Text-01 — “The Conqueror Worm” — about October-November 1842 —
[There are no known draft manuscripts or scratch notes reflecting the original effort of composition.]
Text-02 — “The Conqueror Worm” — late 1842-January 1843
Text-02a — “The Conqueror Worm”
— about October-November 1842 — undated “Griswold” manuscript (Mabbott text G,
although it was listed speculatively) (For a detailed examination and authentication of the manuscript, see
Savoye, “Shadowy Things and Dying Forms,” listed in the bibliography, below)
Text-02b — “The Conqueror Worm”
— January 1843 — Graham's Magazine (Philadelphia, PA) — (Mabbott text A)
Text-03 — “The Conqueror Worm” — before February 25, 1843 —
Saturday Museum (Philadelphia, PA) — (Mabbott text B) (Poe sent two copies of this article to
J. R. Lowell, one on October 19, 1843 and a second on May 28, 1844. In both cases, he appears to have done so for the purpose of
providing Lowell with some biographical material to use for his article on Poe for Graham's Magazine.
There is no indication that any of the poems in these copies had modifications made by Poe.)
Text-03a — “The Conqueror Worm” — February 25, 1843 (Speculated
copy of Graham's Magazine marked with changes by Poe in anticipation of publication in the
Saturday Museum. This material has not survived, but the text is presumably reflected in Text-03b.)
Text-04 — “The Conqueror Worm” — before February 15, 1845
Text-04a — “The Conqueror Worm” — before February 15, 1845
— (Speculated copy of Saturday Museum with minor changes marked in anticipation of the
publication of “Ligeia” in the New World. This material has not survived, but is presumably
reflected in Text-04b.)
Text-04c — “The Conqueror Worm”
— September 27, 1845 — in “Ligeia,” Broadway Journal — (Mabbott
text E) (while Poe appears to have marked changed in the text of the tale for this reprint, the changes
in the poem are purely matters of house style in regard to contractions. Thus, for the poem, this text is
essentially a reprint.)
Text-05 — “The Conqueror Worm” — before May 24, 1845
Text-05a — “The Conqueror Worm” — before May 24, 1845 —
(For the text in the Broadway Journal, Poe appears to have gone back to his Saturday Museum
text, with changes probably made in proof during the publication process. This material has not survived, but
is presumably reflected in Text-05b.)
Text-05c — “The Conqueror Worm”
— May 29, 1847 — Poets and Poetry of America (8th edition) (Griswold essentially reprints
the text from Text-04b. Mabbott gives this printing a somewhat greater significance than it deserves, based on
his misunderstaning in regard to Text-02a, which never saw) — (Mabbott text H)
Text-06 — “The Conqueror Worm” — before November 1845
Text-06a — “The Conqueror Worm” — before November 1845 —
(speculated copy of the Broadway Journal text of September 27, 1845, with minor changes marked by Poe
in anticiaption of publication in RAOP. This material has not survived, but the text is presumably
reflected in Text-06b.)
Text-06b — “The Conqueror Worm”
— 1845 — RAOP — (Mabbott text F) — (For Griswold's 1850 reprinting of this text, see the entry below, under reprints.)
Text-07a — “The Conqueror Worm”
— 1849 — minor manuscript changes in the J. L. Graham copy of RAOP — (Mabbott
text J — This is Mabbott's copy-text)
Text-07b — “The Conqueror Worm”
— about September 1849 — Richmond Examiner proof sheets — (the text given by Whitty
matches Text-06a almost exactly. It may be surmised that the Examiner text was set from Poe's copy
of RAOP. Strangely, Whitty does not list the J. L. Graham copy of RAOP in his versions of this
poem, although he does include two references to this volume in the variants. Whitty lists this one item as
Richmond Enquirer, but with the same date of October 1849 as for the other Examiner items, and
without listing the Enquirer elsewhere. It is presumably an error, although the reference remained
unchanged in subsequent editions. It does not actually appear to have been printed in any surviving copy of
the Enquirer. Two verbal changes Poe marked in his own copy of RAOP both appear in Whitty's
text.)
Reprints:
“The Conqueror Worm” — December 24, 1842 — Boston Post (Boston,
MA), vol. XXI, no. 299, p. 1, top of col. 6 (printed with the title, but without acknowledging the source or
Poe's name as author, but obviously reprinted from Graham's Magazine, which was typically issued
about the middle of the month prior to the designated month of publication.)
“The Conqueror Worm” — 1850 —
in “Ligeia,” WORKS — (Griswold merely reprints Text-03c) (Mabbott text K)
“The Conqueror Worm” — 1850 —
WORKS — (Mabbott text L) — [Griswold merely reprints Text-06b, from the stereotype
plates.]
“The Conqueror Worm” — 1852 — Tales of Mystery and Imagination and
Humour; and Poems, London: Henry Vizetelly (with no woodcut illustration) — [An undated edition
appears about the same time, published by Charles H. Clark and Samuel Orchart Beeton, and their name appears as
publisher for the second series, second series pp. 241-242. This poem was omitted in some later printings.]
“The Conqueror Worm” — July 29, 1857 — Star of the North
(Bloomsburg, PA), vol. IX, no. 25, p. 1, col. 1 (with Poe's name as author, and under the general heading of
“Classic Poetry”)
“The Conqueror Worm” — August 8, 1857 — Evening Star
(Washington, DC), vol. X, whole no. 1,421, p. 4, col. 1 (with Poe's name as author)
“The Conqueror Worm” — October 3, 1857 — Daily Courier
(Louisville, KY), vol. 25, no. 81, p. 4, col. 1 (with Poe's name as author)
“The Conqueror Worm” — August 8, 1857 — Evening Star
(Washington, DC), vol. X, whole no. 1,421, p. 4, col. 1 (with Poe's name as author)
“The Conqueror Worm” — September 21, 1861 — Cheshire Observer
(Chesire and North Wales, UK), vol. VIII, no. 401, p. 2, col. 1 (with Poe's name as author)
“The Conqueror Worm” — October 12, 1863 — The Cavalier
(Yorktown, VA), vol. I, p. 1, col. 1 (with Poe's name as author)
“The Conqueror Worm” — February 3, 1866 — Petersburg Daily
Index (Petersburg, VA), vol. II, no. 30, p. 4, col. 1 (with Poe's name as author)
“The Conqueror Worm” — February 13, 1866 — Daily Times
(Reading, PA), vol. 16, no. 38, whole no. 2,228, p. 1, col. 6 (with Poe's name as author)
“The Conqueror Worm” — February 14, 1866 — Georgia Journal and
Messenger (Macon, GA), vol. LVIII, no. 21, p. 4, col. 1. (with Poe's name as author) (This text
includes the common error of “Though a circle ...” instead of
“Through a circle ...”) (Information for this entry was provided to the
Poe Society by Ton Fafianie in an e-mail dated May 27, 2021)
“The Conqueror Worm” — April 27, 1866 — Ohio Democrat (New
Philadelphia, OH), vol. 27, no. 20, p. 1, col. 5 (as by “Edgar Allen [sic] Poe”)
“The Conqueror Worm” — May 5, 1866 — Rochester Daily Union and
Advertiser (Rochester, NY), vol. XXIX, no. 106, p. 1, col. 1 (as by “Edgar Allen [sic] Poe”)
“The Conqueror Worm” — May 14, 1866 — Buffalo Evening Courier and
Republic (Buffalo, NY), vol. VI, no. 114, p. 3, col. 2. (with Poe's name as author) (This text includes
the common error of “Though a circle ...” instead of “Through a
circle ...”)
“The Conqueror Worm” — May 28, 1867 — Gloversville
Intelligencer (Gloversville, NY), p. 1 (Poe's name is not given)
“The Conqueror Worm” — November 5, 1870 — Buffalo Courier
(Gloversville, NY), p. 1 (Poe's name is not given)
“Life” — November 25, 1870 — Columbia Herald (Columbia, TN),
vol. XVI, no. 14, p. 1, col. 2 (with Poe's name as author, but a curious title)
“Life” — November 25, 1870 — Pulaski Citizen (Pulaski, TN),
vol. XII, no. 17, p. 1, col. 2 (with Poe's name as author)
“Life” — March 9, 1871 — Mineral Point Tribune (Mineral
Springs, WI), p. 2 (this entry was provided by Ton Fafianie in an e-mail to the Poe Society dated December 23,
2017)
“Life” — March 9, 1871 — Marshall County Republican (Plymouth,
IN), vol. XV, no. 19, p. 1, col. 1 (with Poe's name as author)
“Life” — March 10, 1871 — The Conservative
(M’Connelsville, OH), vol. V, no. 26, p. 1, col. 1 (with Poe's name as author)
“Life” — March 28, 1871 — Southern Home (Charlotte, NC), vol.
2, no. 63, p. 4, top of col. 2 (with Poe's name as author)
“Life” — April 5, 1871 — Greenville Enterprise (Greenville,
SC), p. 1 (this entry was provided by Ton Fafianie in an e-mail to the Poe Society dated December 23, 2017)
“The Conqueror Worm” — December 29, 1871 — Hull Packet and East
Riding Times (East Yorkshire, UK), p. 3, col. 2 (with an interesting introductory note: “Our
transatlantic brethren, whose existence is almost an acted poem, possess several sweet singers. Edgar Allen
[[Allan]] Poe, who claims our first notice, was a lamentable instance of the veracity of St. Pierre's
well-known words, ‘Talents are still more than birth and riches. But they cost dear, as they are generally
allied to exquisite sensibiity, which renders their possessor miserable.’ His existence was, in fact, a
life-long agony, and the spirit of his despair seems to dwell in his poems, which are now like the music of the
dying swan — so sad, so mournful, so inexpressibly sweet, now so terrible, so tragic. We quote one of his
most powerful pieces.”)
“The Conqueror Worm” — October 8, 1873 — New-Hampshire Patriot
(p. 4) (this item is noted by George Monteiro, “Fugitive Reprints,” E. A. Poe Review, Fall
2010, p. 161.)
“The Conqueror Worm” —
1875 — The Works of Edgar Allan Poe, vol 3: Poems and Essays, ed. J. H. Ingram, Edinburgh, Adam and
Charles Black (3:21-22)
“The Conqueror Worm” — December 5, 1884 — Howard Courant
(Howard, KS), vol. XIV, no. 49, p. 1, col. 3 (acknowledged as by Edgar Allan Poe)
“The Conqueror Worm” — September 25, 1890 — Weekly Kansas Chief
(Troy, KS), vol. XXXIV, no. 17, p. 4, col. 5 (as by “Edgar A. Poe”)
“The Play” — February 1895 — Current Literature: A Magazine of
Record and Review (New York, NY), vol. XVII, no. 2, p. 132. (with Poe's name as author, although as
“Edgar Allen [sic] Poe.” The poem is printed, with this new title, as part of “Treasure-Trove:
Reviving Old Favorites”) (This long run of reprints, using the strange alternate title of “The
Play” is certainly peculiar, suggesting that the poem struck the current mood, plagued as it was by enduring
economic problems.)
“The Play” — March 28, 1895 — Fall River Evening News (Fall
River, MA), vol. XXXVI, p. 7, col. 3 (acknowledged as by Edgar Allan Poe)
“The Play” — March 29, 1895 — Morning Post (Camden, NJ), p. 4,
col. 3 (acknowledged as by Edgar Allan Poe)
“The Play” — April 2, 1895 — Pine Bluff Daily Graphic (Pine
Bluff, AK), vol. II, no. 253, p. 3, top of col. 2
“The Play” — April 3, 1895 — Naples Record (Naples, NY), vol.
27, no. 4, p. 4, col. 4
“The Conqueror Worm” — April 3, 1895 — Grand Forks Herald (p.
2) (this item is noted by George Monteiro, “Fugitive Reprints,” E. A. Poe Review, Fall 2010, p.
161. Although not noted, the title of this printed version is presumably “The Play,” in agreement with
other reprints of this period.)
“The Conqueror Worm” — April 3, 1895 — San Jose Mercury News
(p. 2) (this item is noted by George Monteiro, “Fugitive Reprints,” E. A. Poe Review, Fall
2010, p. 161. Although not noted, the title of this printed version is presumably “The Play,” in
agreement with other reprints of this period.)
“The Play” — April 3, 1895 — Knoxville Tribune (Knoxville, TN),
whole no. 8,998, p. 3, col. 5 (acknowledged as by Edgar Allan Poe)
“The Play” — April 4, 1895 — Horton Commercial (Horton, Brown
County, KS), vol. VIII, no. 28, p. 7, col. 1 (acknowledged as by Edgar Allan Poe)
“The Play” — April 4, 1895 — Colby Tribune (Colby, KS), vol. 7,
no. 49, p. 1, col. 1 (acknowledged as by Edgar Allan Poe)
“The Play” — April 4, 1895 — Owensboro Daily Messenger
(Owensboro, KY), vol. XVI, no. 75, p. 6, col. 3 (acknowledged as by Edgar Allan Poe)
“The Play” — April 5, 1895 — Lewiston Daily Sun (Lewiston, ME),
vol. III, no. 39, p. 6, col. 4 (acknowledged as by Edgar Allan Poe)
“The Play” — April 5, 1895 — The Times (Owosso, MI), vol. XVII,
no. 4, p. 2, col. 3
“The Play” — April 5, 1895 — News Dealer (Wilkes-Barre, PA),
vol. 17, no, 114, p. 4, col. 3 (acknowledged as by Edgar Allan Poe)
“The Play” — April 5, 1895 — Lima Times-Democrat (Lima, OH),
vol. XI, no. 146, p. 1, col. 6 (acknowledged as by Edgar Allan Poe)
“The Play” — April 5, 1895 — Olneyville Times (Olneyville, RI),
vol. 8, no. 33, p. 4, col. 5 (acknowledged as by Edgar Allan Poe)
“The Play” — April 4, 1895 — Sidney Daily News (Sidney, OH),
vol. V, no. 82, p. 4, col. 5 (acknowledged as by Edgar Allan Poe)
“The Play” — April 11, 1895 — Middletown Daily Argus
(Middletown, NY), p. 7, col. 3 (acknowledged as by Edgar Allan Poe)
“The Play” — April 12, 1895 — Democratic Standard (Coshocton,
OH), vol. XVII, no. 3, p. 8, col. 5 (acknowledged as by Edgar Allan Poe)
“The Play” — April 16, 1895 — Evening Captial (Annapolis, MD),
vol. XX, no. 134, p. 3, col. 4 (acknowledged as by Edgar Allan Poe)
“The Play” — April 17, 1895 — Harrisburgh Independent
(Harrisburg, PA), vol. XXXIV, no. 115, p. 7, col. 3 (acknowledged as by Edgar Allan Poe)
“The Play” — April 17, 1895 — Estherville Democrat
(Estherville, Iowa), vol. VI, no. 15, p. 1, col. 3 (acknowledged as by Edgar Allan Poe)
“The Play” — April 23, 1895 — Hazleton Plain Speaker (Hazleton,
PA), vol. XIV, no. 65, p. 2, col. 4 (acknowledged as by Edgar Allan Poe)
“The Play” — April 24, 1895 — Wilmington Morning Star
(Wilmington, NC), p. 2
“The Conqueror Worm” — April 30, 1895 — Aberdeen Daily News
(Aberdeen, SD) (p. 2) (this item is noted by George Monteiro, “Fugitive Reprints,” E. A. Poe
Review, Fall 2010, p. 161. Although not noted, the title of this printed version is presumably “The
Play,” in agreement with other reprints of this period.)
“The Play” — May 1, 1895 — Rock Island Argus (Rock Island, IL),
vol. XLIII, no. 165, p. 4 (Poe is noted as the author)
“The Play” — May 3, 1895 — Semi-Weekly Tobacco-Leaf Chronicle
(Clarksville, TN), vol. XXVII, no. 24, p. 2, col. 4 (acknowledged as by Edgar Allan Poe)
“The Play” — May 9, 1895 — Salinas Daily Journal (Salinas, CA),
vol. XII, no. 132, p. 4, col. 2 (acknowledged as by Edgar Allan Poe)
“The Play” — May 10, 1895 — Livonia Gazette (Livonia, NY), vol.
XX, no. 30, p. 1, col. 5 (Poe is noted as the author)
“The Play” — May 10, 1895 — Mohawk Valley Register (Fort Plain,
NY), whole no. 2139, p. 1 (Poe is noted as the author)
“The Play” — May 10, 1895 — Staunton Vindicatgor (Staunton,
VA), vol. 50, no. 19, p. 4, col. 2 (acknowledged as by Edgar Allan Poe)
“The Play” — May 11, 1895 — Santa Cruz Daily Sentinel (Santa
Cruz, CA), vol. XXIII, no. 23, p. 2, col. 4 (acknowledged as by Edgar Allan Poe)
“The Play” — May 14, 1895 — Sandusky Register (Sandusky, OH),
p. 7, col. 4 (acknowledged as by Edgar Allan Poe)
“The Play” — May 15, 1895 — Commercial Advertiser (Canton, NY),
vol. XXIII, no. 7, p. 1, col. 8 (Poe is noted as the author)
“The Play” — May 17, 1895 — Pinegrove Herald (Pinegrove, PA),
vol. XVII, no. 24, p. 2, col. 2 (acknowledged as by Edgar Allan Poe)
“The Play” — May 28, 1895 — Daily Inter Mountain (Butte,
Montana), vol. XV, no. 59, p. 6, col. 4 (acknowledged as by Edgar Allan Poe)
“The Play” — May 30, 1895 — Watkins Express (Watkins, NY), vol.
XLII, no. 5, p. 4, col. 4 (Poe is noted as the author)
“The Play” — June 19, 1895 — Evening Record (Stockton, CA),
vol. I, no, 62, p. 4, col. 3
“The Play” — June 21, 1895 — Seattle Post-Intelligencer
(Seattle, WA), vol. XVIII, no. 36, p. 4, col. 3
“The Play” — June 22, 1895 — Daily Tulare Register (Tulare,
CA), vol. VIII, no. 276, p. 1, col. 3
“The Play” — July 11, 1895 — Cambridge City Tribune (Cambridge,
IN), vol. XXXI, no. 14, p. 1, col. 2
“The Play” — August 2, 1895 — Petaluma Dailyh Morning Courier
(Petaluma, CA), vol. XXII, no. 177, p. 2, col. 3
“The Play” — August 9, 1895 — Asbury Park Daily Press (Asbury
Park, NJ), vol. IX, no. 190, p. 6, col. 3
“The Play” — August 20, 1895 — Beatrice Daily Express
(Beatrice, NE), vol. 12, no. 179, p. 3, col. 6
“The Play” — August 29, 1895 — Birmingham News (Birmingham,
Alabama), vol. IX, no. 145, p. 10, col. 6
“The Play” — November 9, 1895 — Frostburg Mining Journal
(Frostburg, MD), vol. 25, no. 7, whole no. 1,255, p. 1, col. 7
“The Play” — November 18, 1895 — Morning Star (Glen Falls, NY),
vol. XXVIII, no. 121, p. 7, col. 4
“The Conqueror Worm” — March 22, 1903 — Norfolk Landmark
(Norfolk, VA), vol. LVI, no. 19, p. 7, col. 3 (acknowledged as by Edgar Allan Poe)
“The Conqueor Worm” — July 30, 1903 — Nashville American
(Nashville, TN), vol. XXVI, whole no. 9,587, p. 4, col. 4 (acknowledged as by Edgar Allan Poe, under the heading
“Poems Worth Knowing.”)
“The Conqueror Worm” — January 17, 1909 — New York Times (New
York, NY), vol. LVIII, whole no. 18,621, p. 43, col. 4.)
“The Conqueror Worm” — January 24, 1909 — The State (Columbia,
SC) (p. 20) (this item is noted by George Monteiro, “Fugitive Reprints,” E. A. Poe Review, Fall
2010, p. 161.)
“The Conqueror Worm” — April 2, 1909 — Tampa Morning Tribune
(Tampa, FL), vol. 16, no. 92, p. 4, col. 3
Scholarly and Noteworthy Reprints:
“The Conqueror Worm” —
1894-1895 — The Works of Edgar Allan Poe, vol. 10: Poems, eds. E. C. Stedman and G. E. Woodberry,
Chicago: Stone and Kimball (10:33-34, and p. 182)
“The Conqueror Worm”
— 1902 — The Complete Works of Edgar Allan Poe, vol. 7: Poems, ed. J. A. Harrison, New York: T.
Y. Crowell (10:87-88, and 10:204)
“The Conqueror Worm” —
1911 — The Complete Poems of Edgar Allan Poe, Boston and New York: Houghton Mifflin Co. (pp. 36-37,
and pp. 224-225)
“The Conqueror Worm” —
1917 — The Poems of Edgar Allan Poe, ed. Killis Campbell, Boston: Ginn and Company (pp. 105-106, and
pp. 242-243)
“The Conqueor Worm” — 1965 — The Poems of Edgar Allan Poe, ed.
Floyd Stovall, Charlottesville: The University Press of Virginia (pp. 91-92, and pp. 257-258)
“The Conqueror Worm” —
1969 — The Collected Works of Edgar Allan Poe, vol. 1: Poems, ed. T. O. Mabbott, Cambridge: Belknap
Press of Harvard University Press (1:323-328)
“The Conqueror Worm” — 1984 — Edgar Allan Poe: Poetry and
Tales, ed. Patrick F. Quinn (New York: Library of America) (pp. 77-79) (reprints the text from Stovall, 1965)
∞∞∞∞∞∞∞
Comparative and Study Texts:
Instream Comparative and Study Texts:
“The Conqueror Worm” — comparative text (“Griswold’ manuscript
and Graham's)
“The Conqueror Worm” — comparative text (Graham's and
Saturday Museum)
“The Conqueror Worm” — comparative text (Saturday Museum, February 28
and March 4, 1843)
“The Conqueror Worm” — comparative text (Saturday Museum and New
World)
“The Conqueror Worm” — comparative text (Saturday Museum and
Broadway Journal for May 24, 1845)
“The Conqueror Worm” — comparative text (New World and Broadway
Journal for September 27, 1845)
“The Conqueror Worm” —
comparative text (RAOP-JLG) (This comparative text shows the changes Poe made in manuscript in his own copy
of The Raven and Other Poems in 1845-1849.)
“Le Ver Vainqueur” — dated 2009, but available in late 2008 —
Poèmes d‘Edgar Allan Poe, Paris: Publibook (translation by Jean Hautepierre)
Forgeries:
“The Conqueror Worm” — (Fragment, 1 leaf, measuring 7 1/4 x 6 inches,
beginning with the line: “[. . .] But see amid the mimic rout [. . .],” and
continuing to the end of the poem. At the end appears Poe's name and the notation “Decr. 9,
1842.” The text is written in what appears to be brown ink, running from left to right edges, on only one
side of the page. Along the right edge of the page runs a note that reads “Published first in 1843 in
Graham's Magazine also in Broadway Journal,” with the signature of John R. Thompson. Although the
appearance is somewhat convincing, there are several obvious problems. Thompson, for example, was the editor of
the Southern Literary Messenger during Poe's final years, and thus an odd choice to validate a manuscript
with which he should have no plausible connection. More troublesome, the date of 1842 clearly indicates the
earliest version, but the text includes variants made only later. The fragment was offered as a genuine Poe
manuscript by New England Book Auctions, Sale Number 366, October 21, 2008, as item 205, with an estimate of
$20,000-$30,000, but was promptly retracted from sale over doubts about its authenticity. It was in the collection
of Richard Oinonen, who died in 2001, and is probably the work of Joseph Cosey. It may have been kept by Mr.
Oinonen as an example of a forgery by someone who was notably notorious in the field, especially for his Poe
forgeries.)
∞∞∞∞∞∞∞
Bibliography:
Heartman, Charles F. and James R. Canny, A Bibliography of First Printings of the Writings
of Edgar Allan Poe, Hattiesburg, MS: The Book Farm, 1943.
Lubbers, Klaus, “Poe's ‘The Conqueror Worm’,” American
Literature, 1967, 39:375-379
Mabbott, Thomas Ollive, ed., The Collected Works of Edgar Allan Poe (Vol 1
Poems), Cambridge, Mass.: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 1969.
Routh, James, “Notes on the Sources of Poe's Poetry: Coleridge, Keats,
Shelley,” Modern Language Notes, March 1914, 29:72-75
Savoye, Jeffrey A., “Shadowy Things and Dying Forms: Investigating an Original
Manuscript of Poe's ‘The Conqueror Worm’,” E. A. Poe Review, Vol. 15, no. 2, Autumn
2014, pp. 133-155.