Text: various, “Addenda,” for The Poe Log (1987)


∞∞∞∞∞∞∞


 

ADDENDA

1809-1849

The following addenda represent only what might be considered significant additions and corrections to the main entries in The Poe Log. They have been culled from various sources and provided or suggested by various people. In general, these sources and people will be credited in each specific entry.


∞∞∞∞∞∞∞


Scroll down, or select date:

 


∞∞∞∞∞∞∞


[1826] 5 JULY. CHARLOTTESVILLE. Thomas Jefferson, who founded the University of Virginia and maintained close ties to it, is buried in the little cemetery at Monticello. He was interred at 5:00pm, and among those in attendance were the students and professors from the university. “I have just returned from Monticello. Tho' the weather was very inclement all of the students, and a great many of the citizens of Charlottesville were present. As the deceased requested there was nothing like pomp or ceremony in the funeral” (letter from Henry Horace Worthington to Reuben B. Hicks, July 6, 1826, Accession #1368, Special Collections, University of Virginia Library). Many years later, although he misstates that the funeral took place on July 6, Andrew K. Smith recalled attending the funeral, noting “Among the students present at the funeral, I recollect seeing Edgar A. Poe, a high-minded and honorable young man, though easily persuaded to his wrong; also, Robert M. T. Hunter, of Virginia, and Colonel John S. Preston, of South Carolina. I believe the last two persons are still living” (Charlottesville Weekly Chronicle (October 15, 1875). (See also Alan Taylor, Thomas Jefferson's Education, ‎ W. W. Norton & Company, 2019, p. 292 and footnote 47.)

[1826] 27 DECEMBER. RICHMOND. The Richmond Enquirer publishes a list of distinguished students from the University of Virginia:

At a public examination of the Students of the University of Virginia, which commenced on the fourth, and terminated on the 13th of Dec. 1826, The [[sic]] following students distingished themselves in the literature and science taught in the schools of the University — the names being placed in Alphabetical order and the line drawn under the names of some indicating that they were especially distinguished over those beneat them in the list. (Richmond Enquirer, vol. 23, no. 69, p. 3. col. 1)

In the sections for “Senior Latin Class” and “Modern Languages — Senior French Class” appears the name of “Edgar A. Poe of Richmond City.” At the end of the list, there is further explanation of the nature of the examinations:

The examination of the Students has been rigorous, extensive, minute, and the general plan well calculated to ascertain the proficieny and relative merit. In general, written interrogatories, touching in many points and promiscuously through the whole Course of Studies of the Sessions, have been propounded to all the Students of a Class, in the presence of the Visitors and others attending, and the Students, in general, required forthwith to give written answers to them — care having been taken that they should not have any knowledge of the questions to be propounded, and that they should not have any assistance from each other or from any quarter during the examination. These answers, carefully examined and compared by the Professors, aided by oral examinations, have enabled them, for the most part, to form satisfactory estimates of progress and talent. Circumstances, however, occurred in the examinations in the School of Modern Languages, which induced the Faculty to think tha the merits of the Students in that School, have not been so accurately tested as they might otherwise have been. (Richmond Enquirer, vol. 23, no. 69, p. 3. col. 2)

The list is signed by “Robley Dungleson, Chariman of the Faculty” and dated “University of Virginia, Dec. 8, 1826.”


∞∞∞∞∞∞∞


[1830] about MARCH. RICHMOND. Poe writes a full copy of “Irene” as “Lady Irene” in the album of Sally Chevallie. (While the text is not dated, it falls on pages between other material that is dated. During this period, Poe was in Richmond awaiting an appointment to West Point.)


∞∞∞∞∞∞∞


[1831] 6 MAY. NEW YORK. The New-York American, for the Country publishes a short negative review of Poe's Poems:

This purports to be a second edition, — expurgated, — of a volume of poems. Portions of the first edition are omitted, to the end that “those retained” — we borrow the language of the author — “being placed in a fairer light, and the trash shaken from them in which they were imbedded, they may have some chance of being seen by posterity.” This is a laudable expectation; but fated, — we apprehend, like so many other human hopes and wishes, — to certain disappointment. Posterity and these poems will scarcely make acquaintance — though the publisher's art has not been wanting to give them a goodly outside, and the passport of a prepossessing appearance.

After quoting a few lines from “Fairyland,” the review concludes sarcastically by saying: “Our readers will, we are sure, excuse any more citations.”


∞∞∞∞∞∞∞


[1835] 15 MAY. WASHINGTON. DC. The Daily National Intelligencer copies a review of the Southern Literary Messenger for April from the Richmond Enquirer, including a mention of Poe's contribution: “ “Berenice, a tale by Edgar A. Poe,’ exhibits what modern critics call ‘great power.’ It delineates, with thrilling accuracy, a species of monomania of a striking and original character. The state of mind, made up of weakness and energy, which, in the absence of the capacity of exercising sane and useful thought, broods over trifling fancies and insignificant objects, until they become invested with terrific associations, is drawn in a striking manner, evincing great ability in the delination of the more intricate workings of the human mind. But, we think the dignity of the narrative suffers by the importance given to the hero's fancy in regard to his mistress's teeth, although it may be an apt illustration of the idiosyncracy described by the writer.”

[1835] 21 AUGUST. WASHINGTON. DC. The Daily National Intelligencer has an extensive review of the Southern Literary Messenger for July:

“SOUTHERN LITERARY MESSENGER. — The eleventh number of this Journal sustains the high promise of the preceding numbers. We know of no Magazine in the country which can compar with it in the amount of valuable matter it contains. A slight improvement also in typographical execution will render it faultless in that respect. When we say all this of a Southern periodical, and of one of so recent a standing as the Messenger, we can hardly believe that we have been able to say so much, and say it conscientiously. But we refer all who doubt us to the Magazine itself. Those who have been so long anxiously looking forward for some literary exertion on the part of the Old Dominion, will see in the columns of this excellent journal the promise of many future triumphs. We will endeavor to give a running comment on some of the principle articles. ... The Visionary, a tale by Edgar A. Poe, sustains the high reputation the author has already won as a writer of fiction. The Visionary is decided one of his very best effusions.

Although the critical notices in the present number are not as numerous as usual, and include a very small portion of the current publications, still they are, we think, judicious and creditable to the editor. The poetry is not, upon the whole, equal to what we have hitherto notice in the Messenger. Some of the articles are below mediocrity — a few of them very far above it. ...

[1835] 22 AUGUST. CINCINNATI. The Cincinnati Mirror prints a short review by William D. Gallagher of The Gift for 1836, including a mention of Poe's contribution: “There is but one literary article in this specimen. It is entitled, ‘Manuscript Found in a Bottle,’ and is the production of Mr. Edgar A. Poe, of Baltimore — a gentlemen of very fine talents It is a wild and thrilling story of the sea; but as it may be found, substantially and almost literally the same, in the volume of the Cincinnati Mirror for 1834, we think it somewhat out of place in an Annual for 1836.” [Poe's story had been reprinted in the Cincinnati Mirror for November 4, 1833, from the Baltimore Saturday Visiter.]

[1835] 3 OCTOBER. NEW YORK. The New-York Mirror puffs Theodore S. Fay's Norman Leslie a fourth time by quoting a passage from the novel. [The puff noted in the issue of 10 October is actually the fifth selection from the novel to be printed in the Mirror. Moss, in Poe's Literary Battles also fails to cite the 3 October item.]

[1835] 7 OCTOBER. BALTIMORE. In addition to the portions of her long letter cited in the main text of The Poe Log, Mrs. Clemm notes that her son, Henry, is “in his 18th year and at the granite stone cutting business in Baltimore.” This statement is one of several omitted in all previous printings of the letter. (J. Savoye, “Some Updates on Poe's Correspondence,” E. A. Poe Review, vol. XIII, no. 1, Spring 2012, pp. 13.)


∞∞∞∞∞∞∞


[1836] 27 AUGUST. NEW YORK. The New Yorker prints a long review of the Southern Literary Messenger for August. Among the Poe-related comments are the following:

Israfel — by E. A. Poe — is striking but not happy.”

The City of Sin, by E. A. Poe. — The writer may perchance become a good, but never a successful (by which we mean a popular) poet. He places himself too uniformly and thoroughly without the range of human sympathies.”

“The Editorial articles of the Messenger are spirited, and its reviews of the right stamp, independent and discriminating. From one paper [Pinakidia] we have extracted several curious literary annotations, which we have entitled ‘Scraps’ and ‘Gems of Sacred Poetry.’ THe merit of too many of the paragraphs is obscured to the common reader by the profusion of Greek and Latin, but for which we should have made room for it entire.”

The excerpt they have renamed as “Scraps” appears on p. 359, reprinting Pinakidia entries 109, 113, 135, 136, 138, 140 and 141. The excerpt renamed as “Gems of Sacred Poetry,” appears on p. 360, reprinting Pinakidia entries 146, 150, 171 and 172.

[1836] 26 SEPTEMBER. RICHMOND. Poe sends a letter to Charles Ellis, Sr. requesting $50 worth of dry goods, on credit. If approved, the materials are to be selected by Mrs. Clemm. (Poe to Charles Ellis, September 26, 1836.)


∞∞∞∞∞∞∞


[1837] 25 MARCH. BUFFALO, NEW YORK. The Daily Commercial Advertiser notices the Southern Literary Messenger for February 1837, acknowledging “the continuation of Arthur Gordon Pym, by E. A. Poe,” stating: “Mr. P. has worked up his incidents with great power and effect; some parts will remind the reader of the highly wrought tales which appeared in Blackwood some 15 or 18 years ago.” (vol. III, no. 71, p. 2, col. 3)

[1837] 3 JUNE. NEW YORK. The New-York American notices the American Monthly Magazine for June 1837, stating: “Von Jung, the Mystific, does not impress us at all ...” (vol. XIX, no. 1638, p. 2, col. 1)

[1837] 7 JUNE. CANANDAIGUA, NEW YORK. The Ontario Repository and Freeman (vol. XXXV, no. 12, p. 1, col. 2) includes an advertisement for the recently begun new volume of William W. Snowden's Ladies Companion, mentioning that “Negotiations have been commenced with an additional number of popular writers, for original contributors for the ensuing year, among them are E. L. Bulwer, Miss Leslie, J. G. Percival, R. S. McKenzie, Mrs. E. F. Ellett, .... E. Burke Fisher, Edgar A. Poe, .... Mrs. Childs, in conjunction with those who have heretofore favored the Ladies’ Companion with original contributions.” Nothing appears to have come of these negotiations, at least in regard to Poe. A number of the other authors noted did provide contributions that were published in this volume (vol. VII, May-Oct. 1837).

[1837] 26 AUGUST. WASHINGTON, DC. In noticing the Southern Literary Messenger for July, the editor of the Native American claims “an especial friendship for the Messenger,” but complains about the selection of poetry in the issue. It ends with the note: “We hope Mr. White will be more careful in his poetic contributions. We throw out the general hint, though possibly we may be wrong. We may not have appreciated the high attributes of those contributions, but we must say that we miss the fine and excellent discrimination of Mr. Poe, the late editor of the Messenger” (vol. I, no. 3, p. 1, cols. 2-3). [The literary department of the newspaper was conducted by Henry Johnson Brent (1811-1880), an author, editor and landscape painter. Brent contributed a number of poems to the Southern Literary Messenger in 1837 and 1838, as did his brother, John Carroll Brent (1814-1876).]


∞∞∞∞∞∞∞


[1838] 30 JUNE. NEW YORK. The New York Evening Post includes the name of “Virgina E. Poe” among the people with letters remaining at the US Post Office. The entry is repeated in the same newspaper for July 2 and 3. (The name and purpose of the correspondent are unknown.)

[1838] 15 NOVEMBER. BRADFORD, WEST YORKSHIRE, ENGLAND. The Bradford Observer (vol. 5, no. 250) quotes a long exerpt from The Nautical Adventures of Arthur Gordon Pym, under the heading “Drawing Lots for Life or Death.” Without providing any context, the item suggests that the newspaper thought that the incident might be true and not merely fiction. (The excerpt is taken from paragraph 7 of chapter XII, a portion that had been quoted in other British reviews of Poe's book about this time.)

[1838] 31 DECEMBER. BUFFALO, NEW YORK. The Daily Mercury, edited by Thomas L. Nichols, favorably notices Poe's tale “How to Write a Blackwood Article” under its original title: “The November number of the American Museum contains, in addition to much other valuable and interesting matter, an article by Mr. Poe, entitled “The Psyche Zenobia,’ which produced the effect on us of cachination almost convulsive, the satire is so broad, droll, and humorous.” (Daily Mercury, vol. 1, no. 32, p. 2, col. 2)


∞∞∞∞∞∞∞


[1839] 10 JANUARY. CHARLESTOWN, VIRGINIA. The Virginia Free Press reprints a short notice from the Lynchburg Virginian of the November issue of the American Museum, specificially mentioning: “Edgar A. Poe furnishes an article, likewise, keenly sarcastic and exquisitely humorous, under the quaint title of ‘the Psyche Zenobia’ ” (vol. 31, no. 50, p. 2, col. 4).

[1839] 15 JUNE. POTTSVILLE, PENNSYLVANIA. The Miner's Journal and Pottsville General Advertiser mentions Burton's Gentleman's Magazine, stating:

Burton's Gentleman's Magazine. — The spirited proprietor of this excellent periodical has associated with him, Edgar A. Poe, Esq., as assistant Editor. The July number is equal in every respect to its predeccessors, and if the new editor can improve the succeeding ones, we will pronounce it somewhat miraculous (vol. XV, no. 24, p. 2, col. 4)

[1839] 21 SEPTEMBER. WASHINGTON, D. C. The Madisonian includes a notice of Burton's Gentleman's Magazine, stating:

The Gentleman's Magazine, published at Philadelphia, is one of the most spirited of the monthly publications. It is edited by Mr. Burton, the Comedian, assisted by E. A. Poe, Esq., favorably known as the early editor of the Southern Messenger. ... (vol. III, no. 11, p. 3, col. 4)

[1839] 30 AUGUST. NATCHEZ, MISSISSIPPI The Natchez Weekly Courier includes a notice of Burton's Gentleman's Magazine, stating:

BURTONS GENTLEMANS MAGAZINE AND AMERICAN MONTHLY REVIEW. — The Agent for this city has favored us with the July and August Numbers of this popular and interesting Magazine, in whose editorial conduct, Edgar A. Poe, well and favorably known as the last Editor of the Southern Literary Messenger, is associated with the Senior Editor, and Proprietor Wm. E. Burton.

These numbers contain a great and rich variety of original articles in prose and verse which in general interest to the reader and in brilliance of thought and vividness of expression afford certainly as alluring entertainment for the lovers of miscellaneous literature, as any of its cotemporary Periodicals. To each number is also appended a racy review of the New Publications of the day, in which their merits or demerits are dispassionately discussed. The Magazine is embellished with elegant Engravings prepared expressly for it, averageing we believe about four monthly. Every number contains as much original reading matter as a volume of a modern novel, and infinitely surpassing much of the trash of that character that is now spread before the public. ... (vol. III, no. 11, p. 3, col. 4)


∞∞∞∞∞∞∞


[1840] 30 SEPTEMBER. HARRISBURG, PA. The Pennsylvania Telegraph (Harrisburg, PA) contains the following notice (vol. X, no. 14, p. 3, col. 3):

The Penn Magazine.

There are few gentlemen connected with the periodical press of our country, better known or more universally admired than Edgar A. Poe, Esq, and his friends will be gratified to learn that a definite period has been fixed for the appearance of his contemplated Penn Magazine; which is the first of January next. If ever we had an objection to Mr. Poe, it was the extreme causticity of the critical remarks ascribed to him when conducting the Southern Literary Messenger, this he promises to ameliorate, and therefore we expect from him one of the best magazines in our country. We shall look with anxiety for its appearance, as it must prove an ornament to our national literature.


[1841] 9 AUGUST. NEW YORK. The Morning Courier (New York, NY) contains a notice of Graham's Magazine, commenting:

... Its intellectual embellishments are as well, of a superior order. The editor, Mr. Poe, is one of those original, philosophical writers of whom we have too few, as contributors to the periodical press, and his articles always produce a deep and thrilling interest.

[1841] 25 OCTOBER. BOSTON. The Boston Post (Boston, MA) (vol. XX, no. 100, p. 1, col. 6) contains the following notice of Graham's Magazine:

Although we noticed the appearance of the October number of this periodical, a day or two since, yet we cannot refrain from calling the attention of our friends to the article on “Autography,” by Mr Edgar E. [[A.]] Poe. The series of which the present article is the first, will contain one hundred fac simile autographs of the leading American writers, each signature being accompanied with remarks, biographical and critical. Although these remarks are worth but little, yet, on the whole, the article is very enteretaining, and quite a curiosity in its way. The remainder of the magazine is composed of its usual readable tales and sketches, by Fay, Dawes, Mrs Embury, Mrs Esling, and others.


∞∞∞∞∞∞∞


[1842] 29 JANUARY. BOSTON. In a review of Graham's Magazine for January 1842, the Boston Morning Post comments:

Mr Edgar A. Poe has also inserted a wretched notice of Brainard. We say wretched, but our readers may judge of its ability when we tell them that the writer ranks Brainard below Longfellow. We dislike to impeach men's motives, but it really seems as if Mr Poe delights to under-rate everything which people before him have praised for the mere purpose of being original, or rather, eccentric. We expect to see him attempt, ere long, to prove that Shakespear and Milton were no poets.

[1842] 2 APRIL. NEW YORK. A brief review of Graham's Magazine for April appears in the New York Tribune (vol. I, no 29):

The literary contents of this number are unusually good. With all his errors in judgement, and faults in general spirit and style, E. A. POE, the Editor of this Magazine, gives to its pages a high value and interest. His criticisms, for ability and fearlessness, are equalled by those of few writers in the country. LOWELLS Poems, LONGFELLOWS Poems, and HAWTHORNES ‘Twice Told Tales,’ are reviewed somewhat at length, and the editor furnishes also a paper entitled ‘Life in Death.’ — There is a variety of other valuable and entertaining matter, and two splendid engravings, entitled ‘The Wife’ and ‘Return from Hawking.’

[1842] ABOUT APRIL?. PHILADELPHIA. In a letter, Poe reminds E. L. Carey about “The Pit and the Pendulum,” apparently previously offered for The Gift of 1843. The name of the tale is not specified, but Poe notes that it will fill about 18 pages of the annual, indicating that a manuscript has not yet been sent. Poe dates the letter only as “Thursday Morning,” and addresses it as from the “Office Graham's Magazine.” (Ostrom, Pollin, Savoye, eds., Letters, 2008, 1:328-329.)

[1842] 31 MAY. NEW ORLEANS. The Daily Picayune comments on the announcement that Poe has left his editorial position at Graham's Magazine:

EDITORIAL CHANGE. — E. A. Poe, Esq., has retired from the editorship of Graham's Magazine, and has been succeeded by the Rev. R. W. Griswold. Poe is smart enough to be a little foppish in literature, but he manages his foible gracefully, and it takes nothing away from his sound original excellence. (vol. VI, no. 102, p. 2, col. 4)

[1842] 19 DECEMBER. PHILADELPHIA. Poe files for bankruptcy in the District Court of the United States in Philadelphia. His debts, as listed in the document, total just over $2,000. (Barbara Cantalupo, “Interview with Jefferson Moak,” E. A. Poe Review, vol. VIII+, no. 2, Fall 2007, pp. 92-98.)


∞∞∞∞∞∞∞


[1843] 13 JANUARY. PHILADELPHIA. Poe's bankruptcy is granted by the District Court of the United States. (Barbara Cantalupo, “Interview with Jefferson Moak,” E. A. Poe Review, vol. VIII, no. 2, Fall 2007, pp. 92-98.)

[1843] 6 MARCH. BOSTON. MASSACHUSETTS. The Boston Post notices the Pioneer for March, commenting:

Edgar A. Poe, however, has contributed “Notes on English Verse,” which is worth reading by all those who desire to live in Castalia, and more especially by those young ladies and gentlemen who send “poetry” to us for insertion. Seriously, English prosody has received too little attention — each writer chiefly makes his own, or is guided by ear; and if his matter be good, his manner is little criticised. ... (vol. XXII, no. 55, p. 1, col. 6)

[1843] 22 MARCH. PHILADELPHIA. Thomas C. Clarke sends out a new prospecutus for the Saturday Museum. As part of the long prospectus appears the following announcement:

“The Museum” is now so fairly and firmly established, that we warranted in making some very extensive and important improvements. By the first of May, we shall have completed all our arrangements. We shall have, in the first place, a beautiful, clear and bold type, in the second, a superb smooth and white paper — in the third place, we shall make an ingenious and novel change in the arrangement of the matter — in the fourth place, we shall increase our corps of contributors in all the various departments of a Family Newspaper — in the fifth place, we have secured, at a high salary, the services of EDGAR A. POE, Esq., a gentleman whose high and versatile abilities have always spoken promptly for themselves, and who, after the first of May, will aid us in the editorial conduct of the journal. (Jefferson Republican of Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, vol. 4, no. 2, 22 March 1843, p. 2, col. 4)

The announcement is widely reprinted, including Leesburg Genius of Liberty (vol. 27, no. 20, 13 May 1843, p. 3, col. 5) As noted, Poe dismissed the announcement as inaccurate (cf. Poe to Lowell, 27 March).

[1843] APRIL. LONDON. A brief but highly favorable review of The Gift for 1843 appears in the Forgein and Colonial Quarterly Review. After ridiculing the origins of the American “Gift” books, the reviewer observes that the “immense progression making in the arts in America was never more thoroughly manifest.” Poe is not mentioned by name, but his contribution to the book is commented upon as “... the lovers of the dark and terrible may ‘sup full of horrors’ on a tale of the Inquisition, entitled ‘The Pit and the Pendulum,’ which, although a palpable imitation of Mr. Mudford's powerful tale of the ‘Iron Shroud,’ is, nevertheless, both clever and effective.”

[1843] 3 AUGUST. NEW YORK. The New-York Daily Tribune contains a brief review:

POES ROMANCES. — Burgess & Stringer have commenced a serial issue, in cheap numbers containing two or more stories each, of the writings of EDGAR A. POE, a young man of vivid imagination and considerable dramatic power, whom most of our readers will have met in their dalliance with the Magazines. Mr. Poe writes effectively, though not always discreetly, and his Tales often possess a thrilling interest. We commend them to the favor of the story-loving. (vol. III, no. 99, p. 1, col. 1)

[1843] 18 OCTOBER. NEW YORK. An address to the people of the United States in behalf of the American Copyright Club is adopted and published by the newly formed club as a twenty-page pamphlet. The address is written by William Cullen Bryant, Cornelius Mathews, and Francis L. Hawk. Among the 195 signators appears the name of Edgar A. Poe, as an “associate member.” (According to Meredith McGill, the list of names “must be treated with some skepticism in that it excludes only those authors who, when invited to join, explicitly declined membership.” See McGill, American Literature and the Culture of Reprinting, 1834-1853, Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2003, p. 296, note 20.)

[1843] LATE. PHILADELPHIA. Although dated as 1844, the miniature book called Gems from the American Poets is published by H. Hooker (with a copyright of 1843 and newspaper notices appearing as early as November 1843). The content is extracted from Griswold's The Poets and Poetry of America, and includes condensed biographical notices by Griswold of the poets selected. The prefactory notice states:

This little volume embraces specimens from the works of the most popular American Poets, and is presented as a companion to the “Gems from the American Femal Poets,” issued by the publisher in 1842. Its small size prevented the editor from giving selections from a considerable number of authors whose writings are not less worthy of adminration than much which the book contains.

Among the 27 authors who are included are several prominent names (Bryant, Halleck, Longfellow and Whittier), but also such minor poets as James Otis Rockwell, Walter Colton and Rufus Dawes. Entirely omitted is Poe, perhaps reflecting his current personal standing with Griswold.


∞∞∞∞∞∞∞


[1844] 18 FEBRUARY. PHILADELPHIA. Poe writes to Louis J. Cist, asking about Mrs. Nichols and stating that he is “upon the point of quitting Philadelphia for some weeks.” (Ostrom, Pollin, Savoye, eds., Letters, 2008, 1:425-426.)

[1844] 12 MARCH. READING, PENNSYLVANIA. Poe checks into the Manion House Hotel. The entry in the register is made by the clerk as “Mr. Poe” of “Philada,” and entered into the log for March 13, with the additional notation of “12th. inst.,” presumably because Poe came to the hotel very late on the previous day. (Charles J. Adams III, “Poe in Reading, PA,” E. A. Poe Review, vol. X, no. 2, Fall 2009, pp. 144-148.)

[1844] 31 MARCH. NEW YORK. The New York Herald reviews the April issue of Godey's Lady's Book commenting that: “Poe's ‘Tale of the Ragged Mountains’ is written, as usual, with a sharp, steel pen. Nerve, keenness, and polish, mark his style, and separate him from his fellows.” (New York Herald, vol. X, no. 91, March 31, 1844, p. 1, col. 5).


∞∞∞∞∞∞∞


[1845] 18 JANUARY. PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA. The Pittsburgh Morning Post notes that it has just received Graham's Magazine for February, including Poe's portrait. (vol. III, no. 113, p. 2, col. 5)

[1845] 18 FEBRUARY. NEW YORK. Poe leaves a note for E. L. Duyckinck: “I have the honor to leave for you, with Mr Mathews, a few of my stories, selected from about sixty, as having the best chance of popularity.” (Ostrom, Pollin, Savoye, eds., Letters, 2008, 1:486.)

[1845] 9 MARCH. VICKSBURG. MISSISSIPPI. Having previously praised the first issue of the Broadway Journal (on January 28, 1845), the Vicksburg Sentinel comments on the appearance of Poe's name in the masthead:

“We were confident from the ability evinced in the heretofore anonymous Broadway Journal that there was the best literary talent of the country engaged in its publication. It is now known that Edgar A. Poe is one of the editors.

We expressed our opinion of the superior merits of this work on the receipt of the first number. It is really the best literary and critical paper we have yet seen. We hope our public here will subscribe and enjoy its beauties.” (Vicksburg Sentinel, vol. VIII, no. 57, p. 2, col. 1)

[1845] 25 MARCH. NEW ORLEANS. The Daily Picayune notices Poe's recent attacks on Longfellow:

“PLAGIARISM. — Rather an interesting literary discussion is now going on in New York upon the sin of plagiarism. The organs employed are the Broadway Journal and the Evening Mirror; the disputants are Mr. Poe and some anonymous friend of Longfellow. Some sound truth is elicited by the controversy. The meanness of the vice is held up to scorn by each party. Mr. Poe, however, attacks the magnates in literature, and roundly, but truly we think, asserts that ‘of the class of wilful plagiarists nine out of ten are authors of established reputation, who plunder recondite, neglected or forgotten books.’ Entertaining this opinion, Mr. Poe exposes with just indignation the criminality of the offence in the following style:

Now then the plagiarist has not merely commited a wrong in itself — a wrong whose incomparable meanness would deserve exposure on absolute grounds — but he, the guilty, the successful, the eminent, has fastened the degradation of his crime — the retribution which should have overtaken it in his own person — upon the guiltless, the toiling, the unfriended struggler up the mountainous path of Fame.

On the other side, Mr. Longfellow's friend charitably argues that instances of plagiarism are not only rare, but that they are committed only by the obscure upon writers of established reputation. We think Mr. Poe has the best of the argument, and he promises to pursue it.” (Daily Picayune, vol. IX, no. 51, p. 4, col. 1)

[1845] 2 APRIL. RICHMOND. The Richmond Daily Whig, in a section bearing the title “LITERARY CRITICISM: E. A. POE,” copies a portion of the announcement from the Southern Literary Messenger that Poe was enlisted to provide a monthly “CRITIQUE RAISONNEE of the most important forthcoming works in this country and in Europe,” with its own comment that “Mr. Poe's abilities as a critic are known universally” (vol. 33, no. 78, p. 2, col. 4).

[1845] 12 APRIL. BOWLING GREEN, MISSOURI. The Democratic Banner includes the brief claim that:

It is said that Edgar A. Poe is hereafter to be associated with Thomas Dunn English in the editorial conduct of the Aristidean, the new magazine now published by the latter in New York (Democratic Banner, vol. I, no. 11, p. 2, col. 2)

[1845] 17 APRIL. NEW YORK. The Morning Courier and New York Enquirer advertises a repeat of Poe's lecture at the Society Library, and comments:

“Mr. E. A. POE, as will be seen by an advertisement in another column, repeats This Evening, at the Society Library, his Lecture on “American Poets and Poetry.” The Lecture has excited so much attention and been so freely criticised, that we doubt not it will be heard with eagerness by a large audience.

Many of Mr. POE's strictures we deem unjust; and few, we presume, would coincide with them to their full extent. Still this is a matter of minor importance. The boldness, ability and careful study of the subjects which the discourse evinces, entitle it to attention; and the very general interest which it has excited must render its its [[sic]] repetition welcome to many who desire to hear it.” (Mourning Courier and New York Enquirer, vol. XXXII, whole no. 5561, p. 2, col. 5)

[1845] 17 APRIL. NEW YORK. The Evening Post mentions a repeat of Poe's lecture at the Society Library, and comments:

“LECTURE ON THE POETS. — Mr. Edgar A. Poe — himself, as some punster has said, within a t of being a poet — repeats the lecture this evening on the American poets, which, when first delivered, excited so much remakr. He supposes that a little sound criticism will not hurt the majority of our writers.” (Evening Post, vol. XLIII, p. 2, col. 2)

[1845] 1 MAY. NEW ORLEANS. The Daily Picayune praises the editoral merits of the Broadway Journal:

“Those who desire to subscribe to the N. Y. Broadway Journal can do so by applying at Morgan's Literary Depot. We have no hesitation in saying of this new weekly paper that it is the best critical journal of literature and the arts with which we are acquainted in the United States. Even when you differ from the editors, you cannot but admire their candor and independence of the usual trammels of newspaper criticisms.” (Daily Picayune, vol. IX, no. 83, p. 2, col. 1)

[1845] 4 AUGUST. VICKSBURG. MISSISSIPPI. The Vicksburg Sentinel comments on the return of the Broadway Journal:

“THE BROADWAY JOURNAL, which a few ill natured papers reported as dead a short time since, has again made its appearance upon our table. — It was only suspended a short time on commencing its second volume, so as to complete some arrangements for its future continuance. It is now under the editorial control of Mr. Poe — a gentleman who has few superiors as a critic and poet on either side of the Atlantic.

It is objected to Mr. Poe that he deals too much in the tomahawk and scalping knife; and is too savage in his criticisms. This with us is his merit. We shall never have a sound national literature until we have fearless and discriminating critics, who will throw aside the intolerable system of puffing every thing, that is too much in vogue with our periodicals. We have half a hundred or more miserable pilferers and imitators, who pretend to be the literary men of America, that need to have their very hides stipped off; and we hope Mr. Poe will do it. Let him scourge the pretenders from the bowers of Parnassus. They will not then croud [[crowd]] out the real favorites of the muses.

Mr. Poe's piece entitled ‘How to write a Blackwood article” in the number of the Journal before us is worth the subscription price. Cervantes or Fielding never wrote a more inimitable and laughter-moving burlesque.” (Vicksburg Sentinel, vol. VIII, no. 128, p. 3, cols. 2-3)

[1845] 23 OCTOBER. CARLISLE, PENNSYLVANIA. The American Volunteer notices Graham's Magazine for November:

GRAHAMS MAGAZINE. — If promptitude, enterprise, and unbounded liberality, form a passport to popular favor, then, indeed, is Mr. Graham entitled to the full benefit of it. The November number of his excellent Magazine has been before us for better than a week, and well stored with the most pleasing productions of light literature. Articles from the pens of Professor Longfellow, Edgar A. Poe, (who is a poet to a t,) G. R. Graham, Mrs. Sigourney, Mrs. Osgood, Fanny Forrester, Horace Greeley, and others, enrich its pages. The embellishments — three in number — are, as usual, of the highest order. By Geo. R. Graham, Philadelphia, at $3,00 per annum. (vol. 32, no. 20, p. 2, col. 5)

[1845] 1 NOVEMBER. Poe's name is one of 20 listed (among more than 220 signers cited) in a formal request to Norwegian violin virtuoso Ole B. Bull in Philadelphia that he give yet one more concert in New York City before he leaves America. The request is printed in the New York Herald for November 12. Ole Bull's last scheduled concert was in Musical Fund Hall in Philadelphia to “honor George Washington,” but the request suggests that he must come once more to New York to get a full audience and a proper goodbye. The violinist replied to their request from Philadelphia on November 6. The timing, and other names listed — including Parke Godwin, Herman S. Saroni, L. Maria Child, Cath. Sedgwick and Horace Greeley — indicate a movement that was probably initiated in one of the famous soirees hosted by Anne C. Lynch. (This information provided by Ton Fafianie, Oct. 5, 2012.)

[1845] 20-29 NOVEMBER. NEW YORK. The New York Tribune includes the name of Neilson Poe among the people with letters remaining at the US Post Office. The entry is repeated in the same newspaper for several days. (The name and purpose of the correspondent are unknown, but the fact that a letter was sent to him in New York suggests that he may have been visiting the city for an extended period around this time. Whether or not he had any interaction with his cousin Edgar on this visit is not known.)

[1845] 2, 5, 8 DECEMBER. NEW YORK. In addition to the three noted in the main text for The Poe Log, Poe also sends copies of his anatatic letter to Geoge Poe, Jr. (of Mobile, Alabama), William P. Smith (of Gloucester County, Virginia), and John B. Morris (of Baltimore, Maryland).” (Ostrom, Pollin, Savoye, eds., Letters, 2008, 2:1236-1237.)

[1845] 11 DECEMBER. NEW YORK. An advertisement notes as “PUBLISHED THIS DAY” the first number of the fifth volume, for January of 1846, of Arthur's Magazine, here given the fuller title of Arthur's American Monthly Magazine of Elegant Literature and Art, although this title does not seem to have actually been used, individual issues instead bearing the title only of Arthur's Magazine. Listed near the front of the names of contributors appears “Edgar A. Poe.” It further states that “The very best writers in the country have been employed to contribute to its pages, and the very best artists engaged to embellish it. No expense will be spared in the effort to make it emphatically the Magazine for 1846.” The price is to be $3 for a full year, which would be two volumes, with single issues being available for 25 cents each. (The advertisement is printed in the New York Daily Tribune, December 11, 1845, vol. V, no. 210, p. 3, col. 5.) In the same column, the issue is noted as currently being among the “cheap publications of the day” for sale at W. H. Graham's.

[1845] 13 DECEMBER. VERMONT. In a short review of the December issue of the American Review, Saint Alban's Weekly Messenger, comments:

“An article entitled ‘Facts in M. Valdemar's case’ will be regarded as a most ingenious burlesque upon the wonder-working miracles of Mesmerism.” (Saint Alban's Weekly Messenger, vol. 9, no. 421, p. 3)

[1845] 13 DECEMBER. NEW YORK. A comment in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle and Kings County Democrat mentions the publication of The Raven and Other Poems, stating:

“The same publishers [Wiley & Putnam] have added to their ‘Library of American Books’ a volume of poems by Edgar A. Poe, editor of the Broadway Journal, and one of the best writers, both of prose and verse, in the United States. He modestly says, however, in a preface, that he does not think the poems of much value to the public, or very creditable to himself; and that he has merely collected and republished them with the view of redeeming them from the many ‘improvements’ to which they have been subjected in going the rounds of the press. This would all be proper enough in a young beginner; but an author by profession, like Mr. Poe, ought not to indulge in such moonshine. He knows, and the public know, that many of these pieces are excellent, while not one of them is even dull.” (Brooklyn Daily Eagle and Kings County Democrat, vol. 4, no. 298, p. 2, col. 4)

[1845] OR LATER. NEW YORK. Poe presents a copy of Zenosius, or the Pilgrim-Convert (New York: Edward Dunigan, 1845) by Charles Constantine Pise to the young daughter of a friend, inscribing on the flyleaf: “To Miss Caroline Eugénia André [/] from her sincere friend [/] Edgar A. Poe.” Caroline's father, William Andre, was a professor of music at Fordham College when Poe lived in the Fordham cottage and frequented the grounds and library at the college (see entry on Edgar Albert Andre, in 1848, below). Caroline married Theodore Bernard Augustus Blume on 11 October 1853. He was long a professor at Seton Hall College, in New Jersey, and died on 19 August 1883. She died on 17 February 1903, in Newark, New Jersey. The book was passed down through the family and is currently (2015) in the collection of Susan Jaffe Tane.


∞∞∞∞∞∞∞


[1846] 10 JANUARY. NEW YORK. Poe writes to Joseph L. Chester, acknowledging a letter of December 11, 1845 and stating: “Under your nom de plume of ‘Julian Cramer’ I have known you long and more than once spoke, editorially, on your behalf. Of course, I am profoundly gratified in finding so warm a friend in one whom I so truly respect and admire.” (Ostrom, Pollin, Savoye, eds., Letters, 2008, 1:551-552.)

[1846] 17 APRIL. LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY. The Louisville Daily Courier reprints a short item from the Cincinnati Chronicle spreading a salacious charge of opium use:

There is a rumor in New York city, that Edgar A. Poe has become deranged. We trust that this is untrue, but we should not be surprised by the fact. He has been an opium eater for many years, and madness would be a natural result. His horrible stories are supposed to have been written while he was under the influence of that drug. With all his faults, Mr. Poe is unquestionably a man of remarkable ability.

[1846] 1 JUNE. PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA. In a notice of Mrs. Mowatt's theatrical appearance in the “Hunchback,” the Pittsburgh Morning Post reprints Poe's favorable comments on Mrs. Mowatt's acting, acknowledged as being taken from the June 1846 issue of Godey's.

[1846] 29 JULY. YPSILANTI, MICHIGAN. The Ypsilanti Sentinel includes a brief notice of Godey's Ladies’ Book, mistakenly asserting a union with Graham's Magazine, and focusing on “The Literati of New York City”:

GODEYS LADIES’ BOOK. — Since the union of this favorite Monthly with Graham's Magazine it surpasses its former self, by far, more than we could believe it susceptible of improvement. “The Literati of New York,” by Edgar A. Poe, is a capital ‘hit’ and no mistake — the better too, inasmuch as Mr. Poe sometimes unintentionally hits himself; the subtle faults which he is endeavoring to find in his subjects, peeping out in his own style, like mischievous chubby faced children, from a closet, where they have place for concealment, while ma lectures the visitors on family government. The “Literati of New York” should thank Mr. Poe for introducing their names where few of them were ever heard before. (Ypsilanti Sentinel, vol. III, no. 27, p. 2, col. 3)

[1846] 24 AUGUST. NEW YORK. Poe writes to F. W. Thomas, returning, at Thomas's request, the manuscript of his “sketches,” at least “all of it not published in the ‘Broadway Journal’. Should you wish copies of the portion published I think I may be able to find them.” Poe also alludes to the recent death of Thomas's sister, saying “For sorrows such as this there is no consolation but in unrestrained grief.” (Ostrom, Pollin, Savoye, eds., Letters, 2008, 1:559-560.)


∞∞∞∞∞∞∞


[1847] 23 APRIL. UTICA, NEW YORK. In reflecting on the Ladies Repository, the Evangelical Magazine and Gospel Advocate, “E. W. R.” (Rev. Elhanan Winchester Reynolds, 1829-1867) comments:

... The popular Magazines of the day, such as Graham's, Goodey's [[Godey's]], the Columbian, &c., receive no inconsiderable share of support at the hands of Universalists. These periodicals, though containing much that is amusing, and a little that is instructive, are, after all, useless in the family circle, compared with the humble one whose name stands above this writing. What real benefit does a family of children derive from perusing the lauded pages of Graham's or his cotemporaries? The love stories turn their brains, the dry philosophy of Poe and others vexes them, and the criticisms they can not understand. But in the Repository we have a work perfectly adapted to the wants of a Christian family. The theological articles are of the right cast to brace up the spirit of our ordained to struggle against Error and Wrong, while they give new light to his pathway and new beauty to his hopes; the stories will please the young and those who delight to play with imagination, while the religious spirit which pervades them can not fail of leaving a good impression on the mind of the reader; and the Poetry will suit everybody who loves beauty of thought and strength of feeling. I never arise from the perusal of a number of the Repository without feeling better in the heart and stronger in spirit. And it does seem strange that Universalists will permit such a work to exist with a meager support, while they give their three dollars to those who egotistically and impiously claim to be vehicles of American Literature, when they are only peddlers of trash. ... (vol. XVIII, no. 17, p. 131)

[1847] 28 JULY. LONDON. The Reasoner and Utilitarian Record (edited by George Jacob Holyoake, 1817-1906) comments:

It has been asked why no formal notice of the ‘Last Conversation of a Somnambule’ [[‘Mesmeric Revelation’]] has appeared in the Reasoner? The reason is, that the Somnambue appears no wiser than persons awake — and his reveries, if interesting as a speculation, have no practiacl [[practical]] bearing on the question of Deity. (vol. III, no. 61, p. 414)

[1847] 28 OCTOBER. SAVANNAH. The Savannah Daily Republican comments:

The November numbers of Graham's Magazine and Godey's Lady's Book, have come punctually to hand, the pictorial embellishments are as good as usual, and the reading matter of the kind which the patrons of these pretty picture-books so much delight in. There is an odd article in Godey, a Criticism of Hawthorne, by Edgar A. Poe, in which the latter gentleman insinuates that Milton's Paradise Lost, is a tiresome production.

We have no doubt that those who devote themselves to Graham and Godey, will not relish the old bard, nor are his admirers to be found among those who praise the poems of Edgar A. Poe. (vol. XLII, no. 257, p. 2)

[1847] 18 DECEMBER. POTTSVILLE, PENNSYLVANIA. The Miner's Journal and Pottsville General Advertiser briefly reviews Graham's Magazine for January 1848, noting: “Poe's Marginalia we read, of course, (as one is apt to do anything to which his name is appended) and some of the scraps embody truths, which, perhaps no one else could embody in the same space, certainly not in the same peculiar style” (vol. XXIII, no. 51, p. 2, col. 2).


∞∞∞∞∞∞∞


[1848] CA. JANUARY. NEW YORK. Publisher and bookseller Israel Post places an advertisment in one more New York newspapers, seeking a lady with neat handwriting to copy a manuscript. Applicants are requested to contact Mr. Post. Although apparently not mentioned directly in the advertisement, the manuscript to be copied is Poe's Eureka. Nearly one hundred women apply for the position. (See CA. MARCH.)

[1848] 15 JANUARY. POTTSVILLE, PENNSYLVANIA. The Miner's Journal and Pottsville General Advertiser includes the following notice: “A French translation of Edgar A. Poe's tales, by Madame Isabelle Meunier, has just made its appearance at Paris” (vol. XXIV, no. 3, p. 2, col. 4).

[1848] 23 JANUARY. NEW YORK. Poe and Mrs. Clemm are two of four sponsors for the baptism of Edgar Albert Andre, born 11 December 1847 (baptismal records in the archives of Fordham University). The parents of the child were William and Aurelia André. William Andre (born before 1804 in Frankfurt, Germany) was a professor of Music at Fordham College (see entry for 1845, above). He married Aurelia Roessler (about 1818-1896) in Frederick County, Maryland on 3 January 1833, and their first child, Caroline Eugenie Andre, was born the next year. A second daughter, Mary, later Mary Andre Phelps, was born in Baltimore about 1839. William died about April 22, 1852. The other sponsors were Mary Sagemuller, who has not been identified, and Thomas Doran, probably Thomas Dolan, a young priest at the college. (The handwritten entry in the baptismal records is replete with bad spellings, even initially giving the wrong year for the child's birth as 1848. We can be confident, however, that “Edgar E. Poe” and “Mrs. E. Clemm” were Edgar A. Poe and Mrs. M. Clemm.)

[1848] CA. MARCH. NEW YORK. Mrs. Eliza Kurtz Starr (1822-1900) copies for Poe the manuscript of Eureka at his cottage in Fordham. At that time, the manuscript apparently still bears the title “The Universe.” In addition to her pay, Poe promises to send her a copy of the book when it is printed:

I have just received five letters from you dated as follows, January 27th, February 1st and 28th [[,]] March 9 and 24 1848 all of which I now have before me; the one dated Feb. 28 was received by Mother the 15th instant and the reason it has not been answered before, is this, I have been at a place called Fordham (about 15 miles from N.Y. City) copying Mss. for a Mr Edgar A. Poe a literary gentleman, I have no doubt that you have read some of his works, for he has written a great many; the present one, however, that I have been copying differs considerably from any thing, that he has ever published before, it is some new discoveries he has made in regard to the Newtonian Law of Gravity or, as he terms it the “modus operandi” of the Newtonian Law of Gravity.” The book is titled “the Universe” when it is printed he has promised to send me a copy. I will tell you exactly how I got the “office” I saw an avertisement [[advertisement]] in the news paper for a lady to copy Ms applications to be made, to Mr Israel Post, publisher in Nassau street N.Y. I applied, and, out of nearby one hundred applications, I received the preference, my writing being much plainer than either of the others. (See Eliza K. Starr to her husband, Samuel Henry Starr, April 21, 1848, MS at the University of Virginia, MSS 10151, Box 3063.)

[1848] 18 SEPTEMBER. NEW YORK. Poe writes to John R. Thompson requesting “half a dozen copies of the last ‘Messenger’ — that containing my notice of Mrs. Lewis's Poems,” and promising that “I will return to Richmond shortly, and will then hand you the money for these.” Poe also states that he presumes “no need of my seeing a proof of ‘The Rationale of Verse’ — I am quite willing to trust to your accuracy.” Poe further expresses his gratitude to Thompson for accepting the essay “without having thoroughly perused it, merely through kind feelings to myself personally,” and offering to refund the purchase amount or replace the article with others if Thompson has any hesitancy about publishing it. (J. Savoye, “Some Updates on Poe's Correspondence,” E. A. Poe Review, vol. XIII, no. 1, Spring 2012, pp. 8.)

[1848] 14 OCTOBER. ATHENS, GEORGIA. The Southern Literary Gazette prints a brief notice of the October issue of the Southern Literary Messenger, commenting: “This is an excellent number, containing articles of great and varied interest. The first paper is a vigorous essay on the Rationale of Verse, by one of the most original and peculiar writers of the day, Edgar A. Poe.” (Vol. I, no. 23, p. 183)


∞∞∞∞∞∞∞


[1849] FEBRUARY 2. TROY, NY. Poe was scheduled to deliver a lecture before the Young Men's Assocation of Troy, NY. The list of speakers for the 1848-1849 season was advertised in the Troy Daily Whig (Troy, NY), for December 12, 1848 and in the Troy Daily Budget (Troy, NY) for December 13, 1848. Other speakers listed for other dates include Alfred B. Street and Ralph W. Emerson. There is no certain record that Poe actually delivered the lecture, or what the title of the lecture was, although it may be presumed that it was his lecture on “The Poetic Principle,” which he had just delivered in Providence, RI on December 20, 1848. Poe's letter of February 5, 1849 to Frederick Gleason states that he had just returned home “after ten days’ absence,” probably supporting the idea of a trip for the lecture. A possible connection for Poe was James E. Root, with whom he exchanged letters in 1846. Root was the chief clerk for the post office in Troy, NY, and a friend of Henry P. Filer, who was the librarian for the Young Men's Association (1846-1864).

[1849] 3 FEBRUARY. POTTSVILLE, PENNSYLVANIA. The Miner's Journal and Pottsville General Advertiser carries an advertisement for Bowen's North American Farmer, commenting: “This journal is expressly devoted to the tastes and interests of country readers, and contributions from many of the most eminent writers in this country and in Europe, appear in its columns — among whom may be mentioned Hon. James Gowen, Esq., Profs Leibig and Bauer of Germany, Francis J. Grund, Edgar A. Poe, John S. Bower, Esq., &c.” (Vol. XXV, no. 6, p. 3, col 2). Poe knew Eli Bowen, and had contributed the “Doings of Gotham” series of letters to his Columbia Spy in 1844. The North American Farmer began in 1848, but it is not clear that Poe actually contributed to it, or had merely made arrangements to do so. No files of the paper are known.

[1849] BEFORE 30 JUNE. NEW YORK. Poe writes to John R. Thompson, registering a general complain about many of his male friends: “Just when I most needed aid and sympathy from them, they turned upon me, some with a civil sneer, others with brutal, outspoken rudeness, and left me struggling in the mire, unpitied, lonely, desperate. But women do not argue logically as to one's merits, or demerits: they follow certain heart instincts more profound sometimes than the deductions of philosophy, and so (God eternally bless them!) they have been angels of mercy to me, and have tenderly led me from the verge of ruin while men stood aloof and mocked.” (Ostrom, Pollin, Savoye, eds., Letters, 2008, 2:820-821.)


∞∞∞∞∞∞∞


Notes:

Information in this addendum has been accumulated from various sources, generally as noted for each entry. Several items are based on material graciously provided to the Poe Society by Ton Fafianie.


∞∞∞∞∞∞∞

[S:0 - TPL, 1987] - Edgar Allan Poe Society of Baltimore - Bookshelf - The Poe Log (D. R. Thomas and D. K. Jackson) (Addenda)