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![[SANTA CLAUS]. MOORE, Clement C. (1779-1863). Poems. New York: Bartlett & Welford, 1844.](https://s1.img.bidsquare.com/item/xl/3829/38291347.jpeg?t=1WRCq8)
Lot 119
[SANTA CLAUS]. MOORE, Clement C. (1779-1863). Poems. New York: Bartlett & Welford, 1844.
Estimate: $3,000 - $6,000
Sold for
$18,500
Sold Price includes BP
Bid Increments
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| $0 | $5 |
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| $100 | $25 |
| $500 | $50 |
| $1,000 | $100 |
| $2,000 | $200 |
| $5,000 | $500 |
| $10,000 | $1,000 |
| $20,000 | $2,000 |
| $50,000 | $5,000 |
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[SANTA CLAUS]. MOORE, Clement C. (1779-1863). Poems. New York: Bartlett & Welford, 1844. 8vo. [2, blank], 216, [2, blank] pp. Publisher's plain brown boards, rebacked to style in modern brown cloth and printed paper spine label. THE SCARCE FIRST EDITION OF MOORE'S FIRST BOOK APPEARANCE OF "A VISIT FROM ST. NICHOLAS" PUBLISHED UNDER HIS NAME - A PRESENTATION COPY, INSCRIBED BY MOORE ON THE HALF-TITLE: "Mrs De Kay with the respects of the author. Mar. 1846."
Recipient is Janet Drake de Kay; her daughter's (Helena's) faint pencil signature is on ffep., with her (daughter's) husband's bookplate ("R. W. Gilder," a poet and literary editor) on the bottom of the ffep. Janet Drake de Kay was the daughter of poet Joseph Rodman Drake, and was the mother of painter Helena de Kay Gilder.
Condition
Boards edgeworn, soiled, hinges repaired (front hinge reinforced with tape), ffep. with tear near gutter at bottom, half-title has tear at lower half of gutter, several leaves with edgewear or mild chipping, text a bit toned with occasional thumbsoiling, endleaves toned and soiled, ffep. with chip. Still, a very good copy of this rarity.
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"A Visit from St. Nicholas" appears on pp. 124-127. Also known as "The Night Before Christmas," or "'Twas the Night Before Christmas," this poem has been called "arguably the best-known verses ever written by an American" (Burrows and Wallace, Gotham: A History of New York City to 1898 (1999)). This poem has had a gigantic influence on how America (and the world) celebrates Christmas and how it views Santa Claus.
