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Stealing Saint Nick: A Legendary Corpse, a Notorious Theft, and the Stories that Shape the World
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Expected 22 Sep 26Win a free print copy of this book!
13 days and 15:48:02
5 copies available
U.S. only
From NBA, Printz, and Newbery Honor winner M. T. Anderson, a tour de force of research and storytelling that follows the life of a humble young man named Nicholas who became one of the world’s most influential figures in religion, government, and commerce—whether you believe in him or not.
M. T. Anderson still believes in Santa Claus—just not in the way you think.
Born of the research for Nicked, his acclaimed adult debut, Stealing Saint Nick is the story of the man who became Father Christmas—but only after surviving the Great Persecution, the fall of the Roman Empire, and the theft of his magically oozing bones (twice).
Anderson traces Nicholas of Myra, future patron saint of consumption, from his humble origins as a child born into a fringe Jewish cult in a small town on the Mediterranean coast in the third century AD through his rise to one of the preeminent saints in all of Christianity to his transformation into an icon of capitalism and unwitting rival to Jesus Christ. Along the way, Anderson shows how human history can only be known and understood by both examining the objective facts and by studying the fantastical stories that people choose to make into myths.
Anderson's full powers as a storyteller and a scholar are on display in this incredibly readable and hugely informative tale about how the stories we believe in common shape the course of humanity.
M. T. Anderson still believes in Santa Claus—just not in the way you think.
Born of the research for Nicked, his acclaimed adult debut, Stealing Saint Nick is the story of the man who became Father Christmas—but only after surviving the Great Persecution, the fall of the Roman Empire, and the theft of his magically oozing bones (twice).
Anderson traces Nicholas of Myra, future patron saint of consumption, from his humble origins as a child born into a fringe Jewish cult in a small town on the Mediterranean coast in the third century AD through his rise to one of the preeminent saints in all of Christianity to his transformation into an icon of capitalism and unwitting rival to Jesus Christ. Along the way, Anderson shows how human history can only be known and understood by both examining the objective facts and by studying the fantastical stories that people choose to make into myths.
Anderson's full powers as a storyteller and a scholar are on display in this incredibly readable and hugely informative tale about how the stories we believe in common shape the course of humanity.
272 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication September 22, 2026
About the author
M.T. Anderson
59 books1,284 followersMatthew Tobin Anderson (M. T. Anderson), (1968- ) is an author, primarily of picture books for children and novels for young adults. Anderson lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
His picture books include Handel Who Knew What He Liked; Strange Mr. Satie; The Serpent Came to Gloucester; and Me, All Alone, at the End of the World. He has written such young adult books as Thirsty, Burger Wuss, Feed, The Game of Sunken Places, and Octavian Nothing. For middle grader readers, his novels include Whales on Stilts: M. T. Anderson's Thrilling Tales and its sequel, The Clue of the Linoleum Lederhosen.
-Wikipedia
His picture books include Handel Who Knew What He Liked; Strange Mr. Satie; The Serpent Came to Gloucester; and Me, All Alone, at the End of the World. He has written such young adult books as Thirsty, Burger Wuss, Feed, The Game of Sunken Places, and Octavian Nothing. For middle grader readers, his novels include Whales on Stilts: M. T. Anderson's Thrilling Tales and its sequel, The Clue of the Linoleum Lederhosen.
-Wikipedia
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
May 23, 2026
Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC.
I liked this book, but I didn’t love it. The history of Saint Nicholas and his transformation into the more familiar Santa Claus was interesting. Anderson clearly did his research which I appreciated and I liked how he articulated historical records and considering the motives of those recording them. Saint Nicholas had a much more interesting life and post death than I ever imagined….
I liked this book, but I didn’t love it. The history of Saint Nicholas and his transformation into the more familiar Santa Claus was interesting. Anderson clearly did his research which I appreciated and I liked how he articulated historical records and considering the motives of those recording them. Saint Nicholas had a much more interesting life and post death than I ever imagined….
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Along the way to writing his historical fiction/heist novel Nicked in 2024, M.T. Anderson amassed enough background material to fill this companion nonfiction volume. For those new to the story, St. Nicholas was actually the bishop of the coastal city of Myra (in present day Turkey), probably born around AD 260. Anderson divides his book into three segments: Nicholas’s life in Myra during a time of transformation for the Roman empire, the notorious theft of his body from a Turkish crypt by Italian adventurers in 1087, and his evolving legend as he changed from the deeply weird patron saint of sailors to the jolly old elf in a red suit. Writing in a skeptical, conversational tone, the author presents early accounts of Nicholas in order to understand the origins of later beliefs about his generosity and kindness, such as one in which he anonymously tosses gold through his poor neighbor’s window to save three girls from prostitution, or another in which he reanimates three boiled boys about to be made into meat pies. All of this is a way to investigate broader questions about how humans record and recall history and how what is “true” can be massaged to support various agendas.
Through Anderson’s re-telling, readers will learn a lot about ancient Rome, the demise of its polytheistic pantheon, the rise of Catholicism and the Crusades, and nineteenth century New York. In fact, the entertaining story about the sailors from Bari sneaking through Myra, desecrating Nicholas’s grave, and dragging at least some of his bones back to Italy (only to be copied by the Venetians 12 years later, who grabbed an entirely different set of body parts) ends up being only a part of this fascinating account – the most cinematographic perhaps, but not the most illuminating. Anderson uses the first person voice throughout, often adding his own thoughts and observations as he tells the story. This will turn readers into active partners as they learn about these strange events right at his side. The back matter contains numerous explanatory footnotes (which readers can easily navigate to from the main text), an exhaustive bibliography, and a note from Anderson about his personal connection to this eccentric story. The ARC had no illustrations, although space was reserved for various historical maps. Link to complete review: https://ysbookreviews.wordpress.com/2...
Through Anderson’s re-telling, readers will learn a lot about ancient Rome, the demise of its polytheistic pantheon, the rise of Catholicism and the Crusades, and nineteenth century New York. In fact, the entertaining story about the sailors from Bari sneaking through Myra, desecrating Nicholas’s grave, and dragging at least some of his bones back to Italy (only to be copied by the Venetians 12 years later, who grabbed an entirely different set of body parts) ends up being only a part of this fascinating account – the most cinematographic perhaps, but not the most illuminating. Anderson uses the first person voice throughout, often adding his own thoughts and observations as he tells the story. This will turn readers into active partners as they learn about these strange events right at his side. The back matter contains numerous explanatory footnotes (which readers can easily navigate to from the main text), an exhaustive bibliography, and a note from Anderson about his personal connection to this eccentric story. The ARC had no illustrations, although space was reserved for various historical maps. Link to complete review: https://ysbookreviews.wordpress.com/2...
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
In the vein of Lincoln's Grave Robbers meets M.T. Anderson's brain, you've got a book about Saint Nicholas- said to be the inspiration for the contemporary Santa Claus but who historians know next to nothing about and what records were preserved were from many years after his life to centuries after he died. It comes down to the theft a corpse. This corpse might have been the saint who was a religious man held in a sarcophagi under the floor of the church and taken by raiders. It is said that the corpse leaked a viscous solution that was bottled and sold for people.
Anderson takes each piece and tries to make sense of it. But really he's just organizing hearsay. He tries to track the legend but even then, it ultimately sadly leads back to the contemporary commercialization of a religious holiday (even creating a jolly Saint Nick sipping a Coke since sales of the soda were slow in wintertime).
It was odd. The research is there to try to get what he could in order to form his thoughts and opinions but there's nothing definitive. It felt like a short story rather than a full length book though. Curiosity will lead many to seek it out, especially with a title like that.
Anderson takes each piece and tries to make sense of it. But really he's just organizing hearsay. He tries to track the legend but even then, it ultimately sadly leads back to the contemporary commercialization of a religious holiday (even creating a jolly Saint Nick sipping a Coke since sales of the soda were slow in wintertime).
It was odd. The research is there to try to get what he could in order to form his thoughts and opinions but there's nothing definitive. It felt like a short story rather than a full length book though. Curiosity will lead many to seek it out, especially with a title like that.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I think I understand what this book is trying to do; however, the organization of it was a struggle for me. The writing style jumps around as does the narrative which was a major distraction and pulled me out of the text constantly. I was hoping this would tell me the true story but mix in legend and myth and reality. While all those things are addressed they just feel disjointed. I struggled to stay focused and not be pulled out of the narrative.
The book is not written objectively, which the author acknowledges in the epigraph. After reading though I think the presentation could've been done a lot better without criticism- the information is presented in a biased format which then affects the reader and their assessment. While I understand complete unbias is not really feasible I just was unimpressed by how it is done in this text.
The book is not written objectively, which the author acknowledges in the epigraph. After reading though I think the presentation could've been done a lot better without criticism- the information is presented in a biased format which then affects the reader and their assessment. While I understand complete unbias is not really feasible I just was unimpressed by how it is done in this text.
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
How do we know what happened in the past? What makes a source reliable? What can we learn from sources that are probably not reliable? M.T. Anderson’s wit and conversational tone are just right for this exploration of the life of the real Saint Nicholas, describing what is known of his life, his death, his burial, and at least one if not two thefts of his body. The final portion of the book tracks the transformation of a just and generous bishop of the Mediterranean area church into a symbol of abundance and gift giving based at the North Pole. Teachers and librarians will love this thoughtful, accessible look at information literacy and the need to keep revising your theories. EARC from Edelweiss.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
This is a great book for anyone interested in history. I've never found myself interested in the origins of Santa before, but this combines a lot of the lore around him into one compendium and it's very easily digestible. I like how the author was very upfront about what can be verified (next to nothing) and what cannot (he literally says at one point that historians have openly admitted to making up stories because so little is truly known about him). It wasn't the best fit for me, but I do believe this book has its audience out there. It's absolutely something I would consider for my HS library.
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
This nonfiction book read like an adventure story. I especially liked the first two parts with the "history" of St. Nicholas and the background on the theft of his corpse.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews