<P> The recording, which Thomas made on 22 February 1952, was originally conceived of to consist of his poems "In the white giant's thigh", "Fern Hill", "Do not go gentle into that good night", "Ballad of the Long - legged Bait", and "Ceremony After a Fire Raid". Thomas, however, said that he wanted to read a story instead, and suggested "A Child's Christmas in Wales", the title the work came to be known as from that time on . </P> <P> Thomas arrived at the studio without a copy of his story, and a copy of Harper's Bazaar from 1950 containing the text had to be found for his reading . Mantell later stated that she believed Thomas may have been drunk during the recording . The recording sold modestly at first, but eventually became his most popular prose work in America . The original 1952 recording was selected in 2008 for listing in the United States National Recording Registry, which credits Thomas' reading of A Child's Christmas in Wales "with launching the audiobook industry in the United States". Thomas died, in New York, a year after making the recording . </P> <P> In 1954, the story was first published in book format as part of the American pressing of "Quite early one morning" by New Directions Publishing . The story was first published under its own title as A Child's Christmas in Wales in 1955, again by New Directions, and has been republished several times since . </P> <P> The story's short length readily lends itself to illustrations, and a 1959 pressing by New Directions contained five wood - block engravings by Fritz Eichenberg . In subsequent editions, the 1968 Dent pressing featured woodcuts by Ellen Raskin, while a 1978 publication by Orion Children's was illustrated by Edward Ardizzone, followed by a 1985 version by Holiday House with images by Trina Schart Hyman . </P>

Dylan thomas a child's christmas in wales text