The Life of Edgar Allan Poe (1877), title page and table of contents


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Title page:

 

 

THE LIFE
OF
EDGAR ALLAN POE

BY

WILLIAM F. GILL

ILLUSTRATED

 

D. APPLETON & CO.
NEW YORK

CLAXTON, REMSEN & HAFFELFINGER
NEW YORK

WILLIAM F. GILL & CO.
BOSTON

1877

 

 



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Table of Contents

CONTENTS.

————

[PREFACE   ·     ·     ·     ·     ·     ·     ·     ·     ·     ·     ·     ·     ·     ·     ·     ·     ·     ·     ·     ·     ·     ·

3]

 

CHAPTER I.

ANCESTRY.

The Origin of the Family Name, Italian — Founding of the Race in Ireland — Family Feud with the Desmonds — Dispersion of the Families by Cromwell — Heroic Defence of Don Isle — The Powers and Lady Blessington — General David Poe — The Poet Counsellor — The Ballad of “Gramachree” — David Poe, Jr., and his Runaway Match — Poe’s Actress Mother — Convivial Southern Customs and their Consequences — Place of Poe’s Birth — Death of Poe’s Parents.

9-20

 

CHAPTER II.

CHILDHOOD. 1809-1826.

Birth of the Poet — Early Beauty and Fascination — Poe’s Foster Father — Precocious Predilection for the Muses — At School in England — Stoke Newington and Rev. Dr. Bransby — At School in Richmond — First Ideal Love — Death of Helen Stannard — First Volume of Juvenile Poems — At the University of Virginia — Testimony of the Faculty of the University — Morbid and Sensitive Temperament — Athletic Achievements.

21-39

 

CHAPTER III.

EARLY HARDSHIPS. 1826-1834.

Home from School — First Quarrel with Mr. Allan — First Meeting with Virginia Clemm — A Second Edition of Juvenile Poems — A Griswold Fabrication disproved — William Henry Leonard Poe — Poe and the Milford Bard — An Amusing Poetic Duel — Poe at West Point — A Third Edition of Poems — The True Story of Poe’s Dismissal from West Point — Another Quarrel with Mr. Allan — Second Marriage of Mr. Allan — Poe at Mrs. Clemm’s — A Lie refuted — The Baltimore Prizes — Mr. J. H. B. Latrobe’s Account — Poe and Hewitt — Pen Photograph of the Poet at 24 Years — “Adventures of Hans Pfaal” — The Heir Expectant left Penniless.

40-70

 

CHAPTER IV.

BEGINNING A LITERARY CAREER. 1834-1838.

First Contributions to Periodicals — Engagement with the “Southern Literary Messenger” — Griswold’s Pettiness — Critical Reviews — J. K. Paulding’s Encomiums — Marriage with his Cousin, Virginia Clemm — Melancholy in Solitude — Susceptibility to Drink — Innocence of Motive — Withdrawal from the “Messenger” — Engagement on the “New York Quarterly Review” — Mr. William Gowans’ Reviews — A Notable Review — First Prose Book, “Arthur Gordon Pym” — Its Success in England.

71-87

 

CHAPTER V.

VARIED EXPERIENCES IN PHILADELPHIA. 1838-1844.

Removal to Philadelphia — Engagement as Editor of the “Gentleman’s Magazine” — “Ligeia” — Inspiration of Visions — The Fall of the House of Usher — The Haunted Palace — Griswold’s Charges of Plagiarism — The Manual of Conchology — Professor Wyatt’s Refutation — First Collection of Tales — An Audacious Griswold Invention — C. Alexander’s Letter — The “Gentleman’s” merged in “Graham’s” — Brighter Days — Pen Pictures of the Poet’s Home — Virginia’s Simplicity — A Pleasing Incident — The Murders in the Rue Morgue — First Introduction to the French Public — An Absurd Controversy — Baudelaire on Griswold — The Barnaby Rudge Analysis — The Mystery of Marie Roget — The Purloined Letter — Notable Papers on Autography and Cryptology — Withdrawal from “Graham’s” — Griswold’s Confusion of Facts, and its Cause — George R. Graham’s Statement — A Pertinent Anecdote — The Dream of Poe’s-Life — The “Stylus” — First Appearance on the Rostrum at Baltimore — First Lecture in Philadelphia.

88-127

 

CHAPTER VI.

CAREER IN NEW YORK. 1844-1846.

On “The Northern Monthly” [[“The Saturday Museum”]] — Engagement on the “Mirror” — Testimony of the Poet Willis — First Anonymous Publication of “The Raven” — The Authorship revealed by Poe’s Recitation at a Soireé — Mrs. Browning’s Commendation — Conflicting Opinions as to its Origin — Gilfillan’s Malevolent Recklessness — The Americans of a Quarter of a Century Ago — Poe’s Intentional Concealment of Motive — Personal Romances — Testimony of Intimate Personal Friends — Discrepancy of the Poet’s Reading of “The Raven” with his Printed Analysis of it — Origin of Imaginative Compositions — Anecdote of Beethoven — The Clue to “The Raven” — Analysis of “The Raven” — Where “The Raven” was written — Mrs. Brennan’s Reminiscences — The “Raven” Room — Insufficient Revenue of the Poet — Price paid for “The Raven” — J. R. Lowell’s Criticism — Lecture in Boston — The Poet’s Mischievous Propensity — Griswold’s Ridiculous Charges — Reply to Boston Criticisms — E. P. Whipple’s Testimony — The Poet’s Social Life — Character of Intellect — Conversational Powers — Mrs. Osgood’s Impressions — Failure with “The Broadway Journal — “Literati” Papers — The Dunn-English Quarrel — The Garbling of Poe’s Work by Griswold.

128-179

 

CHAPTER VII.

LAST YEARS. 1846-1849.

Removal to Fordham — Reminiscences of Fordham and its Inmates, by a Contemiwrary of the Poet — Sickness and Poverty — A Public Appeal — Griswold’s Malevolent Animus — Sympathy of Willis — Reply of the Poet Death of Virginia — Fordham in 1847 — “Ulalume” — The Poet’s Psychal Atmosphere — Lecture on “The Universe” — Letter to Willis — “Eureka” — Theory of Deity — Visit to Lowell — “The Bells” — Alteration from the Original MSS. — Some Suggestive Recollections — First Meeting with Mrs. Whitman — An Important Letter — An Ideal Home — Breaking of the Engagement — Griswold’s Gross Misrepresentation — Reply of W. J. Pabodie — Letter from Mrs. Whitman — The Poet leaves Fordham — A Last Effort to establish “The Stylus” — At Richmond again — Return to the “Literary Messenger” — Anecdote of Annabel Lee, by J. P. [[R.]] Thompson — Last Visit to Philadelphia — Engagement with Mrs, Shelton — The Unfortunate Trip North — The Misfortunes in Baltimore — Death at Baltimore — A Retrospective Glance.

180-244

 

APPENDIX.

How Griswold secured Poe’s Papers — Ephemeral Vindications of the Poet — George R. Graham’s Noble Tribute — Mrs. Whitman’s Memoir — Some Unpublished Collections — J. H. Ingram’s Memoir — Fairfield’s Absurd Article in “Scribner” — Memoirs of Stoddard, Didier, and Memorial by Miss Rice — Extraordinary Catastrophe to the Original Monument to Poe — The Monument erected November 17, 1875, in Baltimore — The Dedicatory Exercises — Addresses — Letters from Distinguished People.

245-315

 




Notes:

The dedication page reads:

TO

NEILSON POE, ESQ.,

IN ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF THE KINDLY SYMPATHY AND VALUABLE AID AFFORDED,

THIS VOLUME,

THE FIRST COMPLETE LIFE OF HIS KINSMAN, EDGAR ALLAN POE, YET PUBLISHED,

IS RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED.

 

The copyright page states:

Copyright, 1876
WILLIAM F. GILL.

and

GETCHELL BROS., PRS.,
252 Washington Street, Boston, Mass.


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[S:0 - TLEAP, 1877)] - Edgar Allan Poe Society of Baltimore - Bookshelf - The Life of Edgar Allan Poe - Title page and contents