The Greatest Gift
Philip Van Doren Stern(Author)
Doubleday (Publisher)
Published on 6. November 2014
Book
Hardback
64 pages
978-0-85752-321-1 (ISBN)
Description
For almost seventy years, people the world over have fallen in love with Frank Capra's classic Christmas movie It's a Wonderful Life. But few of those fans know that Capra's film was based on a short story by Philip Van Doren Stern, which came to Stern in a dream one night.
Unable at first to find a publisher for his evocative tale about a man named George Pratt who ponders suicide until he receives an opportunity to see what the world would be like without him, Stern published the story in a small pamphlet and sent it out as his 1943 Christmas card. One of those 200 cards found its way into the hands of Frank Capra, who shared it with Jimmy Stewart, and the film that resulted became the holiday tradition cherished today.
Unable at first to find a publisher for his evocative tale about a man named George Pratt who ponders suicide until he receives an opportunity to see what the world would be like without him, Stern published the story in a small pamphlet and sent it out as his 1943 Christmas card. One of those 200 cards found its way into the hands of Frank Capra, who shared it with Jimmy Stewart, and the film that resulted became the holiday tradition cherished today.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Transworld Publishers Ltd
Dimensions
Height: 186 mm
Width: 134 mm
Thickness: 10 mm
Weight
153 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-85752-321-1 (9780857523211)
Copyright in bibliographic data is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or its licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

Philip Van Doren Stern
The Greatest Gift
The heartwarming story that became the Christmas classic, It's A Wonderful Life
E-Book
11/2014
Transworld Digital
€9.89
Available for download
Person
Philip Van Doren Stern (1900-1984) was an American author, editor, and Civil War historian whose story, The Greatest Gift, became the basis of the classic Christmas film, It's a Wonderful Life.