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1860 First ED.- Edgar Poe and His Critics by Poe's Fiancée Sarah Helen Whitman
1860 First ED.- Edgar Poe and His Critics by Poe's Fiancée Sarah Helen Whitman
1860 First ED.- Edgar Poe and His Critics by Poe's Fiancée Sarah Helen Whitman
1860 First ED.- Edgar Poe and His Critics by Poe's Fiancée Sarah Helen Whitman
1860 First ED.- Edgar Poe and His Critics by Poe's Fiancée Sarah Helen Whitman
1860 First ED.- Edgar Poe and His Critics by Poe's Fiancée Sarah Helen Whitman
1860 First ED.- Edgar Poe and His Critics by Poe's Fiancée Sarah Helen Whitman
1860 First ED.- Edgar Poe and His Critics by Poe's Fiancée Sarah Helen Whitman
1860 First ED.- Edgar Poe and His Critics by Poe's Fiancée Sarah Helen Whitman
1860 First ED.- Edgar Poe and His Critics by Poe's Fiancée Sarah Helen Whitman
1860 First ED.- Edgar Poe and His Critics by Poe's Fiancée Sarah Helen Whitman
1860 First ED.- Edgar Poe and His Critics by Poe's Fiancée Sarah Helen Whitman
1860 First ED.- Edgar Poe and His Critics by Poe's Fiancée Sarah Helen Whitman
1860 First ED.- Edgar Poe and His Critics by Poe's Fiancée Sarah Helen Whitman
1860 First ED.- Edgar Poe and His Critics by Poe's Fiancée Sarah Helen Whitman
1860 First ED.- Edgar Poe and His Critics by Poe's Fiancée Sarah Helen Whitman
1860 First ED.- Edgar Poe and His Critics by Poe's Fiancée Sarah Helen Whitman
1860 First ED.- Edgar Poe and His Critics by Poe's Fiancée Sarah Helen Whitman
1860 First ED.- Edgar Poe and His Critics by Poe's Fiancée Sarah Helen Whitman
1860 First ED.- Edgar Poe and His Critics by Poe's Fiancée Sarah Helen Whitman
1860 First ED.- Edgar Poe and His Critics by Poe's Fiancée Sarah Helen Whitman
1860 First ED.- Edgar Poe and His Critics by Poe's Fiancée Sarah Helen Whitman
1860 First ED.- Edgar Poe and His Critics by Poe's Fiancée Sarah Helen Whitman
1860 First ED.- Edgar Poe and His Critics by Poe's Fiancée Sarah Helen Whitman
1860 First ED.- Edgar Poe and His Critics by Poe's Fiancée Sarah Helen Whitman

1860 First ED.- Edgar Poe and His Critics by Poe's Fiancée Sarah Helen Whitman

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$500 USD - $500 USD
$500 USD
$500 USD - $500 USD
$500 USD

Author: Sarah Helen Whitman.
Title: Edgar Poe and His Critics.
Publisher: New York: Rudd & Carleton, 130 Grand Street (Brooks Building, corner of Broadway), [states 1859, but first published in 1860]. First Edition.
Language: Text in English.
Size: 7.5 x 5 inches.
Pages:  81 pages + publisher's catalogue.
Binding: Attractive and near fine superb Bennett, New York fine binding in full brown crushed morocco, spine with five raised bands, gilt lettering and decorative fleurons, gilt-ruled borders to covers, and elegant gilt dentelles (hinges fine - as shown) under a protective removable mylar cover. The original brown cloth spine and covers have been bound in at the rear, preserving the work’s authentic 19th-century presentation and provenance.
Content: Very good, near fine content (bright, tight and clean, light toning - as shown). A beautifully preserved copy, tight and bright, in a masterful and luxurious binding.

The book: A profoundly moving first edition of Edgar Poe and His Critics, composed by Sarah Helen Whitman, poet, transcendentalist, and once the fiancée of Edgar Allan Poe. Although the copyright page bears the date 1859, the book was in fact first published in early 1860 by Rudd & Carleton of New York.

Written in response to the malicious and distorted memoir of Poe circulated by Rufus Wilmot Griswold, Whitman’s essay is both a literary defense and a declaration of enduring affection. In her Preface, she denounces “perverted facts and baseless assumptions” that had darkened Poe’s reputation, appealing instead to “more candid readers and critics.” Her voice carries an unmistakable tenderness — that of a woman who had loved Poe deeply and who sought, through truth and empathy, to restore his humanity.

This edition remains one of the earliest and most intimate attempts to redeem Poe’s legacy, casting him not as the tormented recluse of legend but as a visionary artist wounded by the world’s misunderstanding. It is a landmark of American literary biography and an act of devotion disguised as criticism.

The author: Sarah Helen Whitman (1803–1878) was an American poet, essayist, and transcendentalist associated with the literary circles of Providence. Her engagement to Edgar Allan Poe in 1848—though brief—formed one of the most poignant episodes in American Romanticism. Their letters and poems reveal an intense spiritual and intellectual bond, and even after their separation, Whitman remained one of Poe’s fiercest advocates. Edgar Poe and His Critics (1860) was her eloquent reply to Griswold’s posthumous defamation — a love letter in the form of a vindication.

Binding note: This copy was beautifully rebound by Bennett, New York, one of the most respected fine binders of the American Gilded Age. Their craftsmanship is exemplified here in the supple crushed morocco, precise gilt tooling, and harmonious proportions. The thoughtful inclusion of the original cloth boards and spine, bound at the rear, enhances the historical value of this exquisite presentation — blending 19th-century authenticity with collector-grade artistry.