{"product_id":"the-nutcracker-isbn-9780143122500","title":"The Nutcracker","description":"\u003cb\u003eOne of six beloved Christmas classics in collectible hardcover editions\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eWritten in 1816 by one of the leaders of German Romanticism for his children, nephews, and nieces, \u003ci\u003eThe Nutcracker \u003c\/i\u003ecaptures  better than any other story a child’s wonder at Christmas. The gift of a  handsomely decorated nutcracker from a mysterious uncle sets the stage  for a Christmas Eve like no other for the little girl Marie. That night,  Marie’s extraordinary present comes to life, defends her from the  taunting Mouse King, and whisks her off to the Kingdom of Dolls. The  inspiration for the classic ballet, E. T. A. Hoffmann’s irresistible  tale of magic and childhood adventure continues to captivate readers of  all ages. Today, many of the most enchanting symbols of Christmas, from  nutcrackers to sugar plums to mistletoe, are still imbued with the power  of this story.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePenguin Christmas Classics\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eGive the gift of literature this Christmas.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003ePenguin  Christmas Classics honor the power of literature to keep on giving  through the ages. The six volumes in the series are not only our most  beloved Christmas tales, they also have given us much of what we love  about the holiday itself. \u003ci\u003eA Christmas Carol\u003c\/i\u003e revived in Victorian  England such Christmas hallmarks as the Christmas tree, holiday cards,  and caroling. The Yuletide yarns of Anthony Trollope popularized  throughout the British Empire and around the world the trappings of  Christmas in London. \u003ci\u003eThe Life and Adventures of Santa Claus \u003c\/i\u003ecreated the origin story for the presiding spirit of Christmas as we know it. The holiday tales of Louisa May Alcott shaped the  ideal of an American Christmas. \u003ci\u003eThe Night Before Christmas\u003c\/i\u003e brought forth some of our earliest Christmas traditions as passed down through folk tales. And \u003ci\u003eThe Nutcracker\u003c\/i\u003e inspired the most famous ballet in history, one seen by millions in the twilight of every year.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eBeautifully  designed hardcovers—with foil-stamped jackets, decorative endpapers, and  nameplates for personalization—in a small trim size that  makes them perfect stocking stuffers, Penguin Christmas Classics embody  the spirit of giving that is at the heart of our most time-honored  stories about the holiday.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eCollect all six Penguin Christmas Classics:\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eA Christmas Carol\u003c\/i\u003e by Charles Dickens\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eChristmas at Thompson Hall: And Other Christmas Stories\u003c\/i\u003e by Anthony Trollope\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Life and Adventures of Santa Claus \u003c\/i\u003eby L. Frank Baum\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eA Merry Christmas: And Other Christmas Stories\u003c\/i\u003e by Louisa May Alcott\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Night Before Christmas\u003c\/i\u003e by Nikolai Gogol\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Nutcracker\u003c\/i\u003e by E. T. A. Hoffmann\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFor more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.“For lit nerds and loved ones who are notoriously hard to shop for, you can’t go wrong with these festively bound classics. . . . Their size makes them perfectly stocking-stuffable.” —\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eEntertainment Weekly, \u003c\/i\u003e“The Must List”\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e“Leave it to the folks at Penguin—who gave us Gothed-out editions of horror classics for Halloween—to package these . . . slim Yuletide-themed volumes.” —\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNewsday, \u003c\/i\u003e“Best Books to Give as Holiday Gifts”\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e“Remember how Christmas was celebrated before Black Friday with these 19th-century authors, in small uniform volumes wrapped in pretty jackets.” —\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eUSA Today, \u003c\/i\u003e“Holiday Gift Books So Pretty, No Need to Wrap”\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e“Beautifully designed.” —\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Washington Post\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003eE. T. A. Hoffmann\u003c\/b\u003e (1776–1822) was one of the best known and most influential authors of his time. \u003ci\u003ePhantasiestücke\u003c\/i\u003e, his earliest collection of tales, appeared in 1814. This was followed three years later by \u003ci\u003eNachstücke \u003c\/i\u003eand then in 1819–21 by \u003ci\u003eDie Serapoins brüder.\u003c\/i\u003e Among his longer works is his second and final novel,\u003ci\u003e Die Lebensansichten des Katers Murr \u003c\/i\u003e(\u003ci\u003eThe Life and Opinions of the Tomcat Murr\u003c\/i\u003e),  which represents the highpoint of his art. He exploited the grotesque  and the bizarre in a manner unmatched by any other Romantic writer.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eJoachim Neugroschel\u003c\/b\u003e (translator; 1938–2011) won three PEN translation awards and the  French-American Foundation Translation Prize. He translated Thomas  Mann’s \u003ci\u003eDeath in Venice \u003c\/i\u003eand Sacher-Masoch’s\u003ci\u003e Venus in Furs\u003c\/i\u003e, among other works, for Penguin Classics.\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eChristmas Eve\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFOR THE ENTIRE TWENTY-FOURTH OF DECEMBER, the children of Medical Officer Stahlbaum were not permitted to step inside the intermediary room, much less the magnificent showcase next door. Fritz and Marie sat huddled together in a corner of the back room. The deep evening dusk had set in, and the children felt quite eerie because, as was usual on this day, no light had been brought in. Fritz quite secretly whispered to his younger sister (she had just turned seven) that he had heard a rustling and murmuring and soft throbbing in the locked rooms since early that morning. Also, not so long ago (Fritz went on), a short, dark man with a large casket under his arm had stolen across the vestibule. However, said Fritz, he knew quite well that it was none other than Godfather Drosselmeier.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMarie joyfully clapped her little hands and exclaimed: “Ah, I wonder what lovely presents he’s made for us!”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSupreme Court Justice Drosselmeier was anything but handsome. He was short and scrawny, his face was covered with wrinkles, and he wore a big, black patch instead of a right eye. He also had no hair on his head, which is why he sported a very lovely periwig made of spun glass and very artistic. Indeed, the godfather was altogether a very artistic man, who even knew a thing or two about clocks and could actually build them. So if any of the beautiful clocks in Stahlbaum’s home fell ill and couldn’t sing, Godfather Drosselmeier would come by, remove his glass periwig, take off his snug yellow vest, tie on a blue apron, and insert sharp instruments into the gears. It was very painful for little Marie, but it didn’t harm the clock at all. In fact, the clock even grew lively, and it started cheerfully humming, striking, and singing again, much to everyone’s delight.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhenever Drosselmeier visited them, he would bring something nice for the children. His pocket might contain a manikin that could twist its eyes and bow—which was comical to see. Or Drosselmeier might have a box from which a little bird came hopping out, or he might have something utterly different. But for Christmas, Drosselmeier always completed a gorgeous artistic work, which cost him a great effort. That is why, after showing the gift, the parents very cautiously stored it away.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Ah, I wonder what lovely presents he’s made for us,” Marie exclaimed.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFritz decided that this year it could be nothing but a fortress, where all kinds of very handsome soldiers drilled and marched to and fro. Next, other soldiers would have to storm and invade the fortress. But now the inside soldiers boldly shot their cannons, making them boom and burst.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“No, no!” Marie interrupted Fritz. “Godfather Drosselmeier told me about a beautiful park with a huge lake and with marvelous swans gliding about and wearing gold neckbands and singing the loveliest songs. Then a little girl comes to the lake and entices the swans and feeds them sweet marzipan.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Swans don’t eat marzipan,” Fritz broke in quite roughly, “and Godfather Drosselmeier can’t make a whole park. Actually, we get little out of his toys. They’re promptly taken away from us. So I much prefer what Mama and Papa give us. We can keep their presents nicely and do whatever we like with them.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNow the children debated what their parents would bring them. Marie felt that Fräulein Trutchen (her large doll) was changing deeply. For, clumsier than ever, she fell on the floor every moment. This didn’t happen without a nasty grin, and there was no further thought of the cleanliness of her garments. Nor did a thorough scolding help. Also, Mama, we are told, smiled with such delight at Gretchen’s small parasol. Fritz, by contrast, assured the others that his royal stable lacked a good sorrel, just as his troops fully lacked a cavalry—Papa was well aware of that.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSo the children knew that their parents had bought them all kinds of beautiful presents, which they now displayed. But the children were also certain that the dear Holy Christ shone upon them with the pious and friendly eyes of children. And they were equally convinced that, as if touched by fruitful hands, every Christmas gift would bring marvelous pleasure like no other.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe children, who kept whispering about the expected presents, were reminded of that pleasure by their older sister, Luise. And they added that it was now also the Holy Christ, who, through the hands of their dear parents, always gave them whatever real joy and pleasure He could bring them. Indeed, He knew that a lot better than did the children themselves, who didn’t have to nurture all sorts of hopes and wishes. Rather, they had to wait, still and pious, for their Christmas presents.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eLittle Marie grew pensive, while Fritz murmured to himself: “I’d love to have a sorrel and Hussars.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBy now it had grown completely dark. Fritz and Marie, thoroughly pressed together, did not dare say another word. It sounded as if rustling wings encircled them, and as if they could catch a very distant and very splendid music. A bright shine grazed the wall, and now the children knew that the Christ Child had flown away on radiant clouds, flown to other happy children.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAt that moment, they heard a bright silvery chime: “Klingling, klingling!”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe doors burst open, and the radiance erupting into the large room was so deep that the children cried out: “Ah! Ah!” and they halted on the threshold, petrified.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBut then Mama and Papa stepped in, took the children by the hand, and said: “Come on, come on, you dear children, and look what the Holy Christ has brought you.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe Gifts\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eI  TURN TO YOU, GENTLE READER OR LISTENER—Fritz, Theodor, Emst—or whatever your name may be, and I picture you vividly at your last Christmas table, which is richly adorned with gorgeous, multicolored presents. You will then envisage how the children halted, in silence and with shining eyes. You will then envision how, after a while, Marie cried out with a deep sigh: “Ah! How beautiful! Ah! How beautiful!” And Fritz tried out his caprioles, which were very successful. But the children had to have been devout and well behaved the entire year, for never had they had such splendid and such beautiful gifts as this time.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Penguin Classics","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46303521636581,"sku":"NP9780143122500","price":20.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780143122500.jpg?v=1767740757","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/es\/products\/the-nutcracker-isbn-9780143122500","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}