Edgar Allan Poe and Baron von Kempelen's Chess-Playing Automaton, (1939), title page and table of contents

Notes:

Henry Ridgely Evans was born in Baltimore, MD on November 7, 1861, the oldest child of Henry Cotheal and Mary Elizabeth Evans, although he apparently spent most of his childhood years in Georgetown and Washington, DC. He studied at both Georgetown University and Columbian University, eventually acquiring a degree in law from the University of Maryland, and began a practice in Baltimore city about 1882, but abandoned the profession in favor of a career in journalism. He worked for various newspapers in Baltimore and other places, most notably the Baltimore Evening News and the Denver Republican. At one point, he was an assistant librarian for the U. S. Bureau of Education. From the age of 17, he developed a particular interest in stage magic, and although he never advanced beyond a hobby level as a performer, he wrote a number of important studies on the history of magic. He was granted a Doctor of Letters degree by the University of Maryland on June 1, 1914. He married Florence Kirkpatrick on December 31, 1891 (although various sources incorrectly state that he was married in 1892), but they had no children. He died in Union Memorial Hospital, in Baltimore, MD., on March 29, 1949, and was buried in Oakhill Cemetery, in Washington, DC.

Technically, the contents of this book and the article that preceded it, are protected by copyright, with the copyright stated in 1939 as being assigned to Henry Ridgely Evans. With Mr. Evans himself having died in 1949, however, his wife having died in 1958, and there being no readily identifiable heir or estate, it has not been possible to secure formal permission. He was a member of the Poe Society of Baltimore, proudly declaring the fact as part of the byline to the book, and the contents of the book originated from a lecture he delivered before the Poe Society in 1937. (His younger sister, May Garettson Evans, was president of the Poe Society of Baltimore.) We have, accordingly, assumed the liberty of presenting the full text, under a broad assumption of fair use, and with the idea that Mr. Evans would have been pleased to have his work widely available for use, for educational purposes and without any charge for access. If a reasonable claim for copyright can be documented, please contact the Poe Society of Baltimore to arrange for permission, or to request that we remove the material.

Although not stated, the edition was limited to 100 copies.

The dedication page reads: