Cover of an edition published in 1888 by McLoughlin Bros.

Though long acknowledged as the author of A Visit from St. Nicholas (The Night Before Christmas), author Clement C. Moore’s claim to immortality has been questioned by partisans who believe that Henry Livingston, Jr. should be credited for the classic Christmas verse.

As someone who once owned the only manuscript copy of the poem in private hands—the other three are in museums—I took a personal as well as professional interest in the controversy. My article for the Winter 2004 issue of the New-York Journal of American History “The Moore Things Change” completely discredited the Livingston camp.

Since the controversy still lingers on Wikipedia and elsewhere I’ve published an expanded version of the article that you can find here.