'Twas the Night Before Christmas
Detail from An Irish Night Before Christmas, by Sarah Kirwan Blazek. Illustrated by James Rice. Gretna, LA: Pelican Publishing Co., 1995.
Most people today know Moore’s enchanting tale of the mysterious Christmas Eve visitor, St. Nicholas. Clement Clarke Moore (1779-1863), a noted theologian and biblical scholar, wrote this classic in 1823. Nancy H. Marshall started collecting editions of Moore’s poem, A Visit from St. Nicholas, today better known as The Night before Christmas, over 45 years ago.
At first, she bought inexpensive books for her children’s stockings and to decorate her home during the Christmas holiday. Over time, her collection became more comprehensive, as she acquired both rare and early editions and contemporary twentieth century publications. After having spent more than a decade as the Dean of University Libraries at the College of William & Mary, Marshall began donating her collection to Swem’s Special Collections Research Center in 2005. Today, students, scholars, and visitors young and old enjoy the many treasures of the Nancy H. Marshall A Visit from St. Nicholas Collection.
Continuing our annual tradition, this year's exhibit showcases the linguistic diversity that has proliferated since the poem’s publication more than 180 years ago. Each of the fourteen stanzas of Moore’s beloved poem is shown here in a different language or dialect, highlighting one unique Christmas custom that so many countries share regardless of their diverse cultural traditions.
Images of the exhibit are available from Swem Library on Flickr.
Curator: Matt Niendorf, Graduate Student in the Department of History and 2014-2015 Archives Apprentice. Exhibit design: Jennie Davy, Burger Archives Specialist, with assistance from Andrew Cavell, SCRC Graphics Assistant, and Kelly Manno, Undergraduate Student Assistant.
