Text: Edgar Allan Poe, “[A Toast from the Bookseller's Banquet]” - March 30, 1837

Notes:

The Bookseller's Banquet was held on March 30, 1837 at the City Hotel in New York City, sponsored by the Booksellers of New York City. This short toast was one of several presented at the banquet. Poe's followed many others and was quoted in newspaper articles at the time. The quote as given here was printed in the American for April 3, 1837, and is reprinted in The Poe Log, p. 423. An extended exploration of the event was noted by Kevin Hayes in a paper presented at the International Poe Conference in Richmond, October 9, 1999, “Poe and the Booksellers’ Banquet.”

Gotham is a well-known name for New York City.