A Visit from Saint Nicholas

Clement C. Moore wrote "A Visit from Saint Nicholas," better known as "Twas the Night before Christmas," as a gift for his children. If an enthusiastic houseguest had not sent the poem to a local newspaper editor, the jolly old elf who traveled by reindeer-drawn sleigh might have enlivened only one family's traditions.

The Huntington Library's special edition of A Visit from St. Nicholas is the first to include replicas of the poem written in Moore's own hand and a facsimile of the original 1869 four-color edition, Visit of St. Nicholas, one of the first American children's books to be illustrated in color.

This modern reproduction of the two items, both in the Huntington's collection, uses state-of-the-art methods to match the character of the original McLoughlin Brothers edition as closely as possible. Book lovers of all ages will treasure this Huntington Library keepsake for generations to come.