Vorab-Rezensenten

Ronald D. Lankford has written the definitive history of one of America’s most enduring Christmas characters. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer was the creation of Robert May, who wrote the original poem as a Montgomery Ward Christmas giveaway in 1939. More than 2.4 million copies were printed and given away that holiday season. Thus the legend began. Johnny Marks adapted the poem into what would become the Gene Autry hit “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” which instantly became—and still remains—one of the most popular Christmas songs of all time. The legend of Rudolph soared even higher with the famous Rankin/Bass television special in 1964, which has gone on to inspire a cottage industry of toys and decorative items. Lankford has produced the first complete history of the most famous reindeer of all that both celebrates and explains the undying popularity of Rudolph and his friends.