Enjoy these gentle, entertaining tales of Christmas past. Written by Washington Irving, who is said to have been a favorite of Charles Dickens, Old Christmas is an enchanting series of stories about Yuletide celebrations in nineteenth century England. Spend Christmas Eve coaching through the countryside where Irving meets his old traveling companion Frank Bracebridge, who invites him to attend Christmas Day festivities at his father's country estate. The descriptions of the village, church services, Christmas games and the amazing feast are truly delightful. These stories first appeared in Irving's "Sketchbook of Geoffrey Crayon" in the early 1800's. The Christmas stories were then published together as a "gift book" in 1875. This version is illustrated with hundreds of lively drawings by Randolph Caldecott, engraved by James D. Cooper. Caldecott, one of the most influential illustrators of the late nineteenth century, is the namesake of the Caldecott Medal, awarded annually since 1937 for the best illustrated children's book. Old Christmas is proudly presented as originally published in 1886.