The Night Before Christmas
'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there.
Clement Clarke Moore's The Night Before Christmas has captured the imagination of young and
old alike over nearly two centuries since he wrote the poem for his children one snowy Christmas
Eve in 1822. Originally given the title A Visit from St. Nicholas by the editor of the Troy (New York)
Sentinel where it first appeared in print on December 23, 1823, the 56-line verse has become a symbol
of the excitement surrounding the much-anticipated arrival of the mysterious Christmas Eve visitor.
Reading the poem on that night of all nights has become a cherished tradition in many households
generation after generation.
Much to the delight of collectors, thousands of printings in US newspapers and, more importantly,
stand-alone editions of this most-read and most-memorized book in all of Christmas literature have
been published. The early illustrated editions, beginning in the 1840s and up through the early part
of the 20th century, are the most sought after, especially those with the beautiful chromolithographs
published by McLoughlin Brothers, Charles E. Graham, E. P. Dutton, Raphael Tuck, Cupples and Leon, Sam'l Gabriel,
and M.A. Donohue. Famous artists and illustrators of the 19th and 20th centuries who found the poem
irresistible include Thomas Nast, Felix Octavius Carr Darley, Virginia Gerson, William Wallace Denslow,
Arthur Rackham, Jessie Willcox Smith, Tasha Tudor, Eloise Wilkins, and Grandma Moses, to name but a few.
Every year to this day, contemporary artists find new ways to illustrate the beloved actions of "the jolly old elf."
He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight,
"Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night."
Just a word about purchasing: The most important quality you need to look for is condition.
This can be problematic with a book that was most often given to a child. However, even with the older editions,
there are many available that are in good to very good to near fine condition. Do not settle for an edition which
has come apart at the spine, has torn or missing pages, writing or coloring on the text, is missing a dust jacket
if it was issued with one, or seems to you not to be in the condition you want to spend your dollars on.
Almost always, another one will show up eventually on the Internet or in an antiquarian book dealer's catalogue.
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