The Lost Christmas Gift
By Andrew Beckham.
Princeton Architectural Press, 2012. 40pp., 60 illustrations, 10 x 12 in.
Publisher’s Description
Seventy years after his father left to be a mapmaker for the war in Europe, Emerson Johansson received a package that had been lost in the mail for decades. The parcel contained a most extraordinary gift: an exquisite book Johansson's father lovingly made by hand, detailing an unforgettable adventure they shared together just months before his departure. With maps, drawings, watercolors and photographs, this artifact and family heirloom recounts a mountainous winter landscape alive with the dangers and magic of an alpine blizzard. Destined to become a Christmas classic, The Lost Christmas Gift is a faithful reproduction of the magnificent hand-crafted present Johnasson's father sent him, and a poignant reminder that the best gifts transcend time and distance, renewing our gratitude for the resilience of memory, the bonds of family, and the kindness of strangers.