism for Catholics in the period when they were oppressed in England doesn't make any sense. The "secret" Catholic beliefs it supposedly hides are identical to the Protestant beliefs of that era. Therefore there was no reason to keep them secret from Protestants -- 1 = one God, 2 = Old and New Testament, 3 = gold, frankincense, and myrrh -- and so on.
Sadly, it's just another feel-good Christmas book when it could have been a valuable resource for people wanting accurate information.
Rating:
Summary: Purely excellent
Review: Just an excellent book on the songs of Christmas. Something to hand down from children to grandchildren.
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