Text: Ezra Holden, “[Review of Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque],” Saturday Courier (Philadelphia, PA), vol. IV, no. 440, November 2, 1839, p. 2, col. 6

[page 2, column 6:]

“Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque.” Lea & Blanchard

We purposed, a week or two ago, saying that our publishers had in press a collection of tales from the pen of Mr. Edgar A. Poe, now of the Gentleman's Magazine. It gives us much pleasure that these productions are forthcoming in the more substantial form of book publication.. — They are richly worthy of it. Many of them are of a very high order of merit, and have been admired wherever they have been perused by men of mind. Mr. Poe is no imitator in story-telling. He has a peculiarity of his own — dealing often in rather wild imaginings; and yet he always contrives to sustain his plots with so much novelty of incident, that you must read him out in spite of any sober realities that may occasionally flit across the mind. And, as you read you are ever impressed with the truth that he has much fancy — great richness of description, and true poetry for his imagery and colorings.

When Mr. Poe's tales shall appear, we are sure they will meet high appreciation, and be regarded as valuable contributions to the literature of our country.