The Santa Claus persona of this poem is almost completely American. "Not until St. Nicholas passed through the crucible of Dr. Clement Clark Moore's mind did the patron saint of childhood ever ride in a sleigh or have eight tiny reindeer or dress in furs or..." [Hoskins "Life" in Moore, Clement Clarke. The Night Before Christmas: The True Story of "A Visit from St. Nicholas" with a Life of the Author Clement C. Moore." Encyclopedia Britannica, 1933.] Moore composed the poem as a prank for his children in 1822, perhaps using a Dutch handymen in the community as his model. Tradition holds that a family friend, Miss Harriet Butler, sent it anonymously to the Troy Sentinel a year later. This caused Moore much chagrin and regret, such that he delayed admitting authorship for twenty-two years.
The handsome and talented Clement Clarke Moore (1779-1863) was the only child of Benjamin Moore, the Episcopal Bishop of New York who assisted in officiating at the inauguration of George Washington, read the last rites to Alexander Hamilton, and served as the president of King's College (later known as Columbia University). Clement Clarke Moore played the violin and piano. He was proficient in French, Italian, Latin, Greek, and Hebrew, and graduated at 19 from Columbia University as first in his class. He studied for the ministry and drew the first plans of the church he helped establish, for which he gave the land. He was a scholar of oriental and classical literature which led to his being appointed a professor at the General Theological Seminary. He later donated Chelsea Square, a city block in the heart of New York, to the Seminary.
Clement Clarke Moore married late in life to a woman much younger than himself. She defended her marriage to the old bookworm with her own poem, but after bearing him nine children, she died at the age of 36. Clement believed in slavery and had many to care for the comforts of his family. He refused to join the prohibition movement and kept an outstanding wine cellar. His life was spent in comfortable anonymity. When he died at the age of 83, his body was conveyed during the Civil War draft riots to St. Luke's church. He was later re-buried in Trinity Cemetery at Broadway and 155th St. [Hoskins, op. cit., and Haight's foreward in The Night Before Christmas Exhibition Catalog, citation given below.]
The FSU Night Before Christmas Collection was established by Mrs. Louise Richardson, Director of the FSU Libraries (1919-1953), Head of Special Collections (1953-1960) and Professor and Head of the Library Science Department (1926-1946). Hundreds of editions of the poem, its parodies, music, greeting cards and related memorabilia have been contributed by alumni and friends. The list of illustrators represented in the collection includes some of the best known in America. This year the focus is on the parodies. The Terrell Room has been decorated to display some of more unusual items (not described in this exhibit guide).
Moore, Clement Clarke. "A visit from St. Nicholas." The New York Book of Poetry. NY: Dearborn, 1837, p. 217-218. This is the first public printing in which Clement Moore accepts authorship. (No.1)
________. "A Visit from St. Nicholas. Illus. By F. O. C. Darley. NY: James G. Gregory, 1862. Darley was the leading mid-19th century illustrator of children's books. This edition features the first known change of the last line from "happy" to "merry" Christmas to all.
________. The Night Before Christmas. Illus. By William T. Smedley, Frederic b. Schell, Alfred Fredericks, and Henry R. Poore. Philadelphia: Porter & Coates, 1883. 22 high-quality engravings are included in this edition.
________."The Night Before Christmas" an Exhibition Catalog. Compiled by George H. M. Lawrence. Forward by Anne Lyon Haight. Pittsburgh: The Pittsburgh Bibliophiles, 1964. Includes a reproduction of Robert Weir's painting of St. Nicholas, a list of important illustrators over two hundred years, a portrait of the young Clement Clarke, and a discussion of origin of the poem with details on important editions.
________. The Night Before Christmas, the True Story of a Visit from St. Nicholas, With Life of the Author Clement C. Moore. Written by Arthur C. Hoskins. NY: Encyclopaedia Britannica, 1933. Only two known copies exist of the 1848 edition published by Henry M. Onderdonk and designed and engraved by Theodore C. Boyd. This 1933 Christmas Greeting from Encyclopedia Britannica is a facsimile privately printed as no. 560 of a limited edition of 1000. Hoskins' biographical essay includes family portraits and historic scenes.
Visit of St. Nicholas. Illustrated by Thomas Nast. NY: McLoughlin Bros.<n.d., ca. 1880> Thomas Nast was one of the foremost illustrators of his day. This extremely rare and fragile child's picture book consists of 10 leaves printed on one side only with his illustrations using color lithography.
Moore, Clement Clarke. A Visit from St. Nicholas. NY: Cliffdale Alpine on the Hudson, 1930. Includes a facsimile of a signed holograph copy of the poem written out at the request of the librarian of the New York Historical Society.
________. The Night Before Christmas. Illus. By Tasha Tudor. Worcester, MA: Achille J. St. Onge, 1962. Printed by Joh. Enschede en Zonen in Haarlem, Holland, this is a lovely little miniature is bound in full red calf with gilded edges, gold lettering and bordered
________. A Visit from St. Nicholas. Boston: L Prang & Co., 1864. This undated facsimile consists of 10 panels of 2-color lithographs, each with 4-6 lines of text beneath. St. Nicholas is shown in a golden rather than a red suit.
________. The Night Before Christmas. Kurt S. Adler, Inc. <n.d.> Two tree ornaments produced as miniature books in pseudo-facsimile style with the original wording, including the use of "Happy Christmas" in lieu of the later "Merry Christmas."
Garfield. Tallahassee Democrat, December 20, 1973. Sarcastic commentary accompanies the various verses of the poem, printed in full in the cartoon strip.
Greeting Card. Hallmark Contemporary Cards 175kx 80-3, 99-01.
Beaudoin, Mike. "A Night Before Christmas," Tallahassee Democrat December 25, 1971. Reprinted in papers in several cities, and repeated locally for many years, this parody was written by a local newspaper columnist.
Gross, Milt. Hiawatta and De Night in de Front from Chreesmas. Garden City, NJ, Doubleday, 1950. This book was written and illustrated by Milt Gross, who was considered "the best Yiddish dialect humorist that ever lived." He was attuned to the language efforts of first generation American Jews, and the results were "not caricature, but hilarious accuracy."
Harris, Leon A., Jr. The Night Before Christmas in Texas. Illus. by Meg Wohlberg.NY: Crown Publ, 1952. A best seller in Texas, this work uses images of cabins, buckboards and boots in lieu of houses, sleighs and stockings.
Gateway Advertisement. PC Magazine 12:22 (December 21, 1993). Gateway computer advertisement with pull out booklet of products in the form of a parody that uses computer imagery and cows in lieu of reindeer.
Greeting Card. Hallmark 225GBL11-9. 1980. Booklet parody that uses exercise and personal fitness imagery.
Trosclair. Cajun Night Before Christmas. Ed by Howard Jacobs, Illus. by James Rice. Gretna, LA: Pelican Pub., 1973. Originally issued as a Christmas greeting by the Bergeron Plymouth Company of New Orleans, it was adapted to screen and won a 1967 Clio award from the Academy of Television and Radio Advertising. Howard Jacobs was a lecturer and columnist of the Times Picayune and James Rice was an art professor at Southeastern Louisiana University. The imagery used is backwoods, such as the use of a skiff and alligators instead of a sleigh and reindeer.
"Mad's Up-to-Date Version of The Night Before Christmas." Mad Magazine no. 52, January 1960. The poem is reproduced beside an illustrated parody.
#1 THE NEW YORK BOOK OF POETRY - 1837 Where the poem first appeared in publication attributed to Clement C. Moore.
#16 DENSLOW'S NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS - 1902 By famous illustrator W.W. Denslow. Also one of the earliest done in color.
#18 THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS - 1911 One of the earlier versions where Santa is dressed in a red suit. Earlier version had depicted Santa in a green suit. Illustrator, unknown.
#23 THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS - 1917 Illustrator, Margaret Evans Price. By this time white fur trim had been added to the red suit.
#33 A VISIT FROM ST. NICHOLAS - 1930 The original title of the poem. This one contains a facsimile of the autographed copy of the poem from the archives of The New York Historical Society.
#63 THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS - 1946 A jingle book accompanied with jingle bells in box.
#70 THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS - 1949 Illustrated by Corinne Malvern. One of the Little Golden Book series.
#81 NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS - 1954 One of the many linen-look picture books. This one shows Santa in fuzzy red cap.
#92 'TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS - 1961 Illustrator, Nino Carbe. This one has Santa's eyes in movable 3-D, a style very popular in the 1960s and 1970s.
#96 THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS - 1948, 1960, 1961 Illustrator, Grandma Moses.
#111 NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS - 1968 An activity book published by Whitman Publishing Company.
#113 THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS - 1970 Illustrator, Holly Hobbie. One of the many small books.
#115 THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS - 1971 Facsimile of the original 1848 edition which includes a life of Clement C. Moore.
#120 THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS - 1974 Illustrator, Greg Churchill. A Hallmark Pop-Up Book.
#133 THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS - N.D. Printed in Bavaria with hand stitched spine.
#134 THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS - N.D. Untearable linen.
#138 THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS - 1975 Illustrator, Tasha Tudor.
#140 THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS - 1983 Illustrator, Diane Goode. One in the MY LITTLE LIBRARY COLLECTION.
#161 A VISIT FROM ST. NICHOLAS - 1987 Taken from A
CHRISTMAS GREETING and a facsimile of an 1864 edition. This is a small
fold-out book.
The FSU Libraries staff encourage you to enjoy and contribute to this collection!