Text: James H. Whitty, “The Passing of Poe's English Biography, “ The Dial (Chicago, IL), June 22, 1916, p. 15

[page 15, column 1, continued:]

THE PASSING OF POE'S ENGLISH BIOGRAPHER.

(To the Editor of THE DIAL.)

Students and admirers of Edgar Allan Poe will be sorry to learn of the death of his English biographer, John H. Ingram, which occurred in February last, at Brighton, England. The event was entirely unheralded in the English journals, due probably to the war.

Ingram was a writer of more than ordinary ability. He translated a number of volumes, and contributed reviews to leading papers in England, France, and America. His latest work was on “Marlow and his Poetry.” He had also written biographies of Chatterton, Mrs. Browning, and others. But he was best known as the English editor and biographer of Poe. He began his work on Poe as early as 1874, and his more important edition appeared in 1880. He had an early and full correspondence with Poe's “Annie” (Mrs. Richmond), Mrs. Lewis, Mrs. Shew, Mrs. Whitman, and other Poe contemporaries. He was the first, biographer to publish and draw special attention to Poe's important correspondence with his women friends. [column 2:]

Ingram obtained many prized original Poe manuscripts, most if not all of which he parted with years ago. He retained copies, however, and it is reported that his remaining treasures will come to America to be sold at auction. While the sale may prove most interesting to Poe students, I fear there will be little to tempt the collector of original Poe manuscripts. Ingram's other literary effects will be sold in London.

I had a friendly correspondence with Ingram, extending through many years. He was rather jealous of his reputation as Poe's biographer, and showed some inclination toward quarrelsomeness. Of late years he had lost much, if not all, his earlier knack for finding new Poe material, but wrote his numerous correspondents about a final revision of his life of Poe. A correspondent states that Ingram recently advised him that the new Poe biography was completed. As he had written me from year to year that this Poe volume was about complete, I naturally have some misgivings concerning the work. Further, I do not believe that he had any new information of his own that would materially alter his previous publications relating to Poe, although many new facts have been discovered and published by American writers which necessitate a revision of certain epochs in Poe's life.

Ingram did have, and likely has retained, most of his correspondence with Poe's women friends, which may throw additional interesting side-lights on Poe's romances, especially with “Annie” and Mrs. Whitman.

J. H. WHITTY.

Richmond, Va, June 12, 1916.