History Corner / Book Review: The Story of 'Twas the Night Before Christmas by Gerard and Patricia Del Re

Disclosure / Disclaimer: I received this book, free of charge, from Pelican Publishing, for review purposes on this blog. No other compensation, monetary or in kind, has been received or implied for this post. Nor was I told how to post about it

We all know the annual traditional Yuletide poem, 

but do you know how it came about?

It is the "best known poem in the English language....children often learn the poem's first stanza, before they learn their ABC's"...

Synopsis:

Few today would not recognize the opening lines of one of the most famous poems in the English language: "'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house . . ." Written as a gift from a faithful father to his loving family, Clement Clarke Moore's famous poem has delighted millions of people everywhere for over a century.

This book tells the story behind the famous poem and its creator. Set in the early nineteenth century, as New York entered an era of unprecedented growth and Wall Street was still adjacent to rolling farmland, the young Moore family set out to follow in the footsteps of their distinguished, learned forebears. In 1822, Clement Clarke Moore shared with his family for the first time the poem he had written, inspired by the works of Washington Irving, an anonymously published book titled A New Year's Present for the Little Ones from Five to Twelve, and his own study of St. Nicholas.

Review:

This is a small book, at 127 pages, but full of a LOT of info on Clement Clarke Moore, the writer of the poem, and how he came to write the poem we all know and love. The poem found it's beginning in 1822 after Moore read a collection of books about St Nicholaus and especially the thoughts of William Irving about how St Nick must have been. With scattered incidents and moments, lines of the future poem came to Moore and when he recited it for his family on Christmas they were delighted. It was never meant for publishing, but for his family! But thanks to his daughter's friend, it was published in the local paper the next year. However Moore did not initially want to mentioned as the author, and wasn't until 1862.The book ends with a copy of the hand written poem by Moore.

 It really makes you stop to think about how long our nation has been reciting this poem! Think for a second- the poem is 191 years old! Startling, isn't it? This is a lovely little book, perfect for giving with a family copy of the poem in book form, as a great hostess gift, or for the history buff on your list! 

About the Author:

Gerard and Patricia Del Re were married for thirty-two years before her death in 1997. The couple wrote over twenty books together, as well as numerous short stories and musical compositions. Gerard Del Re makes his home in New York.