The Poetical Works of Edgar Allan Poe: With Original Memoir

A GENUINE DATE-STAMPED 1858, NOW 166 YEARS OLD AND ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL EDGAR A. POE BOOKS I HAVE EVER OFFERED
THIS BOOK IS ROMAN NUMERAL STAMPED ON THE TITLE PAGE BY THE PUBLISHER, "MDCCCLVIII" 1858.
A REAL 1ST US EDITION FROM THE PUBLISHING HOUSE PRINTED BEFORE THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR OF 1861
PRINTED AND BOUND BY RICHARD CLAY (1789-1877) AT HIS BINDERY LOCATED AT BREAD STREET HILL IN LONDON, ENGLAND
BOUND IN DEEP GREEN FULL-LEATHER WITH GOTHIC GOLD GILT EMBELLISHMENTS (THE ONLY KNOWN PRINTING WITH THIS BINDING) ALL PAGE ENDS GOLD
INCLUDES: THE RAVEN, LENORE, TO HELEN, THE BELLS, ANNABELLE LEE, SILENCE, THE HAUNTED PALACE, TO ONE IN PARADISE, A DREAM WITHIN A DREAM, TO HELEN, AND MORE INCLUDING MEMOIRS & EVEN POEMS FROM HIS YOUTH
INCLUDES POE'S FIRST-EVER PUBLISHED POEM, "TAMERLANE," WHICH WAS ORIGINALLY PRINTED WHEN HE WAS ONLY 18
BOASTING 51 VERY SCARCE WOODCUT ENGRAVINGS, SOME BY JOHN TENNIEL, "WHO WAS MADE MOST FAMOUS FOR ILLUSTRATING ALICES ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND." ALL ARE IN STUNNING CONDITION NOT FOUND IN MOST OTHER EDITIONS, AND EVERY SINGLE ONE IS PRESENT, "MANY TIMES, THESE WERE REMOVED AND SOLD OFF SEPARATELY"
THIS BOOK IS DATED, AND I HAVE ALSO CROSS-REFERENCED THE PUBLICATION DATA ON THE POE SOCIETY WEBSITE "AS WELL AS MANY OTHER LITERARY ARCHIVES" AND VERIFIED THIS IS A TRUE AND GENUINE 1858 1S UK EDITION BY THE PUBLISHER
A MASTERPIECE OF A FIND FOR COLLECTORS AND MY HOLY GRAIL OF POE BOOKS.

I have been collecting Poe books since I was a young boy, and this is one of the finest, most beautiful, and rarest editions of any Poe book ever made from any era in history, "especially with this binding." I have owned five other 1858 editions, both the first US edition and the UK and all of these were bound in red; I have never seen another one like this in all my years of collecting. Before listing it, I searched every known book site on the web for another printing with this gorgeous cover and spine and found zero offered by any institution; needless to say, it is a one-in-a-billion book.

Not only is it stunning with its grandiose gold-tooled binding and covers, but the compendium of works it includes coupled with the art is divine. In 1858, two identical editions of this book were released, one for the US and one for the UK; however, they were all bound in red, and I have yet to find another green one like this. Three other editions were produced, one in 1859, another in 1863, and one in 1868, but this is the first UK edition. It is worth noting that this is one of the earliest fully illustrated editions of Poe's Poetical Works produced after his mysterious death.

Without any question, it is one of the oldest and rarest printings of a Poe book I have EVER listed for sale. This book includes some of Poe's most monumental works and some rarer titles, including 11 tales from his youth and a memoir. If you are looking for the creme de la creme of Poe books... This is the one. I will be sad to see it go, and I genuinely hope whoever receives it will take VERY good care of it. It is not only a gem of a book but a historically important one.

This book includes the engravings of master artists, including John Tenniel, F.R. Pickersgill, Felix Darley, Jasper Cropsey, Bircket Foster, P Duggan, A. M. Maddot, Percival Skelton, and W. Harry Rogers.

Before listing a book, I always do much research; I used the following sources to verify the publishing and edition information. This book is recorded at the following institutions and archives. The Poe Society, Google Books, The New York Library, WorldCat, "which holds one of the largest literary databases." Open Library, Via Libri, and many more. The book was entered according to the act of Congress and is very well-documented.

"The poems of Poe have taken their place in literature; it is too late to attempt anything like a contemporaneous criticism, too early to anticipate the judgment of posterity. But whatever were the faults of this gifted and erratic genius, much that he has written has become a part of the thought and memory of the present generation of readers and will doubtless go to our children with equal claims."

"In this volume, it would seem that the arts connected with book-making have culminated; paper, typography, drawing, and engraving are all admirable. There are at least fifty-three wood engravings of various degrees of excellence, all exquisitely finished. Lovers of fine editions of poetry will find this a gift book that the most fastidious taste will approve of. If we could add that this mechanical excellence was from American hands, it would be much more grateful to our national pride."

REGARDING RICHARD CLAY, WHO PRINTED THIS BOOK
Richard Clay I (1789-1877) was a printer born in Cambridge, England. He apprenticed to Richard Watts, then University Printer John Smith at the Pitt Press. He began business with various partners in 1817 at No. 9 Devonshire Street, Bishops-gate. The partnership of Samuel Burton, Richard Clay, and Samuel Smith dissolved in 1822. The collaboration of Samuel Burton, Richard Clay, and Henry Batty disbanded in 1824. He then was "House of Richard Clay & Co. Ltd" at Devonshire, Bishops-gate. He moved to the Bread Street Hill address about 1830.

His son, Charles John Clay (1827-1905), Trinity College, set up in Cambridge as a University Printer and Partner, C. J. Clay and Son Cambridge University Press. Another son, Richard Clay II (1839-1890), was apprenticed to brother Charles.

Joseph Taylor became a partner in 1857. And it became R. Clay, Sons and Taylor. The Taylor partnership ceased in 1885. [Source: The Bookbinder, Vol. 4, London: Raithby, Lawernce and Co. LTD., 1891].

Edgar Allan Poe born Edgar Poe; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic. Poe is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly mystery and macabre tales. He is widely regarded as a central figure of Romanticism in the United States and American literature and was one of the country's earliest practitioners of the short story. He is generally considered the inventor of the detective fiction genre and is further credited with contributing to the emerging science fiction genre. He was the first well-known American writer to earn a living by writing alone, which resulted in a financially difficult life and career.

The overall condition of this book is very good despite being printed 166 years ago. It does have some of the typical aging attributes of a book printed before Abraham Lincoln was in office. This includes general shelf wear and age to the covers and spine, but they still display beautifully. The interior pages are naturally age-toned but very lightly for a book containing paper this old, and they are rather exceptional for this print era. It does show some age, but for an 1858, it is very well-kept. It retains a solid binding, everything is perfectly in place, and it is a lovely book.

CONTENTS

THE RAVEN
LENORE
A VALENTINE
THE COLISEUM
TO
TO HELEN
AN ENIGMA
ULALUME
T0
TO MY MOTHER
THE BELLS
THE CONQUEROR WORM
ANNABEL LEE
THE VALLEY OF UNREST
ISRAFEL
SILENCE
To ZANTE
TO FSS
BRIDAL BALLAD
THE HAUNTED PALACE
EULALIE
TO F
To ONE IN PARADISE
DREAM-LAND
HYMN
THE SLEEPER
FOR ANNIE
ELDORADO
A DREAM WITHIN A DREAM
THE CITY IN THE SEA
SCENES FROM " POLITIAN ;"

POEMS WRITTEN IN YOUTH:-
AL AARAAF
SONNET-TO SCIENCE
TO THE RIVER
TAMERLANE
TO
A DREAM
ROMANCE
FAIRY-LAND
THE LAKE.-To
SONG
TO M. L. S.
TO HELEN
AN UNPUBLISHED DRAMA
NOTES TO AL AARAAF .
THE POETIC PRINCIPLE

Because of this book's value, I am only offering it to the US and Canada. Long shipping time overseas can result in delays and more time banging around with the post. This is an extraordinary book, and I want the shipping time to be as short as possible. It will be professionally packaged.