Denslow's Night Before Christmas

Clement C. Moore's 200 year old poem is known by nearly all American children today, if only by the opening line of, "Twas The Night Before Christmas..". It's a poem for every parent to share in anticipation of waking up and opening presents, to create a tradition of breathless anticipation and family warmth. Really, the only question is which illustrator to grace the story.

While some parents may prefer more modern illustrations, others appreciate a more vintage feel. With W.W. Denslow, we have the same art as was used through most of Baum's original Wizard of Oz books. Indeed, most of the people in Denslow's work do look like munchkins or merry elves - but in the very best way. The appeal of Denslow's art is its Arts and Crafts era roots: warm, rich, grounded colors in deep saturated jewel tones and the innocence of a time before two great wars would ravage the century.

Dover has given us an unabridged republication of the work originally published in 1902. Since this is a vintage piece, be prepared for a bit of political incorrectness from some of the vintage toys (e.g., an 'Al Jolson Jazz Singer' type mechanical figure). But that bit of blight aside, it is such a pleasure to see all the old toys from 1902 - no Transformers or Barbie to be found.

The book features the original introduction, a sweet confectionery ode to Clement C. Moore and also lavishly illustrated by Denslow. The poem itself features smaller artwork around large text pages (2 lines per page) and then a full page (or 2-page) image illustration. At 84 odd pages for a short poem, there is a lot of artwork to love in here.

I grew up with the original Wizard of Oz and so greatly enjoyed this illustrated version of a Christmas classic. It's a book to bring out every year and then treasure once the kids have grown and have children of their own.

Reviewed from an ARC.

Over my many years on the planet, I've seen and enjoyed many illusrated versions of Clement C. Moore's 'Night Before Christmas.' but 'Denslow's Night Before Christmas' might be my very favorite version.

W.W. Denslow is the original illustrator of the L. Frank Baum Wizard of Oz books, and his illustrations there are iconic and classic. In 1902, he illustrated this famous Christmas poem, and his illustrations are full of charm and whimsy. Drawings spill across the pages with all kinds of details. The drawings of a happy, mischievous looking St. Nicholas are a bit different from our modern Coca-Cola inspired Santa, but they are nonetheless familiar. There are scenes of sleeping mice, and a boy in a dog-pulled sled, but my favorite might be the candy dancing over the children's heads.

Denslow's style is so classic and expressive, and this version from Dover is a great reproduction of the original version from 1902. There is a foreward by Grace Duffie Boylan. I think this is the version I need on my coffee table this holiday season.

I was given a review copy of this ebook by Dover Publications and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this fun ebook.

Dover's new edition of Night Before Christmas is a well-executed, faithful reproduction of Denslow's original 1902 publication. The artwork is sharp, the text is crisp, and there is none of the fuzzy or muddled nature that sometimes occurs when reproducing texts from before the time of digital files.

In each spread, the right-hand page contains the illustration for the stanza, while the left-hand page contains the text itself. Accompanying the text on the left-hand pages are smaller illustrations that are less directly related to the stanza at hand. While such a format seems typical of early twentieth-century books, it is less common today and may seem odd to some readers.

Children today may be also be surprised to see that Santa--St. Nick--is not attired in the red and white to which we've become accustomed. Denslow's St. Nick is dressed more like a gentleman of the time, albeit particularly warmly in fur coat and fuzzy pants.

All in all, this edition of Clement C. Moore's beloved classic would be a beneficial addition to readers' Christmas story collections.

Why, why publish this in August so now we can't order it for our bookstores in time for Christmas? It's like a bad dream.

Gorgeous reprint of the original, with clear, crisp colors and ink lines. If only I could order this through my distributors, my bookstore would have it. Dover has *terrible*

First off thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of The Night Before Christmas. I love this story. I read the story every Christmas and enjoy it each and every time. It is such a sweet story and amazing graphic. Adults and children alike will love this amazing book.

Will always be a Christmas favourite of mine, illustrations were amazing!

I liked this version of "The Night Before Christmas". I'm a big fan of W. W. Denslow, and while I get tired of tripping over them the rest of the year, at Christmas, you can never have too many copies of the book. I can see using this in a project where you compare different illustrations of the same book. I really like the old-fashioned versions the best.

There's something I find wonderfully appealing about Victorian Era children's book art (though, yes, technically speaking, this would be in the Edwardian period as it was published in 1902 ... but Denslow was certainly famous for his work during the Victorian period). There's a great deal of whimsical fantasy, the sense that anything is possible, and yet it is anything but cuddly. In fact it is often a little eerie or creepy. But of all the versions of this poem that I have on my shelves (and there are more than a few of them), this may be my favorite.

I'm not sure how many people are familiar with Denslow's work as the illustrator for the Wizard of Oz series (it's not a storyboard of the movie, folks!), but his work here is in a similar fashion.  (I'm not quite sure how to define the 'style' except to say that it is consistent with other works I've seen from that era.)

I am particularly fond of the little eerie faces throughout.  The brass andiron's in the fireplace have expressive faces, as does the clock on the mantle.  And who doesn't find the face in the Christmas tree to be just a tad frightening.  Or that of the face in the moon?

Denslow gives a nod to Wizard of Oz with the inclusion of a Tin Woodsman doll in Santa's sack.

Be warned...this is from 1902 and there are some politically incorrect figures here, including an Al Jolson-like black-face doll.

I really like this edition and am grateful to Dover Publications for re-issuing it.  I hope they will consider publishing some of Denslow's other works as well.

Looking for a good book?  Denslow's Night Before Christmas in a beautiful example of story-telling art from the late Victorian Era/turn-of-the-century and is still enjoyable today.

This copy of Clement C. Moore's, The Night Before Christmas, was illustrated by W. W. Denslow. Always a favorite story with adults and children alike, it is enhanced with wonderful illustrations that give it an olden days feeling. There are drawings of: a sleeping mouse family; a child in a sleigh pulled by a dog, candy dancing over children's heads; stockings filled with goodies; and a smiling moon. Santa doesn't look the same as he does today, but that adds to the charm.

This would make a lovely gift for to be cherished for years and passed down to future generations. You can't go wrong with this purchase.

Beautiful edition of Night Before Christmas. I loved the illustrations. I got this as an ARC from NetGalley, but I'm going to be looking to buy a copy for my bookshelf. It's never too early or too late in the year to read this classic!