- All (521) Apply All filter
- Remove Maitland Library August 2016 filter Maitland Library August 2016 (3)
- 24 (2) Apply 24 filter
- Look Who's Talking (1) Apply Look Who's Talking filter
- General (259) Apply General filter
- What's on (57) Apply What's on filter
- Online Services (21) Apply Online Services filter
- Documents (1) Apply Documents filter
Night Before Christmas
The Night Before Christmas
by Clement C.Moore and Karen Erasmaus, Hachette Australia, 2012
Karen Erasmus is a well known Australian children's book illustrator, whose contemporary illustrations of this popular and historic Christmas tale are now displayed here in Maitland for the whole community to enjoy over the Christmas period.
There is a fascinating history about the origins of The Night before Christmas. According to legend, American writer Clement Clarke Moore wrote his famous poem, 'A Visit from St. Nicholas', also known as 'The Night Before Christmas', for his family on Christmas Eve 1822. He never intended that it be published, but a family friend learned of the poem sometime later from Moore's children. She copied it into her album and submitted it to the editor of the Troy (New York) Sentinel where it made its first appearance in print on December 23 1823. Soon, the poem began to be reprinted in other newspapers, almanacs and magazines, with the first appearance in a book in the 'New York Book of Poetry' in 1837.
It was not until 1844 however, that Moore himself acknowledged authorship in a volume of his poetry simply entitled Poems, published at the request of his children.
Almost two centuries later it is the most published, most read, most memorised and most collected book in all of Christmas literature.
- Your Library
- What's On
- Events
- Podcasts
- Look Who's Talking
- Say Hello to Carly Findlay, Kurt Fearnley and Belinda Downes
- Bringing the Sydney Writer's Festival to You
- Alex Dyson
- Alison Whittaker
- Ann Patchett and Kevin Wilson
- Bob Brown
- Cassandra Pybus
- David Mitchell
- Ellen Van Neerven
- Golriz Ghahraman
- Intan Paramaditha
- James Bradley
- Jess Hill
- Julia Gillard
- Kay Kerr
- Layla F. Saad
- Liam Pieper
- Lisa Taddeo
- Malcom Turnbull
- Miranda Tapsell
- Alice Oseman
- Anna Wiener
- Dani Shapiro
- Favel Parrett
- First on the Ground
- Griffith Review 68: Getting On
- Heather Rose
- Jeff Sparrow
- Josephine Rowe
- Kathy Lette Gets Candid
- Kawai Strong Washburn
- Mirandi Riwoe
- Nicole Dennis-Benn
- Panel Discussion
- Paul Kelly
- Queerly Beloved
- Ronnie Scott
- Sophie McNeill
- Vicki Laveau-Harvie
- Philippe Sands
- Rebecca Giggs
- Return of the Sweatshop Woman
- Richard Cooke
- Sophie Hardcastle
- Tanya Talaga
- Look Who's Talking Online
- For readers and writers
- For kids
- For teens
- Learning
- Events
- Collections
- Discover