THE RAVEN AND OTHER POEMS

New York: Wiley and Putnam, 1845. Very good.. First edition in book form of Edgar Allan Poe's "The Raven," the single most famous American poem of the nineteenth century. Partly inspired by the early lyrics of Elizabeth Barrett (later Browning), to whom he dedicated this volume of poems, Poe composed "The Raven" in trochaic octometer, with a deranged lyricism all his own. The elements are familiar even to those who don't read poetry: the "midnight dreary," the silk-curtained chamber, the raven perched upon the bust of Athena, the relentless refrain that drives the narrator mad.
Even before publication, Poe knew he had a sensation on his hands. When a friend described an early reading of the poem as "fine, uncommonly fine," Poe responded: "Is that all you can say for this poem? I tell you it's the greatest poem ever written." Poe's fame only increased with the appearance of contemporary parodies like "The Owl" and "The Polecat." First published earlier that year in the NEW YORK EVENING MIRROR (under Poe's own name) and THE AMERICAN REVIEW (under a pseudonym), the publication of "The Raven" paved the way for Wiley and Putnam's publication of Poe's TALES, the collection that introduced his pioneering detective fiction to a wider audience that same year. A lovely copy in contemporary binding of a landmark in American literature. 7.25'' x 4.75''. Contemporary quarter green goatskin, sympathetically rebacked with original spine laid down, blue marbled boards. Brown endpapers. Half title. Publisher's ads at rear. [8], 91, [1], [4] pages. Early pencil owner name on front pastedown. Rubbing to board edges; offsetting to gutters of endpapers from old hinge repair; fore-edge of last few leaves faintly dampstained. Otherwise text quite clean with very little foxing or soil. In custom quarter blue goatskin clamshell box.