The Greatest Gift Audiobook By Philip Van Doren Stern cover art

The Greatest Gift

A Christmas Tale

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The Greatest Gift

By: Philip Van Doren Stern
Narrated by: Edward Herrmann
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A beautiful gift edition of the heartwarming story that became the Christmas classic, It’s a Wonderful Life.

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 author 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 ultimately 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 we cherish today.

Now fans of It’s a Wonderful Life, or anyone who loves the spirit of Christmas, can own the story that started it all in an elegant, illustrated edition that’s perfect for holiday giving. It includes an Afterword by Stern’s daughter, Marguerite Stern Robinson, that tells the story of how her father’s Christmas card became the movie beloved by generations of people around the world. Anthologies & Short Stories Classics Fiction Genre Fiction Holidays Winter Christmas Short Story Heartfelt Romance

Featured Article: It’s a Wonderful Life—Book vs. Movie


It's a Wonderful Life is widely acknowledged as the best Christmas film of all time. So, it's kind of hard to believe that when the film premiered in 1946, it was considered a near-flop because it didn't find immediate financial success. It wasn't until the advent of television programming and a clerical mistake in licensing that It's a Wonderful Life was played on TV, again and again, propelling it to become an enduring favorite among audiences, especially at Christmastime. But like the film's origins, "The Greatest Gift," the story that inspired it, also had a fraught beginning.

Featured Article It’s a Wonderful Life Book vs. Movie
Inspiring Story • Uplifting Tale • Timeless Classic • Beautiful Storytelling • Heartwarming Narrative

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It was so WONDERFUL to listen to the original short story, after watching the movie this Christmas.

So WONDERFUL to listen to the original short story

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To feel ready for Christmas as an adult. Beautiful timeless American story telling. Only an hour long.

Needed this

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Listening to the story that inspired the movie: It’s a Wonderful Life was astonishingly touching. The original story was very well-written and I could visualize the images described.

What a surprising delight

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it's such a privilege to be able to hear the origins of one of my most beloved Christmas movies, Its a Wonderful Life! I will for sure be gifting this to people this holiday season.

Wonderful Indeed!

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This story is still relevant all these many years later. Still speaks to the worth of all persons on earth regardless of social status or skin color or finance. My family includes the film as an annual part of our Christmas celebration. It never gets old.

Relevant all these years…

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