1866 Rare Book - The Poetical Works of Edgar Allan Poe, with Original Memoir

Author: Edgar Allan Poe. Illustrated by F. R. Pickersgill, R.A., John Tenniel, Birket Foster, Felix Darley, Jasper Cropsey, P. Duggan, Percival Skelton, and A. M. Madox.
Title: The Poetical Works of Edgar Allan Poe.
Publisher: London, Sampson Low, Son, and Marston, 1866.
Language: Text in English.
Size: 8.5 x 6 inches.
Pages: xxi-167 pages.
Binding: Attractive and very good original publisher’s full red cloth binding, richly gilt-decorated on both boards with elaborate ornamental borders and a central gilt medallion lettered “Edgar A. Poe’s Poetical Works.” Spine gilt with floral and geometric tooling (hinges fine, overall slightly worn and scuffed - as shown) under a protective removable mylar cover. All edges gilt. Gilt remains bright and attractive.
Content: Very good content (bright, tight and clean, rare light foxing or staining - as shown). 
Illustrations: Illustrated throughout with fine wood-engraved plates by leading Victorian artists, including John Tenniel and Birket Foster. Illustrations are complete and well-printed, enhancing the dramatic and melancholic atmosphere of Poe’s poetry.

Estimate: (USD 600–750).

The book: This 1866 New Illustrated Edition of The Poetical Works of Edgar Allan Poe represents one of the most visually ambitious Victorian presentations of Poe’s verse. Issued in an ornate gilt cloth binding, the volume reflects the mid-19th-century British fascination with Poe’s dark romanticism and lyrical intensity. The carefully curated illustrations interpret key poems such as The Raven, Lenore, and The Bells, translating Poe’s psychological depth into richly evocative visual form.

The author: Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849) remains one of the most influential figures in world literature, celebrated for shaping modern poetry, the short story, and the foundations of detective and gothic fiction. His poetic works, marked by musicality, obsession, and themes of loss and the supernatural, exerted a profound influence on European symbolism and Victorian literary culture.

The illustrators: The illustrations bring together several prominent Victorian artists, notably John Tenniel, later famed for Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, and Birket Foster, known for his atmospheric landscapes. Their combined contributions lend this edition a distinctive artistic authority, making it both a literary and visual monument to Poe’s enduring legacy.