(Book). Look into the lives of 40 authors, composers and translators of our favorite pre-20th century traditional Christmas songs heard around the world in this book by Dale V. Nobbman. Many of these individuals rose above poverty and other adversities to eventually write their names in music history books. Their songs have left a legacy of pleasant memories for generations of people around the world. Those profiled in the book include Adolphe Charles Adam, Franz Xavier Gruber, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Martin Luther, Felix Mendelssohn, James Pierpont, Charles Wesley, and many more.