Edgar Allan Poe — “The Unparalleled Adventure of One Hans Pfaall”

Reading copy:

• “The Unparalleled Adventure of One Hans Pfaall” — reading copy

Manuscripts and Authorized Printings:

• Text-01 — “Hans Phaall, A Tale” — started late 1834 or January 1835 (There are no known draft manuscripts or scratch notes reflecting the original effort of composition.)
• Text-02 — “Hans Phaall, A Tale” — before March 1835
  • Text-02a — “Hans Phaall, A Tale” — late 1834 or January 1835 — faircopy manuscript sent to the Southern Literary Messenger — (Mabbott/Pollin text A)  (Portions of the manuscript are lost or damaged. These missing portions are presumably recorded, essentially, in Text-02b) (Although some have presumed a date close to the date of publication, thus April or May 1835, William Gravely argues persuasively for an earlier date.) (A bookseller's catalog that accompanies the manuscript states that it was inherited by Rear Admiral Melancton Smith (1810-1893) from his aunt, Mrs. Mary Jones Osborne. According to Mary Phillips (Poe the Man, 1926, 2:1287), Mrs. Mary Osborne was a friend of the Poe family, living in Fordham, NY. The manuscript was presumably given to her at some point by Poe, or by Mrs. Clemm. This connection would indicate that Poe retained possession of the manuscript at least as late as 1846, when the Poe family moved to Fordham. Publisher's Weekly (March 22, 1919, p. 870) notes that the manuscript was sold as part of an American Art Galleries auction on March 11-12, 1919, obtaining the price of $770. The Morgan Library bought the manuscript from Lathrop Colgate Harper (1867–1950), a New York rare book dealer, in 1919.) (The recollections of J. H. B. Latrobe, written in 1875 for the dedication of the Poe Memorial in Baltimore, go into great detail describing how Poe told Labrobe all about the story, which would have been in October 1833, suggesting an earlier draft. It should perhaps be noted that Mabbott considered Latrobe's reminiscences to be “highly inaccurate,” with some comment in a different footnote, but without directly questioning the very detailed recollections of “Hans Pfaal.” The context, however, touching as it does on Kennedy's recommendation of Poe to the Southern Literary Messenger, does suggest that Latrobe may be conflating two meetings into one, mixing the 1833 encounter with one from 1835.)
  • Text-02b — “Hans Phaall — A Tale” — June 1835 — Southern Literary Messenger — (Mabbott/Pollin text B)
• Text-03 — “Hans Phaall, A Tale” — about 1839
  • Text-03a — “Hans Phaall — A Tale” — about 1839 — manuscript revisions in “Duane” copy of Southern Literary Messenger — (Mabbott/Pollin text C)
  • Text-03b — “Hans Phaall” — 1840 — TGA — (Mabbott/Pollin text D)
• Text-04 — “Hans Phaall, A Tale” — about 1842
  • Text-04a — “The Unparalleled Adventure of One Hans Pfaall — 1842 — manuscript title change in TGAPP — (Poe erroneously spells “Unparalleled” as “Unparralleled,” with a duplicate “r.”) This tale appeared in the second volume of TGAPP, which has not survived. Thus, these manuscript revisions are lost, but presumably recorded in Text-04b) (Some idea of the changes made in this version can be derrived from the comparative text below of TGA and WORKS.)
  • Text-04b — “The Unparalleled Adventure of One Hans Pfaall” — 1850 — WORKS — (Mabbott/Pollin text E)  (This is the Mabbott/Pollin copy-text) (In the table of contents, the title appears as “The Adventures of One Hans Pfaall,” although the plural form of “Adventures” is not used elsewhere in the printing.) (With the loss of Text-04a, this printing gains special importance as the only record of Poe's final changes for the tale.)

Reprints:

• “Lunar Discoveries, Extraordinary Aerial Voyage of Baron Hans Phall” — vol. III, nos. 9-12, September 2-5, 1835 — the Transcript (New York) (Poe is never acknowledged as the author)
  • “Lunar Discoveries, Extraordinary Aerial Voyage of Baron Hans Phall” — Part I  (September 2, 1835) (front page, cols. 3-5)
  • “Lunar Discoveries, Extraordinary Aerial Voyage of Baron Hans Phall” — Part II  (September 3, 1835)
  • “Lunar Discoveries, Extraordinary Aerial Voyage of Baron Hans Phall” — Part III  (September 4, 1835)
  • “Lunar Discoveries, Extraordinary Aerial Voyage of Baron Hans Phall” — Part IV  (September 5, 1835)
• “The Unparalleled Adventure of One Hans Pfaal” — 1852 — Tales and Sketches: to which is added The Raven: A Poem, London, George Routledge & Co., pp. 32-71
• “The Unparalleled Adventure of One Hans Pfaal” — 1852 — Tales of Mystery and Imagination and Humour; and Poems, London: Henry Vizetelly (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. 15-65. (with a woodcut illustration)
• “The Adventures of One Hans Pfaall” — 1867 — Prose Tales of Edgar Allan Poe, first series (New York: W. J. Widdleton), pp. 1-51 (This collection is extracted from the 1850-1856 edition of Poe's Works. It was reprinted several times.) (The table of contents perpetuates the error of “Adventures.”)
• “The Adventure of One Hans Pfaall” — 1874 — Works of Edgar A. Poe, edited by J. H. Ingram, vol. 1, pp. 39-93 (This collection was subsequently reprinted in various forms)

Scholarly and Noteworthy Reprints:

• “The Unparalleled Adventure of One Hans Pfaall” — 1894-1895 — The Works of Edgar Allan Poe, vol. 2: Tales, eds. E. C. Stedman and G. E. Woodberry, Chicago: Stone and Kimball (2:133-203) (Although their notes imply that they used the 1840 text from TGA, the editors actually, and quite properly, relied on the heavily revised text printed by Griswold in 1850)
• “The Unparalleled Adventures of One Hans Pfaall” — 1902 — The Complete Works of Edgar Allan Poe, vol. 2: Tales I, ed. J. A. Harrison, New York: T. Y. Crowell (2:42-108, and 2:330-344) (Harrison oddly follows the pattern of Griswold's version of the title, with the erroneous “s” on “Adventures,” making it plural, but also only in the table of contents.)
• “The Unparalleled Adventure of One Hans Pfaall” — 1976 — The Science Fiction of Edgar Allan Poe, ed. Harold Beaver (New York: Penguin Books), pp. 12-64 and pp. 338-353 (reprinted 1977, 1978, 1979, and 1982)
• “The Unparalleled Adventure of One Hans Pfaall” — 1981 — The Collected Writings of Edgar Allan Poe, vol 1.: The Imaginary Voyages, ed. B. R. Pollin, Boston: Twayne Publishers (1:365-506). (Reprinted, with minor corrections but the same pagination, by New York: Gordian Press, 1994.)
• “The Unparalleled Adventure of One Hans Pfaall” — 1984 — Edgar Allan Poe: Poetry and Tales, Patrick F. Quinn (New York: Library of America), pp. 951-1001

Instream Comparative and Study Texts:

• “Hans Phaall” — Study Text (MS of 1835)
• “Hans Phaall” — Comparative Text (MS of 1835 and SLM)
• “Hans Phaall” — Study Text (SLM-WMD)
• “Hans Phaall” — Comparative Text (SLM, SLM-WMD and TGA)
• “The Unparalleled Adventure of One Hans Pfaall” — Comparative Text (TGA and WORKS)
• “The Unparalleled Adventure of One Hans Pfaall” — Comparative Text (WORKS-1850, etc.)

Miscellaneous Texts and Related Items:

• “L‘Aéronaute hollandais” — (French translation signed “A. B.” H&C give this name more fully as Alphonse Borghers. Mabbott notes Alphonse Borghers as a pseudonym, and the translator's real name as Amédée Pichot, the chief editor of the Revue, see Bandy, 79:277-280, and Mabbott, T&S, 1978, p. 805. )
  • “L‘Aéronaute hollandais” — September 1852 — Revue britannique, 40:114-158  (apparently translated from the 1852 Routledge edition)
  • “L‘Aéronaute hollandais” — 1853 — Nouvelles choisies d‘Edgard A. Poë, Paris: Hachette
• “Aventure sans pareille d‘un certain Hans Pfaall” — (French Translation by Charles Baudelaire)
  • “Aventure sans pareille d‘un certain Hans Pfaall” — March 14 - April 20, 1855 — Le Pays
    • “Aventure sans pareille d‘un certain Hans Pfaall” — Le Pays  (March 14, 1855)
    • “Aventure sans pareille d‘un certain Hans Pfaall” — Le Pays  (March 15, 1855)
    • “Aventure sans pareille d‘un certain Hans Pfaall” — Le Pays  (March 16, 1855)
    • “Aventure sans pareille d‘un certain Hans Pfaall” — Le Pays  (March 22, 1855)
    • “Aventure sans pareille d‘un certain Hans Pfaall” — Le Pays  (March 27, 1855)
    • “Aventure sans pareille d‘un certain Hans Pfaall” — Le Pays  (March 31, 1855)
    • “Aventure sans pareille d‘un certain Hans Pfaall” — Le Pays  (April 1, 1855)
    • “Aventure sans pareille d‘un certain Hans Pfaall” — Le Pays  (April 2, 1855)
    • “Aventure sans pareille d‘un certain Hans Pfaall” — Le Pays  (April 14, 1855)
    • “Aventure sans pareille d‘un certain Hans Pfaall” — Le Pays  (April 17, 1855)
    • “Aventure sans pareille d‘un certain Hans Pfaall” — Le Pays  (April 20, 1855)
  • “Aventure sans pareille d‘un certain Hans Pfaall” — 1856 — Histoires extraordinaires, Paris: Michel Lévy frères
• “Sin par Adventurea de un tal Hans Pfall” — 1858 — Newspaper of Barcelona  (Spanish translation)
• “Aventure Incomparable d’un Certain Hans Pfaal” — July 18 - September 5, 1874 — Musée Universel (Paris)  vol. 2, semester 2 (French translation by Paul Cézano) (8 weekly parts. There are illustrations designed by Daniel Vierge and Jules Férat and engraved in wood by Fortuné Meaulle) (a copy of this magazine is in the Ingram Collection, University of VA)
  • “Adventure Incomparable d‘un Certain Hans Pfaal” — July 18, 1874 — pp. 248-252
  • “Adventure Incomparable d‘un Certain Hans Pfaal” — July 25, 1874 — pp. 262-266
  • “Adventure Incomparable d‘un Certain Hans Pfaal” — August 1, 1874 — pp. 274-276
  • “Adventure Incomparable d‘un Certain Hans Pfaal” — August 8, 1874 — pp. 302-304
  • “Adventure Incomparable d‘un Certain Hans Pfaal” — August 15, 1874 — pp. 311-314
  • “Adventure Incomparable d‘un Certain Hans Pfaal” — August 22, 1874 — pp. 330-331
  • “Adventure Incomparable d‘un Certain Hans Pfaal” — August 29, 1874 — pp. 350-352
  • “Adventure Incomparable d‘un Certain Hans Pfaal” — September 5, 1874 — pp. 359-362
• “Avventura Impareggiabile d‘un Certo Hans Pfaal” — 1876 — Racconti Incredibili, Milano, Italy: Tipografia Editrice Lombarda)  (Italian translation, with several illustrations)
• “[Hans Phaall]” — 1881 — Underliga historier  (Stockholm)  (Swedish translation, noted by Anderson, p. 54)
• “The Adventure of Hans Pfall” — August 1947 — Classics Illustrated (number 40)  (a comic-book)
• “Hans Off in Free Pfaall to the Moon” — February 1965 — Gamma, vol. 2, no. 2, pp. 64-87  (cited as “Special Outer Space Issue” This tale is noted as by E. A. Poe and classified as a novelette)
• “Hans Pfaal” — 2009 — Audio book (unabridged), read by Chris Aruffo (part of a 6-CD set)

• Anderson, Carl L., Poe in Northlight: The Scandanavian Response to His Life and Work, Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 1973.
• Bailey, J. O., “Sources of Poe's The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym and ‘Hans Pfaal’ and Other Pieces,” Publications of the Modern Language Association, 1942, 57:513-535
• Bandy, William T., “Poe's Secret Translator: Amédée Pichot,” Modern Language Notes (May 1964), 79:277-280.
• Baudelaire, Charles, Baudelaire on Poe, translated and edited by Lois and Francis E. Hyslop, Pennsylvania: Bald Eagle Press, 1952 (includes Baudelaire's preface to “Hans Pfall”)
• Gravely, William H., Jr., “A Note on the Composition of ‘Hans Pfaal’,” Poe Newsletter, June 1970, 3:2-4
• Gravely, William H., Jr., “A Few Words of Clairification on ‘Hans Pfaal’,” Poe Newsletter, December 1972, 5:56
• Greer, H. Allen, “Poe's ‘Hans Pfaall’ and the Political Scene,” Emerson Society Quarterly, Fall 1970, 60:67-73
• 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.
• Hoffman, Daniel, “Send-ups,” London Magazine, January 1970, 9:30-36
• Ingram, John Henry, “The Lunar Hoax,” Athenaeum, August 19, 1876, no. 2547, pp. 241-242
• Ketterer, Daiv, “Poe's Usage of the Hoax and the Unity of ‘Hans Phalll’,” Criticism, Fall 1971, 13:377-385
• Nicholson, Majorie H., Voyages to the Moon, New York: Macmillan, 1948
• Pollin, Burton R., ed., The Collected Writings of Edgar Allan Poe; Vol I- The Imaginary Voyages (Including The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym, The Unparalled Adventure of one Hans Pfaall and The Journal of Julius Rodman), Boston: Twayne Publishers, 1981.
• Posey, Meredith N., “Notes on Poe's ‘Hans Pfaall’,” Modern Language Notes, December 1930, 45:501-507
• Reiss, Edmund, “The Comic Setting of ‘Hans Pfaall‘,‘” American Literature, September 1957, 29:306-309
• Savoye, Jeffrey A., “Poe and the Gothic Bluebooks,” Edgar Allan Poe Review vol. 10, no. 1 (Spring 2009): 102-103. (Suggests a possible source in an early article called a “Journey to the Moon”)
• Weissuch, Ted N., “Edgar Allan Poe: Hoaxer in the American Tradition,” New York Historical Society Quarterly Bulletin, July 1961, 45:291-309
• Wilkinson, R. S., “Poe's ‘Hans Pfaall’ Reconsidered,” Notes & Queries, September 1966, 13:333-337
• Wyllie, John Cooke, “A List of the Texts of Poe's Tales,” Humanistic Studies in Honor of John Calvin Metcalf, Charlottesville: University of Virginia, 1941, pp. 322-338.