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A Visit from St. Nicholas
Clement Clarke Moore

Published by Raphael Tuck & Sons Ltd.
Publishers to Her Majesties the King and Queen

In 1870, his sons joined him to open a publishing business in London. Their productions included special paper items such as cards, puzzles, and paper dolls. Before Raphael Tuck's retirement in 1882, he became a British citizen and the official Publisher to Queen Victoria.

The Tuck firm helped to perpetuate Raphael Tuck's amiable disposition by the publication of children's books under the title Father Tuck. A Visit from St. Nicholas is one such publication.

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Clement Clarke Moore's Christmas poem up for bids

Clement Clarke Moore (1779-1863)

Clement C. Moore, a Classics professor at General Theological Seminary in New York City, wrote A Visit from Saint Nicholas (later re-named to 'Twas the Night Before Christmas) for his children on December 24, 1822. That night, Moore read the poem to his wife and six children and then promptly shelved it.

Upon hearing about Moore's poem, a family friend secretly submitted it to The Sentinel, a New York newspaper. The Sentinel published it anonymously the following Christmas. The poem enjoyed almost instant success and was published in newspapers, magazines, booklets and anthologies around the globe.

More than 150 years later, the recitation of 'Twas the Night Before Christmas remains a holiday tradition in homes around the world. In New York City, even the most urbane city-dweller may honor Santa's creator at a candlelight service held each December in the Church of the Intercession at Broadway and 155th Street in Manhattan. Following the service, there is a lantern procession to Moore's grave, located across the street from the church.