This project started when Tom Glazer of Graphic Image found an original copy of The Greatest Gift among his father's possessions. Inside, the author writes:
For Bennett Glazer
who remembers the movie
With best regards
from the author
Philip Van Doren Stern
Although printed in 1944, evidently it was presented to Bennett Glazer after the release of It's A Wonderful Life. Setting off on a pleasurable voyage of discovery into the history of this book, Tom Glazer soon realized that he had one of the original print run that Van Doren Stern had published after first sending 200 copies out as a holiday card to give to friends in Christmas 1943. It was one of these festive pamphlets that eventually found its way into the hands of a producer at RKO Films. The rest is, as they say, movie history!
We are delighted to be able to present The Greatest Gift here in a new edition for readers everywhere to enjoy.
With an Afterword by Marguerite Stern Robinson
Illustrations by Finlay Cowan
About the Author
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.
