Description:

Poe Edgar 1809 - 1849
1904 privately printed book, Alfred Russel Wallace's correspondence regarding Edgar Allan Poe's Eureka and James Whitcomb Riley's hoax poem "Leonainie".

Hardcover copy of "Edgar Allan Poe: A Series of Seventeen Letters Concerning Poe's Scientific Erudition in Eureka and his Authorship of Leonainie", #38 of 500. The slim volume with black covers and yellow spine was privately printed and published in New York around 1904. It contains fifteen reproduced letters written by Alfred Russel Wallace to Ernest Marriott discussing the life and work of tragic American poet Edgar Allan Poe. In very good to near fine condition. A previous owner's stamp plate has been removed, staining the front endpapers. There are a few light water stains to page tops, isolated loss to the spine top, and a few smudges to back endpapers. The volume measures 5.625" x 8.25".

The letters date between October 1903 and March 1904. The first portion of Wallace's letters include criticism of Poe's last major work, a 40,000-word meditation on the universe called "Eureka: A Prose Poem". Wallace, the celebrated biologist, naturalist, and explorer, offered his professional thoughts on Poe's pseudo-scientific explanation of life, death, space, time, and God. The later portion of Wallace's letters concern a poem called "Leonainie" attributed to be a long-lost work by Poe first published in the Indiana periodical the Kokomo Dispatch in August 1877. Modern consensus is that "Leonainie" was really written by an Indiana poet named James Whitcomb Riley who imitated Poe's style.

Critics were divided over the question of "Leonainie"'s authorship. This volume testifies to Wallace's belief that "Leonainie" was real. Wallace maintained that "Leonainie" was the most beautiful and technically expert of Poe's poems, even when faced with the contradictory opinions of Marriott and others. In November 1903, Wallace gushed: " ... I think you will agree with me that it ["Leonainie"] is a gem with the all characteristics of Poe's genius while the last verse is most exquisite". Two months later, Wallace wrote: " ... I have come to the conclusion that this ["Leonainie"] was the very last thing Poe wrote, & it was probably written only a few day before his death".

Alfred Russel Wallace (1823-1913) and his correspondent Ernest Marriott were both Poe enthusiasts and literary critics after a fashion. Although Wallace was a scientist by trade, he appreciated the study of the arts, philosophy, and religion including Spiritualism. Ernest Marriott published several smaller works in the British Manchester Quarterly, but his largest work was a study of W.B. Yeats's poetry published in 1911. James Whitcomb Riley (1849-1916) later found celebrity with his children's poetry, the most famous of which is "Little Orphant Annie".

A fascinating look at early-twentieth-century literary criticism of America's most mysterious Romantic poet!

Accepted Forms of Payment:

American Express, MasterCard, Money Order / Cashiers Check, Paypal, Personal Check, Visa, Wire Transfer

Shipping

Applicable shipping and handling charges will be added to the invoice. ***PLEASE NOTE: IF YOU WOULD LIKE YOUR SHIPMENT TO BE SENT TO AN ADDRESS OTHER THAN THE ONE YOU HAVE ON FILE WITH INVALUABLE, YOU WILL NEED TO INFORM US OF THIS AS SOON AS PAYMENT IS SUBMITTED FOR YOUR WINNINGS*** Shipping and handling costs are competitive as we maintain discounted contracts with FedEx. If you have any questions, contact University Archives prior to bidding. After payment has been made in full, University Archives will ship your purchase within 5 business days following receipt of full payment for item. We currently ship via FedEx but if your purchase is shipping to a P.O. Box, we ship via USPS. All items are insured. We ship from our offices in Westport, CT. We may opt to use a third party shipper for very fragile, bulky or oversized items. Items requiring third party shipping will be denoted in the item description. Packages shipped internationally will have full value declared on shipping form. International buyers will be responsible for any customs fees incurred.

Please remember that the buyer is responsible for all shipping costs from University Archives' offices in Westport, CT to the buyer's door. Please see full Terms and Conditions of Sale.

University Archives

You agree to pay a buyer's premium of 20% and any applicable taxes and shipping.

View full terms and conditions

Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $99 $10
$100 $299 $20
$300 $499 $25
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $2,999 $200
$3,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 + $5,000