Thomas Ruys Smith
@thomasruyssmith.com
Prof of Lit and Culture, mostly nineteenth century. Coming soon: 🎅 🔎 Searching for Santa Claus: An Anthology of the Poems, Stories and Illustrations That Shaped an American Icon. Writing a book about Mark Twain & London.
http://www.thomasruyssmith.com
http://www.thomasruyssmith.com
Pinned
🎅🔎 Searching for Santa Claus, my collection of the stories, poems and illustrations that shaped a global icon, has a cover (by the amazing Studio GRRR)! Available for preorder from @bhousepress.bsky.social now!
🎅👉 www.boilerhouse.press/product-page...
🎅👉 www.boilerhouse.press/product-page...
Reposted by Thomas Ruys Smith
I wrote Joy of Six: love. www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/j...
The Joy of Six: stories of love in sport
A father helping a son across the line, Kevin Sinfield’s inspirational friendship with Rob Burrow and more – when devotion to others takes centre stage
www.theguardian.com
January 18, 2026 at 8:55 AM
I wrote Joy of Six: love. www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/j...
Reposted by Thomas Ruys Smith
Zeke gives our student-edited edition of Hawthorne’s Wonder-Book for All Very Good Boys and Girls 47/10 and recommends that you trot over to Children’s Corner Critical Editions to get a copy for pedagogy or pleasure today!
@thomasruyssmith.com @jordanstein.bsky.social @officialbaas.bsky.social
@thomasruyssmith.com @jordanstein.bsky.social @officialbaas.bsky.social
January 6, 2026 at 6:41 PM
Zeke gives our student-edited edition of Hawthorne’s Wonder-Book for All Very Good Boys and Girls 47/10 and recommends that you trot over to Children’s Corner Critical Editions to get a copy for pedagogy or pleasure today!
@thomasruyssmith.com @jordanstein.bsky.social @officialbaas.bsky.social
@thomasruyssmith.com @jordanstein.bsky.social @officialbaas.bsky.social
Reposted by Thomas Ruys Smith
I know I said last week’s #ScholarSunday thread was the year’s final one, but y’all did too much good work this week to ignore—so here’s a Christmas bonus, my 256th thread of public scholarly goodness from the past week! Add more below, share widely, & enjoy! 🗃️
blackwhiteandread.com/scholarsunda...
blackwhiteandread.com/scholarsunda...
#ScholarSunday Thread 256 (12/28/25) – Black and White and Read All Over
I know I said that last week’s #ScholarSunday thread was the final regular one of the year, but y’all did too much good work this week to ignore—so here’s a Christmas bonus, my 256th thread of public ...
blackwhiteandread.com
December 28, 2025 at 1:30 PM
I know I said last week’s #ScholarSunday thread was the year’s final one, but y’all did too much good work this week to ignore—so here’s a Christmas bonus, my 256th thread of public scholarly goodness from the past week! Add more below, share widely, & enjoy! 🗃️
blackwhiteandread.com/scholarsunda...
blackwhiteandread.com/scholarsunda...
Reposted by Thomas Ruys Smith
Did medieval people buy each other Christmas gifts? New Year's Day was the main gifting day, but little is known about everyday people's present giving. Our project on London's customs records has uncovered a wealth of affordable items imported around this time: gloves and hats to toys and rattles🧵
Medieval Londoners’ cheaply imported mass-produced Christmas gifts look surprisingly familiar
We often imagine medieval life as dull, dirty and short, with little in the way of material comfort or decoration. However, medieval Londoners were importing toys, treats and trinkets by the boatload ...
theconversation.com
December 22, 2025 at 3:56 PM
Did medieval people buy each other Christmas gifts? New Year's Day was the main gifting day, but little is known about everyday people's present giving. Our project on London's customs records has uncovered a wealth of affordable items imported around this time: gloves and hats to toys and rattles🧵
Reposted by Thomas Ruys Smith
For @thisistheheff.bsky.social's America: A History Podcast, @thomasruyssmith.com and I talked about how the American Santa came into being and the many lives he has lived since.
Why is Santa So American?
Podcast Episode · America: A History · 12/16/2025 · 47m
podcasts.apple.com
December 23, 2025 at 4:02 PM
For @thisistheheff.bsky.social's America: A History Podcast, @thomasruyssmith.com and I talked about how the American Santa came into being and the many lives he has lived since.
Reposted by Thomas Ruys Smith
Here it is, the final regular #ScholarSunday thread of 2025, my 255th thread of great public scholarly writing, podcast episodes, new & forthcoming books from the past week. Add more below, please share as widely as possible, & enjoy, all! 🗃️
blackwhiteandread.com/scholarsunda...
blackwhiteandread.com/scholarsunda...
#ScholarSunday Thread 255 (12/21/25) – Black and White and Read All Over
Here it is, the final regular #ScholarSunday thread of 2025, my 255th thread of great public scholarly writing, podcast episodes, new & forthcoming books from the past week. Add more below, please sha...
blackwhiteandread.com
December 21, 2025 at 1:20 PM
Here it is, the final regular #ScholarSunday thread of 2025, my 255th thread of great public scholarly writing, podcast episodes, new & forthcoming books from the past week. Add more below, please share as widely as possible, & enjoy, all! 🗃️
blackwhiteandread.com/scholarsunda...
blackwhiteandread.com/scholarsunda...
I had a great chat with Luis Andres Henao for this fun @apnews.com Christmas explainer:
Everything you need to know about Christmas, and how it has evolved into a global holiday
Originally a Christian holiday celebrating the birth of Jesus, Christmas has evolved into a global cultural event.
apnews.com
December 20, 2025 at 3:08 PM
I had a great chat with Luis Andres Henao for this fun @apnews.com Christmas explainer:
Reposted by Thomas Ruys Smith
Mark Twain & Dollis Hill—a ruined corner of London that will always be a little paradise for Twain’s ghost. #LiteraryLandscapes by @thomasruyssmith.com. #MarkTwain #DollisHill #GladstonePark #London newterritorymag.com/literary-lan...
Mark Twain – London, England - The New Territory Magazine
A ruined corner of London that will always be a little paradise for Twain’s ghost. Literary Landscapes by Thomas Ruys Smith.
newterritorymag.com
December 19, 2025 at 6:24 PM
Mark Twain & Dollis Hill—a ruined corner of London that will always be a little paradise for Twain’s ghost. #LiteraryLandscapes by @thomasruyssmith.com. #MarkTwain #DollisHill #GladstonePark #London newterritorymag.com/literary-lan...
Reposted by Thomas Ruys Smith
If you’re looking for some gift ideas, please allow me to suggest STARTLING TALES OF SANTA CLAUS. 80 pages, self-contained, no ads, great for new comics readers, good for like ages 13+
"These stories are tales of light in the darkness, of hope amid the dying light of winter cold ... thrilling, heartwarming, and truly timeless. It’s a must buy, and Cereno’s Santaverse deserves to be an annual comic shop tradition." @comicsbeat.bsky.social
www.comicsbeat.com/wednesday-co...
www.comicsbeat.com/wednesday-co...
Wednesday Comics Reviews: DREAD THE HALLS and STARTLING TALES OF SANTA make Christmas scary
A pair of Christmas horror anthologies lead the week, with the arrival of Dread the Halls 2025 and Startling Tales of Santa Claus.
www.comicsbeat.com
December 15, 2025 at 9:20 PM
If you’re looking for some gift ideas, please allow me to suggest STARTLING TALES OF SANTA CLAUS. 80 pages, self-contained, no ads, great for new comics readers, good for like ages 13+
Enjoyed writing about Mark Twain’s time at Dollis Hill in London for #LiteraryLandscapes 👉 newterritorymag.com/literary-lan...
December 17, 2025 at 8:58 PM
Enjoyed writing about Mark Twain’s time at Dollis Hill in London for #LiteraryLandscapes 👉 newterritorymag.com/literary-lan...
Reposted by Thomas Ruys Smith
I do actually have a podcast that goes beyond the story contest. It's just kinda been dead for a year.
But I'm trying to bring it back. ;)
Starting with some weird Xmas Baking and Linda Raedisch whose Secret History of Christmas Baking is awesome.
weirdchristmas.com/2025/12/14/p...
But I'm trying to bring it back. ;)
Starting with some weird Xmas Baking and Linda Raedisch whose Secret History of Christmas Baking is awesome.
weirdchristmas.com/2025/12/14/p...
Podcast! Weird Christmas Baking with Linda Raedisch
Or listen at the Podbean site. Craig talks with Linda Raedisch about her new (ahem, 2023) book The Secret History of Christmas Baking: Recipes & Stories from Tomb Offerings to Gingerbread Boys.…
weirdchristmas.com
December 14, 2025 at 9:54 PM
I do actually have a podcast that goes beyond the story contest. It's just kinda been dead for a year.
But I'm trying to bring it back. ;)
Starting with some weird Xmas Baking and Linda Raedisch whose Secret History of Christmas Baking is awesome.
weirdchristmas.com/2025/12/14/p...
But I'm trying to bring it back. ;)
Starting with some weird Xmas Baking and Linda Raedisch whose Secret History of Christmas Baking is awesome.
weirdchristmas.com/2025/12/14/p...
Home alone with the dog so we’re watching Good Boy.
December 12, 2025 at 8:23 PM
Home alone with the dog so we’re watching Good Boy.
So the best new Christmas film so far this year is… ummm…. the Jonas Brothers Christmas movie. Jingle Bell Heist was pretty charming too.
December 7, 2025 at 10:18 PM
So the best new Christmas film so far this year is… ummm…. the Jonas Brothers Christmas movie. Jingle Bell Heist was pretty charming too.
Wrote about the 40th anniversary of 🎅 Santa Claus: The Movie for @theconversation.com: theconversation.com/santa-claus-...
Santa Claus: The Movie at 40 – how a box office flop became a ‘pure panto’ British Christmas staple
In the US, Santa Claus: The Movie became an infamous flop, failing to make back its hefty production budget.
theconversation.com
December 4, 2025 at 5:56 PM
Wrote about the 40th anniversary of 🎅 Santa Claus: The Movie for @theconversation.com: theconversation.com/santa-claus-...
Reposted by Thomas Ruys Smith
Also available on my shop: a new translation by me of 25 Medieval Latin miracles of St Nicholas
www.patreon.com/benitocereno...
www.patreon.com/benitocereno...
November 26, 2025 at 6:48 PM
Also available on my shop: a new translation by me of 25 Medieval Latin miracles of St Nicholas
www.patreon.com/benitocereno...
www.patreon.com/benitocereno...
Reposted by Thomas Ruys Smith
Santa Claus is still a woman on.ft.com/4oocnEr | opinion
Santa Claus is still a woman
There is something particularly stubborn about gender roles at Christmas
on.ft.com
November 27, 2025 at 5:33 AM
Santa Claus is still a woman on.ft.com/4oocnEr | opinion
Reposted by Thomas Ruys Smith
Five years on, @benitocereno.bsky.social's video lecture series THE MAGIC AND LEGENDS OF OLD CHRISTMAS is still the best and most accessible general survey of Christmas-adjacent holiday traditions and characters from around the world (predominantly central Europe).
www.youtube.com/watch?v=fO9E...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=fO9E...
Magic and Legends of Old Christmas part 01: Christmas starts earlier than you think
YouTube video by Benito Cereno
www.youtube.com
November 23, 2025 at 7:54 PM
Five years on, @benitocereno.bsky.social's video lecture series THE MAGIC AND LEGENDS OF OLD CHRISTMAS is still the best and most accessible general survey of Christmas-adjacent holiday traditions and characters from around the world (predominantly central Europe).
www.youtube.com/watch?v=fO9E...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=fO9E...
Reposted by Thomas Ruys Smith
A pleasant early Christmas book gift left at the door courtesy of @thomasruyssmith.com and it looks great! A small handful of pieces and names I recognize, but I expect the majority to be completely new to me, so should be a fun voyage of discovery.
November 19, 2025 at 8:34 PM
A pleasant early Christmas book gift left at the door courtesy of @thomasruyssmith.com and it looks great! A small handful of pieces and names I recognize, but I expect the majority to be completely new to me, so should be a fun voyage of discovery.
Reposted by Thomas Ruys Smith
I want to point out that @benitocereno.bsky.social HAS A SANTA COMIC COMING OUT FROM IMAGE! It's an 80+ page monster with five stories, all drawn by different wonderful artists.
This is not his entire Santa/Christmas mythology... but it's the beginning...
imagecomics.com/comics/relea...
This is not his entire Santa/Christmas mythology... but it's the beginning...
imagecomics.com/comics/relea...
Startling Tales Of Santa Claus #1
Six seasonal fantasy-adventure stories to drive the cold winter away!
imagecomics.com
November 19, 2025 at 4:57 AM
I want to point out that @benitocereno.bsky.social HAS A SANTA COMIC COMING OUT FROM IMAGE! It's an 80+ page monster with five stories, all drawn by different wonderful artists.
This is not his entire Santa/Christmas mythology... but it's the beginning...
imagecomics.com/comics/relea...
This is not his entire Santa/Christmas mythology... but it's the beginning...
imagecomics.com/comics/relea...
Reposted by Thomas Ruys Smith
Siiiiick my hard copy of @thomasruyssmith.com ‘s new book is here! This is imo a must-read must-buy and I can’t believe it took so long for someone to do it
November 18, 2025 at 10:06 PM
Siiiiick my hard copy of @thomasruyssmith.com ‘s new book is here! This is imo a must-read must-buy and I can’t believe it took so long for someone to do it
Reposted by Thomas Ruys Smith
Here it is, a very special--& especially supersized—250th #ScholarSunday thread of great public scholarly writing & work, podcast episodes, new & forthcoming books from the last week. Please add more below, share as widely as possible, & enjoy, all! 🗃️
blackwhiteandread.com/scholarsunda...
blackwhiteandread.com/scholarsunda...
#ScholarSunday Thread 250! (11/16/25) – Black and White and Read All Over
Here it is, a very special--& especially supersized—250th #ScholarSunday thread of great public scholarly writing & work, podcast episodes, new & forthcoming books from the last week. Please add more ...
blackwhiteandread.com
November 16, 2025 at 12:59 PM
Here it is, a very special--& especially supersized—250th #ScholarSunday thread of great public scholarly writing & work, podcast episodes, new & forthcoming books from the last week. Please add more below, share as widely as possible, & enjoy, all! 🗃️
blackwhiteandread.com/scholarsunda...
blackwhiteandread.com/scholarsunda...
Reposted by Thomas Ruys Smith
🎄🎄 CHRISTMAS CAME EARLY 🎄🎄
My book **Selling Out Santa: Hollywood Christmas Films in the Age of McCarthy** was surprise published yesterday! Here's the book description and Barnes & Noble link if you're interested in gifting it to history and film lovers!
www.barnesandnoble.com/w/selling-ou...
My book **Selling Out Santa: Hollywood Christmas Films in the Age of McCarthy** was surprise published yesterday! Here's the book description and Barnes & Noble link if you're interested in gifting it to history and film lovers!
www.barnesandnoble.com/w/selling-ou...
November 16, 2025 at 2:07 PM
🎄🎄 CHRISTMAS CAME EARLY 🎄🎄
My book **Selling Out Santa: Hollywood Christmas Films in the Age of McCarthy** was surprise published yesterday! Here's the book description and Barnes & Noble link if you're interested in gifting it to history and film lovers!
www.barnesandnoble.com/w/selling-ou...
My book **Selling Out Santa: Hollywood Christmas Films in the Age of McCarthy** was surprise published yesterday! Here's the book description and Barnes & Noble link if you're interested in gifting it to history and film lovers!
www.barnesandnoble.com/w/selling-ou...
Reposted by Thomas Ruys Smith
The Santa Claus we know was shaped by 19th-century poems, stories, and illustrations. In his new book, Searching for Santa Claus, @thomasruyssmith explores these roots. Today, he returns to Christmas Past to trace the literary birth of an icon.
#santaclaus #christmashistory #literarychristmas
#santaclaus #christmashistory #literarychristmas
November 14, 2025 at 5:41 PM
The Santa Claus we know was shaped by 19th-century poems, stories, and illustrations. In his new book, Searching for Santa Claus, @thomasruyssmith explores these roots. Today, he returns to Christmas Past to trace the literary birth of an icon.
#santaclaus #christmashistory #literarychristmas
#santaclaus #christmashistory #literarychristmas
Reposted by Thomas Ruys Smith
It's crass, but I'm asking for a small favor. I'm applying for a grant to help possibly turning the flash fiction conthology into an actual, physical book. If I get about 30 more followers on BSKY, I can truthfully say I have at least 1k followers on every big platform.
Mind asking your friends? ;)
Mind asking your friends? ;)
November 13, 2025 at 8:22 PM
It's crass, but I'm asking for a small favor. I'm applying for a grant to help possibly turning the flash fiction conthology into an actual, physical book. If I get about 30 more followers on BSKY, I can truthfully say I have at least 1k followers on every big platform.
Mind asking your friends? ;)
Mind asking your friends? ;)
Reposted by Thomas Ruys Smith
Ever wanted to know more about the origins of Santa?
Prof @thomasruyssmith.com from our School of Philosophy, Politics and Area Studies explores the literary and artistic origins behind Santa in his new book.
Read more: https://bit.ly/3JRtvUJ
#Christmas #SantaClaus #Academia
Prof @thomasruyssmith.com from our School of Philosophy, Politics and Area Studies explores the literary and artistic origins behind Santa in his new book.
Read more: https://bit.ly/3JRtvUJ
#Christmas #SantaClaus #Academia
November 11, 2025 at 4:12 PM
Ever wanted to know more about the origins of Santa?
Prof @thomasruyssmith.com from our School of Philosophy, Politics and Area Studies explores the literary and artistic origins behind Santa in his new book.
Read more: https://bit.ly/3JRtvUJ
#Christmas #SantaClaus #Academia
Prof @thomasruyssmith.com from our School of Philosophy, Politics and Area Studies explores the literary and artistic origins behind Santa in his new book.
Read more: https://bit.ly/3JRtvUJ
#Christmas #SantaClaus #Academia