Virginia Theological Seminary

Books about Santa's Origin & "A Visit From St. Nicholas"

Click for our list of currently available books from Amazon and other sources.
Out-of-print books may be found in libraries or the used book market.

• = some of our favorites

  • Saint Nicholas

    Boyd, T. C., illustrator

    Spalding & Shepard, 1849

    New York, New York

    Facsimile reproduced from the one of two surviving copies of this early edition. It is held by New York's Fifth Avenue Library. Title page and illustration

  • A Visit From Saint Nicholas

    F. O. C. Darley, illustrator

    James G. Gregory, Publisher, 1862

    New York, New York

    Title page illustration shows development of the St. Nicholas image.

  • • Santa Claus and His Works

    Nast, Thomas, illustrator; George P. Webster, author

    McLaughlin Bros. / Berliner &I McGinnis, ca 1870

    Originally published with black and white illustrations, later with five color lithographs. The illustrations were originally a composite printed in Harper's Weekly, December 1866. Illustrations

  • Thomas Nast's Christmas Drawings

    Introduction by Thomas Nast St. Hill

    Dover Publications Inc., original 1890 / 1978

    New York, New York

    All of the 66 illustrations from the 1890 edition of Thomas Nast's Christmas Drawings for the Human Race are included, plus three colored illustrations from Nast's Santa Claus and His Works. The introduction is by the artist's grandson. Composite illustration originally from Harper's Weekly, December, 1866, with 5 drawings colored and used in Santa Claus and His Works.
    Purchase from amazon.com

  • Around the World with Santa Claus

    McLoughlin Bros / Merrimack Publishing Corporation, 1849, original

    The book is a replica of the 1849 original. Illustration with Bishop Nicholas.

  • The Annotated Night Before Christmas: A Collection of Sequels, Parodies, and Imitations of Clement Moore's Immortal Ballad about Santa Claus

    Gardner, Martin, editor

    Prometheus Books, 2005

    With an introduction and notes
    Purchase from amazon.com, amazon.co.uk, amazon.ca

  • Twas the Night Before Christmas: The Art and History of the Classic Christmas Poem

    McColl, Pamela

    Grafton and Scratch Publishers, 2022

    Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

    Coffee table book commemorating the 200th anniversary of "Twas the Night Before Christmas." Many illustrations of early Santa depictions and more.
    Purchase from amazon.com

  • Who Wrote "The Night Before Christmas?" Analyzing the Clement Clarke Moore vs. Henry Livingston Question

    Jackson, MacDonald P.

    McFarland & Company, 2016

    Jefferson, North Carolina

    The author, emeritus professor of English, University of Auckland, and fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand, carried out a thorough study of both Moore and Livingston's work. He endeavored to discover the characteristics that distinguish each author's work and then to determine where this poem fits. He did not have a pre-determined opinion.

    His exhaustive study concludes, "These elements of composition are not readily subject to imitation. Their rates of use are largely beyond a writer's conscious control. They distinguish Moore's verse from Livingston's and they classify 'The Night Before Christmas' with the latter. The reasonable conclusion is that 'The Night Before Christmas' was composed by Henry Livingston."

    Purchase from amazon.com

  • Author Unknown: On the Trail of Anonymous

    Foster, Don

    Henry Holt & Company, 2000

    New York, New York

    The author, professor of English at Vassar College, has helped with dozens of investigations of anonymous and pseudonymous writings in criminal and civil cases. This question is addressed in the final chapter of the book.

    Foster's account is more narrative about both possible authors, written in an entertaining style, with less textual analysis than the above book. However, he does come to the same conclusion, as he says, "Moore's supporters always point to the form of this anapestic 'Pig and Rooster' fable as evidence that the Professor really was capable of writing a children's poem like 'A visit from St. Nicholas.' Major Livingston's heirs point to the content as evidence that he couldn't have. Major Livingston's heirs are right." Foster's work has served to encourage others to do even deeper textual analysis.

  • The Fight for "The Night": Resolving the Authorship Dispute over "The Night Before Christmas"

    Jerman, Tom A.

    Tom A. Jerman, 2023

    Asheville, North Carolina

    The author, a retired lawyer with some journalistic experience, seems to have set out to defend Moore's authorship, refuting Don Foster in particular. He carried out exhaustive research on the supposed authors and used textual analysis not available to the earlier investigators. His conclusion is that the Livingston claims are without merit.

More Books About St. Nicholas

General St. Nicholas Books
Picture Books for Younger Children (and all ages)
Picture Books for Older Children
Books for Older Children
Saints Books for Adults
Saints Books for Children
Activity Books and Other Resources
Christmas Books with St. Nicholas
Related Books
Santa's Origin & "A Visit from St. Nicholas"
Books in Other Languages
Children's Books in Other Languages


Digital Media

Church Year Resource Books for Families

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