On December 25, 1822, Clement C. Moore, a professor of literature at a theological seminary in New York, read A Visit from Saint Nicholas aloud to a gathering of family and friends. A year later, it was printed in the Troy Sentinel. His poetic description of Saint Nicholas became the norm for a host of illustrators. Since 1823, the poem has been reprinted many times and is arguably the most popular and recognized description of Christmas.

Cover of A visit from St. Nicholas ... Boston: Published by Estes and Lauriat, 1879

Illustration by F.O.C. Darley from A visit from St. Nicholas ... Boston: Published by Estes and Lauriat, 1879

Moore's authorship of this poem has been debated. In his recent book Author Unknown, Don Foster presents evidence pointing to Henry Livingston, Jr., as the author of A Visit from Saint Nicholas. For more information on Henry Livingston see the website describing the search to prove Livingston's authorship of A Visit from Saint Nicholas. The January 2001 issue of Common-place has an article by Stephen Nissenbaum on this subject.

 

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Last updated December 18, 2000