LOT Old Heritage Auctions  /  2007 October Rare Books & Manuscripts #675  / 

31160

Edgar Allan Poe: The Conchologist's First Book

Currency:USD Category:Books / Antiquarian & Collectible Start Price:100.00 USD Estimated At:200.00 - 400.00 USD
Edgar Allan Poe: The Conchologist's First Book
<B>Edgar Allan Poe: <I>The Conchologist's First Book: or, a System of Testaceous Malacology</B></I></B></I> (Philadelphia: Haswell, Barrington, and Haswell, 1839), first edition, 156 pages plus 12 plates, original pink lithographed paper boards shelf backed in blue-green cloth with a handwritten title plate on the spine, 16mo (4.5" x 6.75"). Plate 3 reads "Parts of Shells." Not actually written by Poe, <I>The Conchologist's First Book</B></I> borrowed liberally from a similar tome by Thomas Brown, who was initially plagiarized by Poe's colleague Thomas Wyatt in his <I>Manual of Conchology.</B></I> Poe lent his name to the title in order to help it sell, and to help his friend Wyatt. the arrangement backfired on Poe. His reputation was sullied by cries of plagiarism which dogged him for the rest of his career. The copy presented here is in very good condition, with rubbing to the edges, corners, and spine, and foxing throughout the textblock. A vertical split down the center of the spine does not affect the structural integrity of the book. A scarce Poe title.<BR><BR><b>Shipping:</b> Books & Catalogs (<a target="_blank" href="http://www.heritageauctions.com/common/shipping.php">view shipping information</a>)
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