The Story of the Other Wise Man was published by Harper & Brothers in 1895, and it became one of the most enduring pieces of American devotional literature — reprinted in countless editions, read aloud in churches and homes every Christmas season, and translated into dozens of languages. Van Dyke himself was a Presbyterian minister, a Princeton professor, and later U.S. Ambassador to the Netherlands, and the story reflects his particular blend of literary sophistication and sincere faith.
The narrative imagines Artaban, a fourth wise man who sets out with the traditional three to follow the star to Bethlehem. But Artaban is repeatedly delayed by encounters with people in need: a dying man, a family fleeing persecution, a slave being beaten. Each time, he uses one of the jewels he intended as a gift for the Christ child to help the person before him. He spends thirty-three years searching for Jesus, always arriving too late, until at the moment of the Crucifixion he finally meets the one he has sought — and discovers that every act of mercy along the way was itself an encounter with the divine.
The theological message is clear but not heavy-handed: Christ is found not in the destination but in the journey, not in the grand gesture but in the daily act of kindness. Van Dyke renders this message with genuine literary craft — the prose is rhythmic, the imagery vivid, the emotional beats carefully controlled. The story succeeds because it earns its sentiment rather than demanding it.
Collecting The Story of the Other Wise Man
First edition (Harper & Brothers, New York, 1895): Small volume, decorated cloth. First printing has no date on title page.
Market values:
- First edition, first printing: $50–$150
- Illustrated editions (various artists): $20–$80
- Later Harper printings: $5–$20