Primary sourceBook1859
The Works of the Late Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe · 1859
A four-volume collected edition of Poe's writings, published posthumously in 1859, gathering his stories, poems and essays.
This posthumous edition preserves Poe's own writing and the circumstances of its publication after his death.
About this source
What it is
This is a four-volume set of Edgar Allan Poe's collected works, published in 1859, a decade after his death. It includes a note to the reader from his mother-in-law, Maria Clemm, describing how Poe arranged for Rufus W. Griswold to be his literary executor.
Why it matters
This edition shaped how later readers encountered Poe's writing and his reputation, since Griswold's editing and biographical sketches strongly influenced early views of Poe's life and character. It shows how a writer's legacy can be shaped by others after death.
Look closer
- Why might a family member choose to include a personal letter at the start of a collected works edition?
- What does it suggest about Poe's circumstances that he arranged his own literary executor before his death?
- How might an editor's personal feelings about an author affect how that author is remembered?
This book is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Edgar Allan Poe on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.
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