St. Nicholas

McKnight, George Harley, 1871-1951Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.8

Word count: 195K words
Chapters: 20

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.St. Nicholas by George Harley McKnightAuthor: McKnight, George Harley, 1871-1951,Language: English, Class: BV: Philosophy, Psychology, Religion: Christianity: Practical theology, Worship, Release Date: Jun 17, 2013

Editor's review

This book is George Harley McKnight's scholarly study of St. Nicholas, falling within religion and practical theology and released free by Project Gutenberg. Its value lies not in popular storytelling but in placing St. Nicholas within the context of Christian tradition and folk transmission, making it suitable for readers interested in saint legends, religious folklore, and the roots of Western culture. The language is plain and the structure clear, serving as an introductory reference for understanding how the image of St. Nicholas took shape and evolved. It is best read as a scholarly text rather than a holiday book; comparing it with related historical and folklore materials will better convey its academic orientation. The electronic edition is convenient for keyword searching and suited to selective reading and note-taking with specific questions in mind.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers of religion and culture interested in St. Nicholas legends and saint veneration
Students and enthusiasts studying Western folklore and Christian tradition
Self-learners needing free English electronic resources for background reading
Readers who prefer scholarly overviews to narrative storytelling

Not a good fit for

Parents looking for Santa Claus fairy tales to read to children
Casual readers expecting light, entertaining popular works
Readers unaccustomed to English religious studies texts

Reading tips

Begin with the table of contents and introduction to grasp the author's central questions, then read relevant chapters closely.
Keep pen and paper to note differences in the image of St. Nicholas across traditions for easy comparison.
Read alongside materials on Christmas folklore and hagiography to avoid understanding a single text in isolation.
Use keyword searches in the electronic edition for names and places to locate passages quickly.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this book a Santa Claus story?

It is not a collection of popular tales. It examines St. Nicholas and his tradition from a religious and theological perspective; it is scholarly, closer to research discussion than to a children's holiday fairy tale.

What language proficiency does reading this book require?

The original is in English and falls under religious studies and practical theology. General English reading ability suffices; proper nouns can be looked up in reference works, and no Greek or Latin is required.

Is this book meant to be read from cover to cover?

It can be read straight through, but reading selected chapters by interest is recommended. The structure is clear: start with the introduction to grasp the main points, then read selectively on specific aspects of the St. Nicholas image and take notes for later reference.

Comments

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About the author

McKnight, George Harley, 1871-1951 Author · American · 1871–1951

George Harley McKnight (1871–1951) was an American linguist and professor of English. Public information about him is limited, and few details of his life are now known, but his surviving works show that his scholarship centered on the English language itself. He wrote such works as English Words and Their Background, in which he traced the origins, development, and contexts of words, examining language history together with cultural background. His approach emphasizes the orderly arrangement of materials and clear explanation, making it accessible to general readers and beginners who wish to understand where English vocabulary comes from. The collection also includes one of his works, St. Nicholas, which shows that he also turned his hand to retelling and arranging traditional material. His writings remain of some reference value for spreading knowledge of the history of English vocabulary.