Christmas American Annual 1974 Vol 45 + GM Merry Christmas 1950 Lot

Christmas: An American Annual of Christmas Literature and Art, Volume Forty Five, Second Edition, 1974, edited by Randolph E. Haugan and published by Augsburg Publishing House, is paired here with a Merry Christmas 1950 booklet published for General Motors employees.

The 68 page annual has colorful, clean interior pages with visible cover wear and slight curling, while the seven page General Motors booklet is clean with no rips or tears noted and also has slight curling.

Together, these two illustrated Christmas publications bring together holiday literature, Christian writing, artwork, music, American history, and a piece of midcentury General Motors employee history.

Details

  • Item: Two piece Christmas book and booklet lot
  • Title: Christmas: An American Annual of Christmas Literature and Art, and Merry Christmas 1950
  • Author: Various contributors. Christmas annual edited by Randolph E. Haugan
  • Illustrator: Multiple illustrators are credited in the Christmas annual. Complete illustrator information Not confirmed from photos
  • Publisher: Augsburg Publishing House, Minneapolis, for the Christmas annual. Merry Christmas publisher Not confirmed from photos
  • Publication Year: 1974 Christmas annual. 1950 Merry Christmas booklet
  • Edition and Printing: Christmas annual Volume Forty Five, Second Edition. Merry Christmas edition and printing Not confirmed from photos
  • Format and Binding: Oversize illustrated softcover annual and illustrated paper booklet
  • Dust Jacket: None shown
  • Pages: Christmas annual 68 pages. Merry Christmas booklet 7 pages
  • Genre: Christmas literature, art, history, music, and Christian holiday material
  • Language: English
  • ISBN: Not confirmed from photos
  • Dimensions: Christmas annual 14 x 10 inches. Merry Christmas booklet 10 x 8 inches

Condition Grade: Good

Positives

  • Graded Good: Both pieces remain complete and usable with clean, colorful interiors and visible signs of age and handling.
  • The 68 page Christmas annual has bright illustrations, photographs, decorated text, sheet music, and other period artwork throughout the photographed pages.
  • The Merry Christmas 1950 booklet has seven clean pages with no rips or tears noted.
  • The General Motors booklet retains its green illustrated cover with Liberty Bell artwork and the printed statement that it was published for all General Motors employees for Christmas 1950.

Issues / Wear

  • The Christmas annual shows rubbing, edge wear, small areas of surface loss, and general handling wear on the red cover.
  • Both pieces have slight curling consistent with their flexible paper formats.
  • The annual shows age toning along portions of the page edges.

Condition Grade Key

  • Near Fine: Close to new. Any flaw is small and named above.
  • Very Good: Light use. Every flaw is named above, and none of them get in the way of reading or display.
  • Good: Complete and usable, with clear signs of use. Every flaw is named above.
  • Fair: Heavy wear or damage, named above. A reading or working copy, not a display piece.

Collector's Notes

The Christmas annual belongs to a long running series that combined Christmas writing with art, music, religious material, and American cultural subjects in a large illustrated format.

They make an interesting pair because one reflects a corporate Christmas message from 1950 and the other shows the broader illustrated holiday annual tradition of the 1970s.

Shipping + Trust (Reading Vintage standards)

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Disclaimer

All items are vintage and may show signs of age, wear, or use consistent with their history. Photos show the exact condition of each piece, please review them carefully, as they are part of the description.

Care and Handling

Handle with clean, dry hands. Store upright, out of direct sunlight, at about 68°F and 40 to 50% relative humidity. Avoid damp areas and extreme temperature swings.

Good to Know Before You Buy

Yes. Every photo on this page is the actual item you will receive. Not a stock photo, not a similar copy. What you see is what ships.

Honestly. This is vintage, so expect some age. When I find wear, writing, stains, loose pages, chips, or missing pieces, I note them and show them in the photos. Some marks add character. Some are just flaws. I tell you which is which so you can decide if this is the right one for you.

With care. Old books and fragile pieces are wrapped and boxed so they arrive the way they left me. Careful packing is one of the things buyers mention most in their reviews. Orders of $35 or more ship free.

Probably not. Everything here is one of a kind, and I rarely find the same item twice. Once it sells, it is gone. Vintage does not restock neatly.