Bob Eckstein, award-winning illustrator, writer, and New Yorker cartoonist will give a presentation based on his work, “The Illustrated History of the Snowman.”

The program will take place at 7 p.m. Dec. 6 at the Stroud Mansion, 900 Main St. in Stroudsburg. Books will be available for purchase with the author signing copies following the event.

This event coincides with Go Collaborative’s “Snowmen of Stroudsburg” community initiative to promote artists and businesses during the winter season.

The snowman is not just part of our childhood memories, but is an integral part of our world culture, appearing alongside dignitaries and celebrities during momentous events. Again and again, the snowman pops up in rare prints, paintings, early movies, advertising and, over the past century, in every art form imaginable.

And the jolly snowman — ostensibly as pure as the driven snow — also harbors a dark past full of political intrigue, sex and violence.

Eckstein’s curiosity began playfully enough, but soon snowballed into a (mostly) earnest quest of chasing Frosty around the world, into museums and libraries, and seeking out the advice of leading historians and scholars.

With over 200 illustrations, “The Illustrated History of the Snowman” is a truly original winter classic — smart, surprisingly enlightening and quite simply the coolest book ever.

Eckstein is an award-winning illustrator, writer, New Yorker cartoonist, snowman expert, and author of The New York Times best-selling “Footnotes from the Greatest Bookstores” and “The History of the Snowman.”

His cartoons, OpEds, and short stories appear regularly in The New York Times, New York Daily News, MAD magazine, Readers Digest, among others.

He was a columnist for the Village Voice, New York Newsday and Time Out New York and has been interviewed in over 100 TV, radio and magazine spots including “Good Morning America” and People magazine.

This special program is free, but reservations are required due to limited space. Light refreshments will be served. The presentation will be held on the second floor of the Stroud Mansion, which is not handicap-accessible.

For additional information or to make a reservation, contact the Monroe County Historical Association office at 570-421-7703 or email at info@monroehistorical.org.