5W Edgar Allan Poe. London: Kegan Paul, Trench & Co., 1881.

Notes

Edgar Allan Poe was a 19th-century American writer, poet, and literary critic best known for his dark, atmospheric tales of mystery, horror, and the macabre. Born in 1809 and marked by personal tragedy throughout his life, Poe transformed his hardships into groundbreaking works that explored psychological depth, fear, and the supernatural. He pioneered the modern detective story with “The Murders in the Rue Morgue,” perfected the Gothic genre through stories like “The Tell-Tale Heart” and “The Fall of the House of Usher,” and left a lasting mark on poetry with “The Raven.” Despite struggling with financial instability and personal loss, Poe’s innovative style, musical language, and fascination with the human mind made him one of the most influential figures in American literature.

Description 

Vellum boards lettered in red and black to front board and spine. Publishers device to front board. Tissue guard to frontispiece. Top edge gilt, fore edge and lower edge uncut. Raven illustration to frontispiece. Christmas inscription dated 1883 to half-title. Spine rubbed and faded, boards rubbed and marked, slight flaring to vellum.