From the Library of Clayre and Jay Micha♔el Haft

Poe, Edgar Allan

The Raven and Other Poems. New York: Wiley and Putnam, 1845 [Bound with:] Tales. New York: Wiley and Putnam, 1845

Two titles bound in one volume, 8vo. Half-titles present, 4 pages of ads at the end of each title; 1 cm trimmed from bottom of half-title and title of Tales, but an unusually clean copy with only a lꦏittle oc♍casional spotting or light toning to some fore-edges. Publisher's blue cloth stamped in blind, sympathetic rebacking using most of original spine. 

First editions of both classics, here Tales has the copyright notice in three lines. 

Having issued both titles previously with some modest success, the publisher's sought to increase sales by combining the two, issuing them in various orders (sometimes Tales was bound first) and with a vari⭕ety of ads and cloth bindings.

"The Raven" remaiꦑns perhaps the most famous poem in American literature.

As for Tales, it's influence is vast: "... the first important book of detective stories, the first and greatest, the cornerstone of cornerstones ... the highest of all high spots ... contains for the first time in book form all three Dupin stories" (Queen's Quorum 1).

While the tales herein were not selected by Poe (and he expressed reservations about the editor "whose taste does not coincide with my own") they are in the end perhaps the single best representation of his broad range and lasting influence. The 1845 Tales contains not only the invention of modern detective fiction, but also his supreme handling of psychological horror, and his contributions to both science fiction and thꦇe adventure story.

REFERENCE:

Grolier, American 55; Heartman & Canny 62-74

PROVENANCE:

John Craig (bookplate)