Edgar Allan Poe — “The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar”

Reading copy:

• “The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar” — reading copy

Manuscripts and Authorized Printings:

• Text-01 — “The Facts of M. Valdemar's Case” — 1845 (There are no known draft manuscripts or scratch notes reflecting the original effort of composition.)
• Text-02 — “The Facts of M. Valdemar's Case” — 1845
  • Text-02a — “The Facts of M. Valdemar's Case” — 1845 (Speculated faircopy manuscript prepared by Poe for publication. A comment in Poe's unfinished notes for The Living Writers of America suggests that at least one editor rejected the manuscript prior to it being accepted by G. H. Colton of the American Review. That earlier rejection presumably resulted in the manuscript being returned. Cullen B. Colton states that the manuscript was among those “either lost or stolen.” No trace of a manuscript is known, but it was common practice for such material to be destroyed during or after typesetting. Poe himself saw no particular importance in his manuscript once that version was set in type. The future value of these manuscripts was, of course, not recognized at the time.)
  • Text-02b — “The Facts of M. Valdemar's Case” — December 1845 — American Review — (Mabbott text A)
• Text-03 — “The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar” — December 20, 1845 — Broadway Journal — (Mabbott text B)  (Changes made in this text are so minor that it suggests they were made in typesetting or in proof, so that no intervening form is implied. Poe would, of course, have written a draft of the introductory comment.) (For Griswold's 1850 reprinting of this text, see the entry below, under reprints.)
• Text-04 — “The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar” — about October 1848 — manuscript revisions in Whitman copy of Broadway Journal — (Mabbott text C — This is Mabbott's copy-text)

Reprints:

• “Valdemar's Case” — 1845, December 20 — Baltimore Saturday Visiter (Noted in an article by Philip P. Cooke from the SLM, January 1848, no copy of this issue was known for many years. The story appears on the first page. Elsewhere in the same issue, J. E. Snodgrass comments on the December issue of the American Review, and states, “That there is something more and better than mere party politics in this journal, our first page will show. Its literary contents are of a high standard.” The date, and the editorial comment are given in The Poe Log, 1987, pp. 605-606.)
• “The Facts of M. Valdemar's Case” — about December 16, 1845 — unspecified Boston periodicals (Robert Collyer wrote to Poe on December 16, 1846, noting “Your account of M. Valdemar's case has been universally copied in this city” (letter printed in the Broadway Journal, December 27, 1845). The specific reprints referred to by Mr. Collyer have not been identified, but may include the following three items.)
• “The Facts of M. Valdemar's Case” — December 12, 1845 — Boston Courier (p. 1) (This reprint noted by K. Ljungquist, from a paper printed in Emersonian Circles, 1997, p. 193.)
• “The Facts of M. Valdemar's Case” — December 15, 1845 — Boston Semi-Weekly Courier (p. 4) (This reprint is noted by K. Ljungquist, 1997, p. 193n21.)
• “The Facts of M. Valdemar's Case” — December 18, 1845 — Boston Weekly Courier (p. 4) (This reprint is noted by K. Ljungquist, 1997, p. 193n21.)
• “The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar” — December 1845 — The Spirit of the Times
  • “The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar” - Part I  (December 23, 1845)
  • “The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar” - Part II  (December 24, 1845)
• “The Facts of M. Valdemar's Case” — December 24, 1845 — The Daily Advertiser (Rochester, New York) (noted as reprinted “From the American Review for December.”)
• “The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar” — December 24, 1845 — Albany Evening Journal (Albany, NY) (p. 1)
• “The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar” — December 30, 1845 — Roman Citizen (Rome, NY) (p. 1)
• “The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar” — December 31, 1845 — Daily Commercial Journal (Pittsburgh, PA), vol. 3, no. 214, p. 1, cols. 1-3 (under the heading of “A Horrible Story,” and with the following introductory note: “The following singular story appeared in the last number of the New York Whig Review, and is, we believe, from the pen of Mr. Poe. It is one which every body will read — perhaps some will believe — many will have doubts that they cannot well understand or explain. As will be seen in the thread of the article, it is an account of the very strange demise of ‘M. Valdemar.’ ”)
• “The Facts Of Mr. Valdemar's Case” — January 3, 1846 — Miner's Journal and Pottsville General Advertiser (Pottsville, PA), vol. 22, no. 1, p. 1, cols. 5-7, p. 2, col. 1 (acknowledged as by “Edgar A. Poe”) (information for this entry was provided to the Poe Society by Ton Fafianie, in an e-mail dated March 3, 2020)
• “Mesmerism in America: Astounding and Horrifying Narrative” — January 4, 1846 — The Sunday Times (London)
• “Mesmerism in America” — January 5, 1846 — Morning Post (London), whole no. 22,492, p. 7, col. 6 and p. 8, col. 1 (The story appears without the original title, under the heading “Mesmerism in America,” and with the following introductory note: “ASTOUNDING AND HORRIFYING NARRATIVE. / The following most incredible case we take from a Sunday paper, which subjoins an introductory note as to the credibility of the story. For our own parts we do not believe it; and there are several statements made, more especially with regard to the disease of which the patient died, which at once prove the case to be either a fabrication or the work of one little acquainted with consumption. The story, however, is wonderful, and we there give it.”
• “The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar” — January 6, 1846 — Northern Galaxy (Middlebury VT), vol. X, no. 36, p. 1, cols. 1-4 (The reprint reveals its source by quoting Poe' introductory note from the Broadway Journal)
• “The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar” — January 6, 1846 — Lowville Northern Journal (Lowville, NY) (p. 1)
• “The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar” — January 7, 1846 — Cortland Democrat (Cortland, NY) (p. 1)
• “Mesmerism in America. Astounding and Horrifying Narrative” — January 9, 1846 — Cork Examiner (Republic of Ireland) (It is noted as “from the American Magazine, a work of some standing in America.”)
• “Mesmerism in America: Astounding and Horrifying Narrative” — January 10, 1846 — Hampshire Advertiser (Southampton, UK) vol. XXIII, no. 1170, p. 7, cols. 3-4 (although without Poe's title, the story is acknowledged as being by “Edgar. A. Poe.”)
• “Mesmerism in America. Death of M. Valdemar of New York” — January 10, 1846 — The Popular Record of Modern Science (London)
• “The Facts of the Case of M. Valdemar” — January 17, 1846 — Clarksville Jeffersonian (Clarksville, TN), vol. 2, no. 34, p. 1, cols. 1-3
• “Valdemar's Caser” — February 12, 1846 — Port Tobacco Times and Charles County Advertise (Port Tobacco, MD) vol. II, no. 41, p. 1, cols. 1-5, with an introduction (Information for this entry was provided by Ton Fafianie in an e-mail to the Poe Society of September 21, 2017)
• “Mesmerism; In Articulo Mortis” (1846 [[H&C note “probably January or February”]]. The full title page states, all in capitals except for the price, “Mesmerism [[/]] ‘In Articulo Mortis’ [[/]] An [[/]] Astounding & Horrifying Narrative, [[/]] Shewing the Extraordiary Power of Mesmerism [[/]] in Arresting the [[/]] Progress of Death. [[/]] By Edgar A. Poe, Esq. [[/]] of New York. [[/]] London: [[/]] Short & Co., 8, King Street, Bloomsbury, [[/]] 1846. [[/]] Price Threepence]”) (printed as a separate edition)
• “Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar” — February 11, 1846 — the Cadiz Sentinel (Cadiz, OH) (“A HORRIBLE PIECE! A STRANGE STORY OF MESMERISM. [[/]] [The following singular narrative, from the pen of Edgar A. Poe, appeared originally in the N.Y. Whig Review, and more recently in the Broadway Journal, of which Mr. Poe is editor, prefaced by the annexed paragraph.]” Poe's Broadway Journal had actually ceased publication at the beginning of January 1846, but that news had apparently not yet spread to Ohio.)
• “The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar” — March 4, 1846 — Auburn Journal and Advertiser (Auburn, Cayuga Co., NY) (p. 1)
• “Mesmerism in America. Astounding and Horrifying Narrative” — August 19, 1846 — South Australian Register (Adelaide S. Australia), vol. X, whole no. 636, (begins on p. 1, col. 4, continuing on p. 2, cols. 1-2.) (This reprint is acknowledged as “by Edgar A. Poe,” and with the prefatory comment: “We copy the following astounding narrative from the American Magazine, a work of some standing in America, where it has caused considerable excitement. We place it before our readers without comment, merely premising that credence is given to the story in America.”)
• “Strange if True” — October 9, 1846 — Colonial Times and Tasmanian (Hobart, Tasmania), vol. 34, whole no. 1871, p. 4, cols. 1-4 (This reprint is acknowledged as “by Edgar A. Poe,” and with an introductory note that says it is reprinted from a Port Phillip paper, without specifically identifying it. That paper may have been the Port Hillip Patriot. It does not have the title of Poe's tale, using only the inner title of “Astounding and Horrifying Narrative.”)
• “The Facts of M. Valdemar's Case” — August 18, 1849 — Boston Museum
• “The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar” — 1850 — WORKS — Griswold merely reprints Text-03 — (Mabbott text D)
• “Mesmerism: The Facts of M. Valdemar's Case” — August 23, 1850 — The Argus (Melbourne, Victoria) vol. II, whole no 554, p. 4 (with Poe's name as author)
• “Startling effects of Mesmerism on a Dying Man” — 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), first series pp. 47-57 (with no woodcut illustrations) (This version continues the curious British tendency to change the title of this tale.)
• “Starling Effects of Mesmerism on a Dying Man” — October 26, 1853 — Inquirer (Perth, Western Austrailia) vol. XIV, no. 696, p. 1 of the supplement (with Poe's name as author, based on the title it is reprinted from the 1852 collection of Tales of Myster and Imagination and Humour; and Poems)
• “Startling effects of Mesmerism on a Dying Man” — 1855 — Tales of Mystery and Imagination, Halifax: Milner and Sowerby (pp. 42-52)
• “The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar” — 1867 — Prose Tales of Edgar Allan Poe, first series (New York: W. J. Widdleton), pp. 121-130 (This collection is extracted from the 1850-1856 edition of Poe's Works. It was reprinted several times.)
• “The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar” — 1874 — Works of Edgar A. Poe, edited by J. H. Ingram, vol. 1, pp. 127-137 (This collection was subsequently reprinted in various forms)
• “The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar” — 1884 — Tales and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe, edited by J. H. Ingram, vol. 1, pp. 189-201 (This collection, published in four volumes by John C. Nimmo, was the first to incorporate Poe's minor changes in the S. H. Whitman copy of the Broadway Journal.)
• “The Case of M. Valdemar” — May 6, 1893 — Meriden Daily Journal (Meriden, CN), vol. XI, no. 327, p. 9, cols. 4-7 and p. 10, col. 1 (with three woodcut illustrations) (reprinted in the same issue as several of of Poe's short stories, all acknowledged as by “Edgar Allan Poe.”)
• “The Case of M. Valdemar” — 1945 — “Come Not, Lucifer!” A Romantic Anthology, London: John Westhouse (this general anthology of short stories includes three selections from Poe, the present tale, “King Pest,” and “The Black Cat.” It is illustrated by Rolf A. Brandt (1906-1986), best known as a surrealist. The editor is listed as Gerald Verner, which is actually one of the pseudonyms used by John Robert Stuart Pringle (1897-1980). In addition to being an editor, he wrote a number of stories generally categorized as thrillers.)
• The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar — 2012 — Biting Dog Press (This elaborately presented letterpress edition has a beautiful cover and matching box. The book is illustrated with wood engravings by George A. Walker. The 32 pp. book was printed in a limited run of 60 numbered copies.)

Scholarly and Noteworthy Reprints:

• “The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar” — 1894-1895 — The Works of Edgar Allan Poe, vol. 2: Tales, eds. E. C. Stedman and G. E. Woodberry, Chicago: Stone and Kimball (2:322-334)
• “The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar” — 1902 — The Complete Works of Edgar Allan Poe, vol. 6: Tales V, ed. J. A. Harrison, New York: T. Y. Crowell (6:154-166, and 6:290-294)
• “The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar” — 1976 — The Science Fiction of Edgar Allan Poe, ed. Harold Beaver (New York: Penguin Books), pp. 194-204 and pp. 393-395 (reprinted 1977, 1978, 1979, and 1982)
• “The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar” — 1978 — The Collected Works of Edgar Allan Poe, vol. 3: Tales & Sketches II, ed. T. O. Mabbott, Cambridge: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press (3:1228-1244)
• “The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar” — 1984 — Edgar Allan Poe: Poetry and Tales, Patrick F. Quinn (New York: Library of America), pp. 833-842
• “The Facts of the Case of M. Valdemar” — 2015 — The Annotated Poe, ed. Kevin J. Hayes (Cambridge, MA: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press), pp. 337-349

Instream Comparative and Study Texts:

• “The Facts in the case of M. Valdemar” — Comparative Text (AR and BJ)
• “The Facts in the case of M. Valdemar” — Comparative Text (BJ and WORKS)
• “The Facts in the case of M. Valdemar” — Study Text (BJ-SHW)

Miscellaneous Texts and Related Items:

• “The Facts of Another Case of Artificial Evidence” — December 25, 1845 — Daily Mail (Boston) (p. 2) — (a parody by “Philo Philbrick M. D.” whom Ljungquist identifies as Joseph M. Field. The parody is reprinted by Fields in The Drama in Pokerville, The Bench and Bar of Jury-Town, and Other Stories, Philadelphia: Carey & Lea, 1847, pp. 129-133.) (noted by K. Ljungquist, 1997, pp-196-197)
• “[Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar]” — February 12, 1846 — in Dagligt Allehanda (attributed as by Mr. Poel) (An anonymous translation into Swedish, noted by Lars-Erik Nygren in E. A. Poe Review, Fall 2002, 3:124-125)
• “La vèrité sur le cas de M. Valdemar” — (French translation by Charles Baudelaire)
• “Mort ou vivant? Cas de M. Valdemar” — September 20-26, 1854 — Le Pays
  • “Mort ou vivant? Cas de M. Valdemar” — Part I  (September 20, 1854)
  • “Mort ou vivant? Cas de M. Valdemar” — Part II  (September 26, 1854)
  • “La vèrité sur le cas de M. Valdemar” — 1856 — Histoires extraordinaires, Paris: Michel Lévy frères
• “La Verita sul Caso del Signor Valdemar” — 1876 — Racconti Incredibili, Milano, Italy: Tipografia Editrice Lombarda  (Italian translation, with several illustrations)
• “[Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar]” — 1881 — Underliga historier (Stockholm)  (Swedish translation, noted by Anderson, p. 54)
• “[Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar]” — 1882 — Valda noveller (Stockholm)  (Swedish translation, noted by Anderson, p. 54)
• “Thatfachliches über die Magnetifierung des Herrn Valdemar” — 1890 — Seltsame Gesdichten, Stuttgart: Spemann  (Germanh translation by Alfred Mürenberg)
• “The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar” — April 1926 — Amazing Stories, vol. 1, no. 1
• “De Waarheid in ‘Het Geval Valdemar’ ” — about 1930 — Fantastische Vertellingen van Edgar Allan Poe, Haarlem: H. D. Tjeenk Willink & Zoon (Dutch translation by Machiel Elias Barentz, with elaborate illustrations by Albert Hahn, somewhat reminiscent of those by Harry Clarke)
• “The Case of Monsieur Valdemar” — April 8, 1945 — a radio show broadcast on the Weird Circle show. (As was often the case with dramatic presentations of Poe's works, the story has been modified.)
• “The Strange Case of M. Valdemar” — 1956 — a reading by Nelson Olmsted on Edgar Allan Poe: Tales of Terror, issued on the Vanguard label (VRS-9007, rereleased as VSD-31)
• “Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar” — 1972 — a reading by Martin Donegan as part of volume X of Short Stories of Edgar Allan Poe, issued on the CMS Records label (CMS-655)
• “Edgar Allan Poe's Valdemar” — March 14, 2000 — a radio show broadcast on NPR Playhouse, as part of the Radio Tales series. (As was often the case with dramatic presentations of Poe's works, the story has been modified.) The show was produced by Winnie Waldron and Winifred Phillips. It debuted on XM Satellite Radio on November 1, 2003.
• “The Mesmerist”— 2001 — a film featuring Howard Hessman and Neil Patrick Harris, directed by Gil Cates, Jr. (released on DVD in 2003 by Roxbury films.) This broadly comic farce is a recasting of Poe's tale, so much so that little remains (and there are a few slight touches from “The Fall of the House of Usher” and “Morella”). As an adaptation, the original is scarecly recognizable, and thus it can hardly serve Poe's plot, character, tone or idea. The quirky attempts at humor are generally so overwrought that it only rarely succeeeds even on its own terms.
• “The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar” — 2009 — Audio book (unabridged), read by Chris Aruffo (part of a 4-CD set)

• Anderson, Carl L., Poe in Northlight: The Scandanavian Response to His Life and Work, Durham, NC: Duke Unversity Press, 1973.
• Carter, Steve, “A Possible Source for ‘The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar,” Poe Studies (1979), 12:36.
• Colton, Cullen B., “George Hooker Colton and the Publication of ‘The Raven’,” American Literature, vol. X, no. 3, November 1938, pp. 319-330 (footnote 30 on p. 328 provides the comment about the manuscript)
• Falk, Doris V. “Poe and the Power of Animal Magnetism,” Publications of the Modern Language Association (May 1969), 84:526-546.
• 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.
• Lind, Sidney, “Poe and Mesmerism,” Publications of the Modern Language Association (Dec. 1947), 62:1077-1094.
• Ljungquist, Kent. P., “ ‘Valdemar’ and the ‘Frogpondians‘: The Aftermath of Poe's Boston Lyceum Appearance,” in Emersonian Circles: Essays in Honor of Joel Myerson, ed. Wesley T. Mott, Rochester: University of Rochester Press, 1997, pp. 181-206.
• Mabbott, Thomas Ollive, “English Publication of Poe's ‘Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar,” Notes & Queries (Nov. 21, 1942), 183:311-312.
• Mabbott, Thomas Ollive, ed., The Collected Works of Edgar Allan Poe ; (Vols 2-3 Tales and Sketches), Cambridge, Mass.: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 1978.
• Weissbuch, Ted. N., “Edgar Allan Poe: Hoaxer in the American Tradition,” New York Historical Society Quarterly Bulletin (July 1961), 45:291-309.
• Ware, Tracy, “The 'salutary Discomfort’ in the Case of M. Valdemar,” Studies in Short Fiction (1994), 31:471-480.
• 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.