This ebook contains the novel by L. Frank Baum, "The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus" (published in 1902) as well as his short story, "A Kidnapped Santa Claus" which was published 2 years later in in The Delineator, a women’s magazine. "The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus" was illustrated by Mary Cowles Clark, and "A Kidnapped Santa Claus" was illustrated by Frederick Richardson, who would later illustrate Baum’s Queen Zixi of Ix in 1905.Includes a preface by Baum expert J.C. Nusbaum, and a Q&A with Jules Bass, who produced the animated TV version of "The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus" in 1985.From the Preface:The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus allows readers a glimpse of a very different L. Frank Baum. This story, published in 1902, is a marked contrast from the “American” fairy tale he set out to establish with The Wonderful Wizard of Oz two years earlier. Baum was highly critical of the European masters, calling the Grimm brothers too dour, and Hans Christian Anderson too sentimental for the sensibilities of American children. But Baum’s tale of Santa Claus is sweetly affectionate in its treatment of the protagonist, and reverent of the rich tradition of myths and fairy stories that have existed for centuries across Europe. Perhaps Baum realized that any story about Santa Claus had to be as timeless as the titular character to authentically connect with readers, who already had a strong sense of the man behind the myth. Or perhaps Baum was so beholden to this benevolent bestower of gifts and goodwill that he could not help but present him with loving tenderness...Includes over 30 illustrations. DRM-Free.