Poe, Edgar Allen | First editions of Poe’s classics, bound together

Poe, Edgar Allen

The Raven and Other Poems. New York: Wiley and Putnam, 1845 [Bound with:] Tales. New York: Wiley and Putnam, 1845

Two works bound in one volume, 8vo. Half-titles, 4 pages of ads at end of Tales; usual scattered spotting and light toning to fore-edges. Publisher’s pale green cloth stamped in blind, pale yellow endpapers; corners gently bumped, extensive but expert repair to spine and corners. Housed in a custom clamshell case.

First editions of Poe’s classics, bound together. This copy includes the first edition of The Raven and the first edition, second printing, of the Tales.

Having issued both titles previously with some modest success, the publisher's sought to increase sales by combining the two, issuing them in various orders (sometimes Tales was bound first) and with a variety of ads and cloth bindings. "The Raven" remains perhaps the most famous poem in American literature.

As for Tales, its influence is vast: "... the first important book of detective stories, the first and greatest, the cornerstone of cornerstones ... the highest of all high spots ... contains for the first time in book form all three Dupin stories" (Queen's Quorum 1).

While the Tales herein were not selected by Poe (and he expressed reservations about the editor "whose taste does not coincide with my own") they are in the end perhaps the single best representation of his broad range and lasting influence. The 1845 Tales contains not only the invention of modern detective fiction, but also his supreme handling of psychological horror, and his contributions to both science fiction and the adventure story.

REFERENCE:

Grolier, American 55; Heartman & Canny 62-74