Spaceman Discovers Christmas (1958)

 

Happy holidays and Merry Christmas! I am doing this post back in June 2025 so I am hoping the world is a happier and safer place in December 2025. It has been a little while since I found a book worth of a Christmas post. This one does not have a lot of spaceships or rockets. It was a giveaway at Ben Franklin Dept. stores.

It is the story of a Martian who wants to find out what Christmas is and research if they might want to export it to Mars. It is only an OK story but an old theme. It seems like "Mars Needs Holidays!" since I have heard many stories like this.

Including of course the famous movie "Santa Claus Conquers The Martians." (1964). So your Christmas present this year is this free movie:

https://youtu.be/L4SZyeUGSM4?si=ZpuNxrhfGe0ZgAWg

Spaceman Discovers Christmas.  (Premium, Ben Franklin Store). New York, NY: Promotional Publishing. (16 p.) 1958. BOX 05

Let's Pretend (1954)

Occasonally you pick up a book only for its cover. I agree there is no space flight content in Let's Pretend but the cover and the title page are spcial. They capture the dream of being in space and how some of us used to put on our space costume and create our visionary personal stories.  The book is about the occupations childen can dream of and the joy they get in thinking anything is possible. 

Friedman, Frieda. Illustrated by Patterson, Valeria. Let’s Pretend. Kenosha, WI: Samuel Lowe Co. (19 p.) 1954 

Spacewalks: Poems for the Moon Age (1971)

 

So to keep up with my strange postings, today is strange (bad?) space poetry. I like the drawings that are VERY late 60s with spacecraft and other images mixed together. I also like his approach to using our Space Race as an inspiration to think about what people had done and what they might do. Your mileage may vary :) At least I can safely assume you have never seen this before.

Roberts, Burgent. Spacewalks : Poems for a Moon Age. New York: Harper and Row. (90 p.) 1971.

Can't really believe he signed this book to Grace Slick and Paul Kantner (Jefferson Airplane).