Printed versions of “The Night Before Christmas” sit in a display case in the St. Louis Mercantile Library‘s Shopmaker Print Gallery on the campus of the University of Missouri–St. Louis. Visitors to the library can see the very first edition of Clement Clarke Moore’s timeless poem, originally called “A Visit from St. Nicholas,” as part of an exhibition called “A Merry Christmas to All: The first and later printings of The Night Before Christmas in the Elliott Collection.” The exhibition, which opened on Nov. 25 and will run through Jan. 30, includes many of the earliest printings of the literary gem for children of any age, as well as numerous later editions. There are also early materials such as newspapers, almanacs, periodicals, anthologies and 19th century editions illustrated by Felix Darley, Arthur Rackham and more being shared in five cases throughout the holiday season.

This photograph was taken by UMSL photographer Derik Holtmann and is the latest to be featured in Eye on UMSL. View more UMSL photos by visiting the UMSL Flickr and Instagram accounts.