Text: J. L. Dameron and L. C Stagg, “Foreword,” An Index of Poe's Critical Vocabulary in Poe's Collected Works, (1966), p. 5 (This material is protected by copyright)

[page 5, unnumbered:]

FOREWORD

This index is intended to serve as a new aid in the study of Poe's criticism. The compilers have selected from his letters, reviews, and essays those terms and phrases that seem to have critical significance — all the main words, certainly. The blank leaves facing each page of our text are for the convenience of users who may discover a few addenda.

We have used the following texts: (1) The Letters of Edgar Allan Poe, ed. John W. Ostrom (2 vols., Cambridge, 1948) and (2) The Complete Works, ed. James A. Harrison (17 vols., New York, 1902).* Although the latter presents critical reviews and essays that Poe did not write and omits some that he did publish, it is the most complete basic work available.**

Volume and page numbers are listed in Arabic numerals following each entry. Simple brackets are the compilers’ emendations; brackets with asterisks indicate the editorial work of Poe's editors. Literary titles and punctuation conform as nearly as possible to Poe's text.

[[Footnotes]]

[The following footnotes appear at the bottom of page 5:]

*  Volumes VIII-XV and through the “Marginalia” of XVI, page 176.

**  We wish to thank Professor Thomas O. Mabbott for identifying the following criticisms not by Poe and, therefore, omitted from our analysis: VIII, 1-2 [[Bryant, Poems]], 12-41 [[Manzoni, I Promessi Sposi; Kemble/Butler, Journal; Bird, The Infidel; T. Irving, Conquest of Florida; W. Irving, Crayon Miscellany]], 265-275 [[Paulding and Drake, Slavery]]; X, 96-114 [[Cooper, Mercedes of Castile; Mrs. Norton, The Dream, and Other Poems; J. McHenry, The Antediluvians, or the World Destroyed; Wm. H. Ainsworth, The Tower of London: A Historical Romance; W. Howitt, Visits to Remarkable Places]], 160-162 [[James, Corse de Leon]], 171-174 [[Bolingbroke, Works]]; XI, 115-123 [[Bulwer, Zanoni]], 127-131 [[Tennyson, Poems]].