THE RAVEN by Edgar Allan Poe
in THE AMERICAN REVIEW
WILEY & PUTNAM NEW YORK 1845-1848
Rare collection of eclectic Whig periodical including the First ever printing of "The Raven" by Edgar Allan Poe printed on page 143 under the pseudonym "Quarles." This pseudonym was in keeping with the American Review’s practice of publishing poetry unsigned or under a pen name. Also includes Poe's story "Some Words With a Mummy" (363-370), and the poems "The Valley of Unrest" and "The City in the Sea" (392-3). Set in type from Poe’s manuscript, The Raven was first printed in The American Review in January 1845 (issue dated February 1845) with distribution beginning from mid January forward. The poem struck an immediate chord with the public and was reprinted in magazines and newspapers throughout the country.
Includes bound volumes 1-8, 1845-1848 of The American Review: A Whig Journal, published monthly. Each volume with marbled boards, black leather spine wrap, gilt spine titles, moderate shelf wear relevant to age. Half-bound in contemporary leather binding and corners. Pages good; some with fox, toning. Antiquarian owner's name to several title pages, some with initials, few with brief pencilled notations. Six volumes measuring 5 3/4" x 9" and two 6" x 9 1/4"; each apprx. 1-2" thick. Insured post.
Edgar Allan Poe's hazy narrative begins on a night in December when "The Raven" haunts the unnamed narrator who sits reading "forgotten lore" to sublimate the loss of his love, Lenore. A "rapping at his chamber door" reveals nothing, yet excites his soul to "burning". A similar rapping, slightly louder, is heard at his window. When he investigates, a raven enters his chamber. Paying no attention, the raven perches atop a bust of Pallas high above the door.
Amused by the raven's comically serious disposition, the man asks that the bird tell him its name. The raven's only answer is "Nevermore". The narrator is surprised that the raven can talk, though at this point it has said nothing further. The narrator remarks to himself that his "friend" will soon fly out of his life, just as "other friends have flown before". The raven responds again with "Nevermore". The narrator reasons that the bird learned the word "Nevermore" from some "unhappy master" and that it is the only word it knows.
Regardless, the narrator pulls his chair directly in front of the raven, determined to learn more. He thinks for a moment, and his mind wanders to his lost Lenore. He thinks the air grows denser and feels the presence of angels, and wonders if God is sending him a sign that he is to forget Lenore. The bird again replies in the negative, suggesting that he can never be free of his memories. The narrator becomes angry, calling the raven a "thing of evil".
Finally, he asks whether he will be reunited with Lenore in Heaven. When the raven responds with its typical "Nevermore", he is enraged, and, calling it a liar, commands the bird to return to the "Plutonian shore", - but it does not move. The narrator's final admission is that his soul is trapped beneath the raven's shadow and shall be lifted "Nevermore".
