1859 Rare Victorian Book - The Poetical Works of Edgar Allan Poe, Illustrated
Author: Edgar Allan Poe.
Title: The Poetical Works of Edgar Allan Poe.
Publisher: London, W. Kent & Co. (Late D. Bogue), 86 Fleet Street, 1859.
Language: Text in English.
Size: 7 x 5 inches.
Pages: xxx-185 pages + publisher's catalogue.
Binding: Attractive and very good original publisher’s blue cloth binding, richly gilt-stamped on the upper cover with an elaborate ornamental frame and central laurel wreath enclosing the title Edgar Poe’s Poetical Works. Spine gilt with dense decorative tooling and title lettering. Rear cover blind-stamped (hinges fine, overall slightly worn and scuffed - as shown, moderate rubbing to extremities and corners, spine ends softened, with some wear and darkening to the spine - as shown) under a protective removable mylar cover. All edges gilt. Overall, a very attractive and well-preserved Victorian decorative binding with strong gilt presence.
Content: Good to very good content (tight, some foxing, toning and staining, more pronounced on some plates and adjacent leaves - as shown, contemporary ownership inscription to the front endpaper - as shown).
Illustrations: Illustrated with numerous engraved plates and vignettes by E. H. Wehnert, James Godwin, F. W. Hulme, Harrison Weir, and Anelay. Notable full-page illustrations include The Raven, Ulalume, Annabel Lee, and Fairyland, all present.
The book: This mid-nineteenth-century British edition of The Poetical Works of Edgar Allan Poe presents Poe’s poetry in a lavishly illustrated and carefully curated format, designed for the Victorian gift and library market. The volume includes many of Poe’s most enduring poems, among them The Raven, Lenore, Annabel Lee, Ulalume, The Bells, and Fairyland, accompanied by a biographical notice of Poe’s life and genius by James Hannay.
Issued in 1859 by W. Kent & Co., successor to D. Bogue, this edition belongs to the earliest wave of illustrated Poe collections produced in Britain, reflecting the strong posthumous appreciation of Poe’s work among Victorian readers. The combination of dramatic steel engravings and a richly gilt blue cloth binding makes this volume a particularly evocative example of nineteenth-century book design, where literary prestige and visual ornament were closely intertwined.
The author: Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849) was an American poet, critic, and short-story writer whose work profoundly shaped modern literature. Renowned for his musical language, psychological intensity, and exploration of beauty and melancholy, Poe’s poetry exerted a lasting influence on symbolism, decadent literature, and the modern lyric tradition. British editions such as this one played a crucial role in securing his international reputation, often celebrating his work with a level of visual richness not always afforded during his lifetime.