The Night Before Christmas Hardcover: The Classic Edition, The New York Times Bestseller (Christmas Book)
By (Author) Clement Moore
Illustrated by Charles Santore
HarperCollins Focus
Applesauce Press
1st November 2011
United States
Children
Fiction
811.2
Hardback
48
Width 276mm, Height 290mm, Spine 11mm
593g
Since it was first published anonymously in 1823, the poem The Night Before Christmas has enchanted children with the story of St. Nicholas climbing down the chimney and filling all the stockings before springing back to his sleigh. Many families read the poem every year, and now they have an edition to treasure. The poem, faithfully reproduced here, is accompanied by Charles Santores lavish illustrations.
"Santore has illustrated many classic stories, including Snow White, The Wizard of Oz, and The Little Mermaid, and he now brings to life Moores 'A Visit from St. Nicholas' in characteristically elegant and detail-rich paintings. His is a very traditional vision, as he brings readers inside a stately colonial home, tastefully appointed with wreaths, garlands, and stockings. In a particularly nice bit of design, when the narrator 'Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash,' readers can do the same, opening a double-page gatefold that reveals a quiet village blanketed by snowand a sleigh silhouetted against the moon. Its a gorgeous interpretation of a beloved holiday classic. All ages. (Oct.)"
--Publisher's Weekly, starred review
Charles Santore renowned illustrations have been widely exhibited in museums and celebrated with recognitions such as the prestigious Hamilton King Award, the Society of Illustrators Award of Excellence, and the Original Art 2000 Gold Medal from the Society of Illustrators. Santore is best known for his luminous interpretations of classic childrens stories such as Snow White, The Night Before Christmas and Henry Wadsworth Longfellows Paul Reveres Ride, which was named 2004 Childrens Book of the Year for Poetry by the Bank Street College Childrens Book Committee. His illustrations for The Wizard of Oz, which is widely considered to be the quintessential illustrated version, were used as the scenic backdrops for a major television performance of the work.
Clement Clarke Moore, (1779-1863), was a professor at New York City's General Theological Seminary (built on land donated by his father) who, in an 1836 reprint ofA Visit From St. Nicholas(more commonly known today asTwas the Night Before Christmas), was first credited as the author of the poem, and later included it in an anthology of his work.