The Miscellaneous Documents and Manuscript Material of Edgar Allan Poe


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Within these selections, all original punctuation, abbreviations and spellings have been retained. Where these spellings differ greatly from modern spellings, the most current form is noted in brackets immediately following the word. A number of obvious variants, such as “colour” for “color,” reflect conventions to which we no longer adhere, but which were considered acceptable during Poe's lifetime and are left to stand without additional commentary. For manuscript material, including Poe's own corrections to printed sources, text contained within angle brackets “<. . .>” shows annotations made by Poe himself for the main text given. Reversed double-angle brackets “>>. . .<<” show text that Poe has canceled by striking or scratching out. Text contained within square brackets “[. . .]” is not part of the original. This text is intended as notes or corrections of typographical errors. In the original printings, some text occasionally appears within square brackets “[. . .].” In such cases, these have been changed to standard parentheses to avoid confusion. (Note: Over time, we will be changing our previously stated policy concerning square brackets to retain Poe's usage and distinguish our own editorial notes by enclosing these in double-square brackets “[[. . .]]”.)

At the end of each selection, beyond the “End of Text” tag, is a code, such as “[S:1]”. This code is intended as an internal marker for keeping track of verification of the text.  In general, a value of “[S:0]” or the total absence of the code notes that the text has been entered, but not yet verified. Anyone who has ever tried to proofread a large volume of text will appreciate the inherent difficulties.


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The Misceallanea:

These items are arranged alphabetically by the type of item. Within each type, the items are listed chronologically. The categorization is, of course, somewhat arbitrary and subject to change as this list evolves.


Scroll down, or select letter:

 


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~~ C ~~

  • Cover Page Proposed for The Stylus
    • Cover page proposed for The Stylus  (Poe designed the cover in 1848. He mailed it to E. H. N. Patterson, May 23, 1849)
  • Checks
    • Check from William Meredith for $300  (August 17, 1845) (Gimble Collection?)  (The catalogue for the 1959 exhibit (p. 161, item 60) describes this as, “Check to E. Poe on the Schuylkil Bank in the City of Philadelphia, written August 17, 1845 by W. Meredith.” It further notes that Meredith was “a wealthy Philadelphian” and that the check “may have had some connection with the Broadway Journal.”

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~~ I ~~


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~~ L ~~

  • Legal Contracts and Agreements
    • Enlistment papers for the Army, as Edgar A. Perry  (May 26, 1827)
    • Bill of Sale of Edwin, “a negro” slave, by Edgar A. Poe (as agent for Maria Clemm) to Henry Ridgway  (December 10, 1829)
    • Bankruptcy filing   (December 19, 1842 — National Archives and Records manuscript) (first published by Barbara Cantalupo, “Interview with Jefferson Moak,” E. A. Poe Review, vol. VIII, no. 2, Fall 2007, pp. 92-98.)
    • Contract securing F. O. C. Darley as an illustrator for The Stylus   (January 31, 1843 — “Gill” manuscript)
    • Marriage bond of E. A. Poe and Virginia E. Clemm  (May 16, 1836)
    • Memorandum of Agreement between John Bisco and Edgar A. Poe  (February 21, 1845)
    • Memorandum of Agreement between John Bisco and Edgar A. Poe  (July 14, 1845)
    • Memorandum of Agreement between John Bisco and Edgar A. Poe  (October 24, 1845)
    • Sale of 1/2 interest in Broadway Journal from Poe to T. H. Lane  (November 3, 1845 — “Garrett” manuscript)
    • Memorandum of Agreement between George P. Putnam and Edgar A. Poe for publication of “Eureka”  (May 22, 1848) (Printed, with Poe's signature)
    • Griswold's Power of Attorney from Maria Clemm to publish “a uniform Edition” of Poe's works “both in prose and poetry”  (October 15, 1849)
  • List of Subscribers and Contributors to the Penn/Stylus
    • List of Subscribers and Contributors  (1840-1848 (?) — “Pratt” manuscript)

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~~ M ~~


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~~ P ~~

  • Promissory Notes & Bills
    • Bill for clothing purchased by Poe through Samuel Leitch, Jr.  (December 4, 1826)
    • Promissory Note by E. A. Poe to Daniel S. Mosby & Co. for $41.36  (1826 — “Wilson” manuscript)
    • Promissory Note to John W. Albright for $104 (December 1, 1841)  (U. of TX, item 95)
    • Due bill for Swain, Abell & Simmons (of the Public Ledger) for $32.85  (May 25, 1842.)
    • Promissory Note to John Bisco for $100 (October 24, 1845)  (U. of TX, item 98)
    • Promissory Note to John A. McDougall (?) for $25  (January 15, 1846.)
    • Promissory Note of a loan of $14 from George P. Putnam, in regard to Eureka   (May 23, 1848)  (U. of TX, item 100)
    • Promissory Note to Isaac Cooper, for $67  (February 3, 1849)   (Poe Log, p. 781)

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~~ Q ~~

  • Quotations from or Copies of Writings by Other Authors
    • Quotation from Voltaire's Princesse de Babylone   (manuscript, 8 lines in the album of Octavia Walton) (Mentioned by Mabbott, Poems, 1969, p. 16)
    • Excerpts from Bulwer (described by the Bangs & Co. auction catalog of April 11, 1896, item 94 as “Consists of extracts and quotations in verse, evidently intended as memoranda for use in his criticism of Bulwer's works. Pen and ink sketches on back by Poe.” It is also noted as “1 p. 4to, finely written in double columns, and headed ‘Bulwer’.” Sadly, the whereabouts of this item have not been determined, nor are its precise contents recorded.)
    • Excerpts from Milton (manuscript, possibly @ 1829)
    • Excerpts from Shakespeare (manuscript, possibly @ 1829)
    • Copy of a poem from T. S. Surr's George Barnwell, “Flow softly — gently vital stream . . . “ (1822 — “Ellis & Allan” manuscript)
    • Copy of “Ally Croaker” (a popular song) (1822 — “Ellis & Allan” manuscript)
    • Copy of Byron's poem “A Dream” (noted by Poe as “Byron's Last Poem”) (cantos VI-(1822 — “Ellis & Allan” manuscript)
    • Copy of a parody by Miss Harriet Winslow of “The Raven” (Griswold manuscript) (Mary E. Phillips, in Poe the Man, 1926, p. 1004 and others have mistakenly assumed that Poe wrote the parody himself, not thinking that he may have merely copied it for his own reference. The error seems to have been started by the Bangs & Co. catalog of April 11, 1896, where the MS was listed as item 98. The opinion, therefore, apparently comes from William H. Griswold, and perhaps from his father, Rufus W. Griswold. Poe may have made a few improvements when the text was printed in Graham's for April 1848, but Miss Winslow was a real person.)
    • Editorial copy of a poem by Mrs. S. A. Lewis “The Prisoner of Perote” (probably1848-1849. Poe may have made some improvements to the poem for Mrs. Lewis.)
    • Editorial copy of a poem by Mrs. S. A. Lewis “Isabelle, or the Broken Heart” (probably1848-1849.) (Formerly owned by Mr. Oliver R. Barrett, Chicago, IL. Current location unknown) (Photograph in Phillips, Poe the Man, p. 1227.)

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~~ R ~~

  • Receipts
    • Four receipts for money received from John Bisco for contributions to the Broadway Journal and the Southern Literary Messenger (April 1845)
    • Five receipts for money received from George R. Graham for contributions to Graham's Magazine (March 25 - July 4, 1841)  (Gimble Collection)
    • Four receipts for money received from George R. Graham for contributions to Graham's Magazine (September 25, 1841 - March 31, 1842)  (University of Texas)

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~~ T ~~


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~~ V ~~

  • Visiting Card
    • Poe's Visiting Card, with a handwritten note to C. A. Bristed (1848  — “Bristed” manuscript)

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Related Material:

  • None.

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Bibliography:

  • Auction Catalog for Bangs & Co., April 11, 1896 (Items in this catalog were sold by William H. Griswold, the son of Rufus Wilmot Griswold.
  • Moldenhauer, Joseph J., compiler,  A Descriptive Catalog of Edgar Allan Poe Manuscripts in the Humanities Research Center Library, the University of Texas at Austin, Austin: The University of Texas Press, 1973.

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[S:0 - JAS] - Edgar Allan Poe Society of Baltimore - Works - Miscellaneous Documents and Manuscript Material