ID 967631
Lot 35 | Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque, inscribed
Estimate value
$ 300 000 – 500 000
Edgar Allan Poe, 1840
POE, Edgar Allan (1809-1849). Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque. Philadelphia: Lea and Blanchard, 1840.
Edgar Allan Poe presents his first book of tales to his cousin, Emily: "For Mrs Emily Virginia Chapman from Her Affectionate Cousin / The Author." An exquisite copy, richly bound for presentation in black morocco gilt.
This first edition of Poe's first volume of tales consisted of only 750 copies, and the author's only compensation for the book was "a few copies for distribution" among his friends (letter of 28 September 1839 from Lea & Blanchard, qtd. in the Poe Log). He did, however, retain the copyright. The publication gathered 25 stories, including "MS in a Bottle" and "The Fall of the House of Usher," all but one of which had been previously published. Though it proved a commercial failure, Tales was a milestone in Poe's career as it marked the culmination of his long-standing efforts (beginning as early as 1834) to have his prose published in book form.
The recipient of this specially-bound author's copy was Poe's first cousin, Emily Virginia Herring Chapman [Beacham] (1822-1908), who was the daughter of Elizabeth Poe Herring (1792-1822; his father's younger sister) and Henry Herring (1792-1868) of Baltimore. Emily Herring's first husband, Nathan Chapman, died early in their marriage and in 1850 she remarried Robert Beacham of Baltimore, who also died soon after. She then made her home with her only daughter and her family. Poe remained close to this branch of his family; when he died in Baltimore on 7 October 1849, it was cousin Emily's father, Henry Herring, who organized the funeral. Inscribed copies of the first edition are extremely rare. Only this copy and one inscribed for the banker and statesman Nicholas Biddle appear in the records of RBH, and the Biddle copy is in the usual muslin-backed boards.
The present copy contains four pages of adverts at the rear of both volumes, including a review from Washington Irving, who remarks that he is "much pleased" by "The Fall of the House of Usher" in particular and notes that its "graphic effect is powerful." The present copy has page 213 misnumbered 231 and on page 219, the "i" in "ing" (line 13 up) and the hyphen (end of line 6 up) are both below the line, though there is no priority. BAL 16133; Heartman & Canny, pp. 49-54; Dwight Thomas and David K. Jackson, The Poe Log, pp. 272-277.
Two volumes, octavo (187 x 110mm). 4 pp. of ads at rear of both vols 1 and 2 (foxing internally). Contemporary fine-grained black morocco presentation binding, gilt and blind-stamped borders, gilt fleurons at inner corners of central panel, spine gilt in six compartments, four with concentric gilt rectangles, two gilt-lettered, all edges gilt, board edges with gilt chevrons, coated yellow endpapers (presentation inscription a bit light on the coated endpapers, touch of rubbing to extremities); modern quarter-morocco box. Provenance: Emily Virginia Herring Chapman Beacham, 1822-1908 (presentation inscription from the author) – early pencil verses to front flyleaf – anonymous owner, a direct descendant of the recipient (Sotheby's, 24 September 1986, lot 201) – anonymous owner (Christie's, 7 October 1994, lot 120) – Donald G. Drapkin (Christie's, 29 June 2005, lot 304).
Artist: | Edgar Allan Poe (1809 - 1849) |
---|---|
Auction house category: | Printed books |
Artist: | Edgar Allan Poe (1809 - 1849) |
---|---|
Auction house category: | Printed books |
Address of auction |
CHRISTIE'S 20 Rockefeller Plaza 10020 New York USA | ||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Preview |
| ||||||||||||||
Phone | +1 212 636 2000 | ||||||||||||||
Fax | +1 212 636 4930 | ||||||||||||||
Conditions of purchase | Conditions of purchase | ||||||||||||||
Shipping |
Postal service Courier service pickup by yourself | ||||||||||||||
Payment methods |
Wire Transfer | ||||||||||||||
Business hours | Business hours
|
More from Creator
Related terms
Frequently asked questions
First of all, you should register to be able to purchase at auction. After confirming your email address, enter your personal information in your user profile, such as your first name, last name, and mail address. Choose a lot from the upcoming auction and the maximum amount you want to place on it. After confirmation of your choice, we will send your application by e-mail to the appropriate auction house. If the auction house accepts a request, it will participate in the auction. You can view the current status of a bid at any time in your personal account in the "Bids" section.
Auctions are performed by auction houses and each of the auction houses describes their terms of auction. You can see the texts in the section "Auction information".
The results of the auction are published within a few days after the end of the auction. In the top menu of the site, find the tab "Auctions". Click on it and you will be on the auction catalog page, where you can easily find the category "Results". After opening it, select the desired auction from the list, enter and view the current status of the interested lot.
The information about the auction winners is confidential. The auction winner will receive a direct notification from the auction house responsible with instructions for further action: an invoice for payment and the manner in which the goods will be received.
Each of the auction houses has its own payment policy for the won lots. All auction houses accept bank transfers, most of them accept credit card payments. In the near future you will find detailed information for each case in the section "Auction information" on the page of the auction catalog and the lot.
Shipment of the won lot depends on its size. Small items can be delivered by post. Larger lots are sent by courier. Employees of the auction houses will offer you a wide range to choose from.
No. The archive serves as a reference for the study of auction prices, photographs and descriptions of works of art.