The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-12-02
RARE FIRST EDITIONS or POE.
81 700 PAID FOR A BOON ISSUED
AT I2 I-2 CENTS.
Only TWO Books Issued I'm the Nineteenth
Century More Valuable Than the
Foe Relics - Rapid Rises In the
Prices Paid for Certain First Editions.

Century More aIuabIe Than the
Poe Relics - Rapid Rises I'm the
Prices Paid for Certain First Editions.
The recent sale of Poe's Prose Ro-
mances' for 81, 400 afforded proof Of the
high value OF the first editions OF his works.
Poe's first editions are rapidly becoming,
indeed, the most valuable OF nineteenth
century r~arities.
Only two books issued during the last
century are more highly priced, "a a mat
ter Of fsct-Shelley's Original Poetry
and Tennyson's Lovers Tale" both valued
At about $1,000. Most collectors believe that
Poe's -Tamerlane" will change hands az
a still higher valuation upon its next APP
pearsnce in the auction room, thus rank
ing as the c~ostliest book printed since
Shakespeare's time.
Several important collections OF Poe
relics are wned in Greater New York,
one Of them being valued at ST., 900. An
other collection, almost equally fine in
many respects, Is in the possession Of Frank
Naier. The latter lacks only one item, but
that book IL . practically understandable
treasure, the poets first and most highly
priced publication, "Tamerlane and Other
Poems,' Boston, 1927, Of which only three
copies are known.
Mr.. Maier was the purchaser Of the Prose
Romances" sold a few weeks ago for q
record price. This book, which contains
two OF Poe's tales, "The Murders in the Rue
Morgue- and THE Man That Was Used
Up was issued in Philadelphia in ts43
at l2I cents.
Until 1894 it was buried in obscurity,
although many efforts were made to I'M
earth a copy, the late Charles B. Foote,
IN unusually successful collector Of Ameri7
can first editions, sending out 10000 postal
cards asking for the book. Then o
turned up, and was sold for $3.50.
In 1895 a New England bookseller came
across a second copy, but supposing it to
he an odd part of Poe's works, sold IL to
another dealer for IS cents. h purchaser,
who better appreciated its value, resold
IL for SEQ to a third dealer, who disposed
Of it at a good profit to the late Frederick
W. French Of Boston.
At the French sale in 1901 it realized
$1,000. The third known copy, now in
MIR. Maier's library, vas discovered last
summer in recollection of old volumes and
disregarded trifies in a farmers attic up
in Duchess county.
The gem of Mr.. Maier's Poe collection
IL a UNIQUE copy of the poets second book,
al Aarsaf. Tsmerlane. and Minor Poems
baltimore. 1920, which bears the following
presentation inscription, in Poe's auto
graph; For my cousin Elizabeth-E. A..
Poe" To a Poe enthusiast the value of
the volume ia immessurably enhanced by
the fact that lis author used it in the
preparation of The fourth edition of his
poeticRi works, The Raven and Other
Poems New York. ISI5.
Throughout the book in his unmistakable
~Chirographv. a-c scores Of interesting COR
r~ections AMI alterations. Seldom have the
workings Of a poet'S imagination been ex-
hibited So strikingly ~ in this thin little
volume az s~eventy-one pages, enriched
vita numerous marginal markings in pen
end pencil.
N.n- wears after Poe's death the book
was found in a downtown bookshop by
the late DE-. GeOrgr ~. Moore, librarian
oG the Lenox Library. Al the Moore sale
in 1877 II was i~nadequately described by
the C%ataloguer and was acquired by William
Nelson Of Paterson, y. j., for only SIS. .
tn Paterson fire, which destroyed many
hook treasures, spared this precious volume,
and in May, 1903. it was sold in Philadelphia
for 81 ,s25, the second highest auction quota
tion for a Poe first edition. MIR. Maier
secured il two years later from the dealer
rho purchased it at the Nelson sale.
Mr.. Maier's collection includes immacu-
late copies Of the Poe ~rarities of later date
the Poems Of 1881, the tales OF the
Grotesque and Arabesque, '1s4O; the Tales
of Is5. The Raven and Other Poems
Of the same date, &c. He also owns a num-
her of autographs items, among them being
the original manuscript OF For Annie
IN the authors beautiful handwriting.
This manuscript, undoubtedly the orig
inal draft Of the poem, is written on a sheet
ot commercial letter paper, in double
columns on the first z and in one column
on the reverse side. In the printed version
the punctuation has been changed through
out. the fifth and sixth stanzas nave been
trsnsposed, words altered. &c.
The draft was also a part OF the Nelson
collection and was sold in 1908 for s425. at the
same sale which included the al AaraaT"
described above, and the original manu-
script Of The Bells" which was purchased
Tor q Philadelphia collector at 81 100. The
latter was in very bad condition, discolored
and brittle, as a result of the Paterson fire.
One Of the most interesting OF the Poe
HubDkTdpIS " JbS VtdlcT COLcCJLOh u u
parody on The Raven in the poets
handwriting. The manuscript, which con-
sists Of eight ~stanzas, written on both sides
~ q quarto sheet, is entitled: ITO the
Author of The Raven By Miss Harriet
Winslow." 1t begins as follows:
Leave us not so dark uncertsinl Lift again
the fallen curtainl
Let us once again the mysteries OF that
haunted room ~explorel
Hear once more that flend Internal that
grim visitor nocturnal.
Earnestly we long to learn all that befAlls
that bird OF yore.
oh then tell MS something morel
Miss Harriet Winslow- is, Of course, a
p~seldonym. The parody" az Poe called
II, was printed in Grdhdm's KGodzi1e about
two years after the publication OF The
Raven" Poe's reason for compos ing it was
doubtless 20 attract renewed attention to
the original poem.
unique copy OF Eureka l54s, is one OF
the features Of a Poe collection owned by
- 81 Al T. II