CAH Posted December 4, 2004 Share Posted December 4, 2004 NEW YORK (Reuters) -- A rare autographed copy of the poem known as "'Twas the night before Christmas," which was estimated to fetch at least $200,000, failed to find a buyer at an auction on Friday, Sotheby's said. The manuscript is one of only four known autographed copies of Clement Clarke Moore's poem formally titled "A Visit from St. Nicholas." The auction house did not reveal the name of the seller. The poem is best known for its opening couplet: "Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house / not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse," and its final line: "But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight, 'Happy Christmas to all, and to all, a good night."' Sotheby's had hoped the coming Christmas season would help the poem fetch a high price but was left with egg on its face. The failure to sell the famed poem may be because there is a dispute about whether Moore authored it. In a description of the manuscript, Sotheby's states: "It should be noted that there is a rival family claim to the authorship of 'A Visit from St. Nicholas."' Family members of Henry Livingston Jr. have claimed their ancestor is the author. And a book by Donald Foster, "Author Unknown: On the Trail of Anonymous," most recently boosted that claim. Sotheby's maintains that "attribution has never gained credence." Moore is believed to have written the poem on Christmas Eve in 1822, Sotheby's said. Moore read the poem to his family that night, and it began to circulate among his friends. The poem was printed, unattributed, in the Troy Sentinel newspaper in New York a year later. source: http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/12/03/nightbefo...reut/index.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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