THE POET OF CHRISTMAS EVE

This fascinating biography of Clement Clark Moore shows him, in addition to being the poet of the heart of childhood everywhere, as a scholar, pamphleteer, musician, churchman, professor and college trustee. He was also a man of the early 19th century and there are many highlights and sidelights about New York and the nation in the first eight decades after the Revolution. Though its appeal will be greatest at this season, this should be a ""year round"" book for a wide general market.