Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Thomas Ruys Smith

@thomasruyssmith.com

2.4K followers 820 following 140 posts

Prof of Lit and Culture, mostly nineteenth century. Coming soon: 🎅 🔎 Searching for Santa Claus: An Anthology of the Poems, Stories and Illustrations That Shaped an American Icon. Writing a book about Mark Twain & London. http://www.thomasruyssmith.com

www.thomasruyssmith.com

Posts Media Videos Starter Packs

Pinned

Thomas Ruys Smith @thomasruyssmith.com · Nov 8

Yes things are bad but you still need to do your Christmas shopping… 🎅 🎁

Christmas Past: An Anthology of Seasonal Stories from Nineteenth-Century America a.co/d/a6ahWsC

The Last Gift: The Christmas Stories of Mary E. Wilkins Freeman a.co/d/baiIlok

Christmas Past: An Anthology of Seasonal Stories from Nineteenth-Century America https://a.co/d/a6ahWsC

The Last Gift: The Christmas Stories of Mary E. Wilkins Freeman https://a.co/d/baiIlok

1 4 13

Reposted by Thomas Ruys Smith

Neglected Books @neglectedbooks.com · 8d

Our next virtual launch from the Recovered Books series at @bhousepress.bsky.social will be for Malachi Whitaker's unique memoir, And So Did I, on Tuesday, 14 October, at 7PM BST. Our special guests will be Catherine Taylor and Valerie Waterhouse.

Register on Eventbrite: www.eventbrite.co.uk...

2 7

Thomas Ruys Smith @thomasruyssmith.com · 7d

Sent!

Thomas Ruys Smith @thomasruyssmith.com · 7d

Great! Yes, still have it. I’ll send it over!

1 1

Thomas Ruys Smith @thomasruyssmith.com · 7d

I hope I qualify as enough of a writer about Christmas stuff and I would love to see an advance pdf. In exchange would you like an advance pdf of my forthcoming Santa book? www.boilerhouse.press/product-page...

Searching for Santa Claus by Thomas Ruys Smith | boiler-house-press

"Searching for Santa is both a lovely gift book for serious Santa fans and an important resource for anyone studying the history of American children's literature.”- Linda Raedisch, author of The Old ...

www.boilerhouse.press

1 1

Reposted by Thomas Ruys Smith

Benito Cereno @benitocereno.bsky.social · 8d

If you are a comics reviewer or a writer of or about Christmas stuff and you would like an advance pdf of STARTLING TALES OF SANTA CLAUS 2025 (in stores December 3), let me know and I will hook you up. If you would like to talk to me about the book for your publication, hmu

Mark Laszlo cover for Startling Tales of Santa Claus 2025 Annual

1 8 22

Reposted by Thomas Ruys Smith

Benito Cereno @benitocereno.bsky.social · 19d

Coming in December!

STARTLING TALES OF SANTA CLAUS 2025 ANNUAL!

80 pages of fantasy adventure Christmas comics feat.

@seakae.com
@docshaner.bsky.social
@nedroid.com
@emmetthgraham.bsky.social
@nickfil.bsky.social
@longtalljodie.com

Six stories, all new or in print for the first time!

STARTLING TALES OF SANTA CLAUS
2025 ANNUAL (ONE-SHOT)
STORY BENITO CERENO
ART SEAKAE, EVAN 'DOC' SHANER, EMMETT GRAHAM, ANTHONY CLARK
COVER A MARK LASZLO
COVER B SEAKAE
COVER C TOM FOWLER, OLLI HIHNALA
COVER D DAN SCHKADE (1:10)
COVER E LEE GATLIN (1:25)
COVER F NATE BELLEGARDE (1:50)

Six seasonal fantasy-adventure stories to drive the cold winter away!
See:
• Saint Nicholas match wits with a devil!
• Mrs. Claus take on the Wild Huntsman!
• The birth of a log that poops nougat!
• The grisly outcome of trying to outlaw the Krampus!
• How many cookies really make a dozen!

PLUS: How they do Christmas in Lovecraft country!

80 big ad-free pages!

DECEMBER 3
80 PAGES • FULL COLOR
T (TEEN) AGES 12+ • $9.99 US
HUMOROUS, FANTASY

Preview pages from An Old-Fashioned Holiday, art by Emmett Graham

8 29 70

Thomas Ruys Smith @thomasruyssmith.com · 29d

Love the illustrations!

Reposted by Thomas Ruys Smith

Thomas Ruys Smith @thomasruyssmith.com · Sep 5

🎅🔎 Searching for Santa Claus, my collection of the stories, poems and illustrations that shaped a global icon, has a cover (by the amazing Studio GRRR)! Available for preorder from @bhousepress.bsky.social now!

🎅👉 www.boilerhouse.press/product-page...

The cover image for Searching for Santa Claus, edited by Thomas Ruys Smith and published by Boiler House Press.

4 12

Thomas Ruys Smith @thomasruyssmith.com · 29d

An exciting arrival today from @christmaspast.bsky.social! Congratulations Brian - order your copies now!

The delightful cover of Brian Earl’s new book, Of Christmases Long, Long Ago: Surprising Traditions from Christmas Past.

Thomas Ruys Smith @thomasruyssmith.com · 29d

Fabulous - will watch!

Reposted by Thomas Ruys Smith

Kurt G @kurtgegenhuber.bsky.social · 29d

MNHS has been nominated for an EMMY for their documentary on how Harry Smith's Anthology helped save a St. Paul theater that really needed saving. The result is beautiful art, richly informative, and precisely accurate. Gratitude to @pedigreedbunk.bsky.social !

Music Making History: How A Song Saved A Theater

YouTube video by Minnesota Historical Society

www.youtube.com

1 2

Thomas Ruys Smith @thomasruyssmith.com · Sep 5

4 12

Reposted by Thomas Ruys Smith

Dr. Vaughn Joy @gvaughnjoy.bsky.social · Aug 28

Everything is terrible right now in general, but in personal good news, my book has a cover and I'm so excited to share it!!!

Selling Out Santa is about Hollywood's manipulation of the Christmas holiday for socially conservative ends in the early Cold War 🗃️
www.barnesandnoble.com/w/selling-ou...

A book cover from De Gruyter. A faded American flag's red and white stripes sets the background. In the foreground are three Christmas baubles: a darker red ball is in front coming in from the left, a white ball is behind it, and a light navy blue ball hangs behind that. White text reads the title: Selling out Santa Hollywood Christmas Films in the Age of McCarthy. On the blue ball white text reads Vaughn Joy and the series name pop culture in context

20 57 250

Thomas Ruys Smith @thomasruyssmith.com · Aug 27

This is amazing - would love to read what your students come up with!

Thomas Ruys Smith @thomasruyssmith.com · Aug 7

@rickriordan.bsky.social Are you a fan of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Wonder Book for Girls and Boys? We’ve just produced a new edition with our students and would love to send you a copy! Unsurprisingly your work was a big inspiration for everyone involved!

www.ueapublishingproject.com/product-page...

A Wonder-Book for Girls & Boys by Nathaniel Hawthorne | uea-publishing

“The ideal of happiness of many American children is to lose themselves in A Wonder-Book.” - Henry JamesIn 1851, many decades before Percy Jackson and his fellow demi-gods and heroes conquered popular...

www.ueapublishingproject.com

Thomas Ruys Smith @thomasruyssmith.com · Aug 5

…perhaps of interest to @nataliehaynes.bsky.social? Let us know if you’d like a copy!

Thomas Ruys Smith @thomasruyssmith.com · Aug 5

cc @hilaryemmett.bsky.social @bhousepress.bsky.social

Thomas Ruys Smith @thomasruyssmith.com · Aug 5

And here are some kind words from two of our wonderful advance readers!

"This splendid edition will allow new readers of all ages to enjoy Hawthorne’s high-spirited, inventive retellings of ancient myths. The Introduction helpfully relates the collection both to Hawthorne’s own life and times and to today’s remarkable upsurge of interest in classical mythology." - Professor Sheila Murnaghan, editor of Childhood and the Classics: Britain and America, 1850-1965 (Oxford University Press 2018).

"This is an excellent edition of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s A Wonder Book for Boys and Girls that will appeal to children and adults alike. The editors do an excellent job in their thorough introduction and the educational resources for teachers, including prompts, questions, exercises, and projects, are quite impressive. All in all, this is a delightful companion to Hawthorne studies and to children’s studies." - Professor Monika Elbert, Editor, Nathaniel Hawthorne Review

1 2

Thomas Ruys Smith @thomasruyssmith.com · Aug 5

Coming soon! Our new @uniofeastanglia.bsky.social edition of Nathaniel Hawthorne's A Wonder-Book for Girls & Boys - his groundbreaking collection of mythological stories retold for younger readers, first published in 1851! More here 👉 www.ueapublishingproject.com/product-page...