[Dickens, Charles] — Edgar Allan Poe. Dickens personal copy of Poe's Poetical Works

[DICKENS, CHARLES] — EDGAR ALLAN POE 

THE POETICAL WORKS OF EDGAR ALLAN POE. WITH A NOTICE OF HIS LIFE AND GENIUS BY JAMES HANNAY. LONDON: ADDEY & CO., 1853

8vo. 20 woodcut illustrations. Contemporary half calf over marbled paper covered boards, spine with raised bands in six compartments, second gilt letters, others with repeat overall decoration in gilt, edges gilt, marbled endpapers; extremities rubbed. 

Charles Dickens' personal copy of Poe's Poetical Works—extraordinary and important association copy, linking two of the 19th century's most prolific writers 

Poe and Dickens corresponded and even met in person in Philadelphia during Dicken's 1842 American tour. Literary influences between the two abound, most notably with many believing that the inspiration for Poe's The Raven (1845) being directly drawn from Dickens's raven Grip in Barnaby Rudge (1841). Poe authored favorable reviews of several of Dickens's stories, and after their meeting, Dickens made efforts on Poe's behalf to find a publisher for Poe's Tales in England. On his second tour of America, nearly twenty years after Poe's death, Dicken's even paid a visit to Poe's mother-in-law, gifting her fifty dollars in remembrance of Poe.

The present volume constitutes the first separately-published, complete collected edition of Poe's poetry, includes eleven works not found in Poe's The Raven, and other Poems. It further includes an introductory essay and biography of Poe by James Hannay, who dedicated the edition to Dante Gabriel Rossetti.

Eight years after his death, Dickens' Gadshill library was purchased en bloc by Henry Sotheran & Co., and the 1,020 books—including the present volume—were offered in their November and December 1878 Price Current of Literature catalogues.

REFERENCE:

BAL 16210 (incorrectly citing a date of 1857); Catalogue of the Library of Charles Dickens from Gadshill 93; Sabin 63535 (incorrectly dating 1852)

PROVENANCE:

Charles Dickens (bookplates to front pastedown)