Is My Poems by Edgar A. Poe: Second Edition a First Edition?

The points of issue

• Issued in spring (probably April) 1831 by New York publisher Elam Bliss and printed by Henry Mason, the title page calls it 'Second Edition' even though it was actually Poe's third book of verse, following the anonymous 1827 Tamerlane and Other Poems and the 1829 Al Aaraaf, Tamerlane, and Minor Poems (which did carry his name); bibliographers have never established why Poe numbered it 'Second' rather than 'Third.' Small duodecimo of pages [1]-124, more than twenty of them blank, issued in cloth recorded as olive-green or tan, with gray and black cloth copies also noted by bibliographers
• Two textual states are recorded: state 'A' has 'THE END' printed at the bottom of page 124, absent in state 'B.' Further first-edition points include the poem title misprinted as 'Al Araaf' on page 83, a footnote on page 88 that omits the chapter-and-verse citation for its scriptural quotation, and page 105 misnumbered as page '150.' The dedication reads 'To the U.S. Corps of Cadets this volume is respectfully dedicated.'

How to confirm the first-printing statement

Publishers stated first printings differently by era. The decisive tells are a printed “First Edition/First Printing” statement, a number line whose lowest number is 1 (Random House ends at 2), or a dated first printing with no later printings listed. Paste your copyright page into the number-line decoder.

How to verify your copy, step by step

1. Find the copyright page — the verso (back) of the title page.
2. Check for a number line or dated printing — the lowest number present is the printing; a dated first printing with no later printings listed is the tell.
3. Rule out a book-club edition — a blind-stamp on the rear board or a jacket with no printed price marks a book-club copy.
4. Photograph four things — the front cover, spine, title page, and copyright page — the standard record for identification.

The dust jacket

For a collectible first edition the dust jacket matters as much as the book. Confirm the jacket is present and unclipped — the printed price should still be at the corner of the flap (a clipped corner or a price-less flap can indicate a book-club issue). First-state jackets can differ from later ones in the cover art, blurbs, or review quotations; where a specific first-state jacket point is known for this title it is noted above.

Binding & format

Where multiple bindings exist, the hardcover trade issue is usually (but not always) the precedence copy — confirm against the points above. Later printings often show cheaper cloth, thinner boards, or simplified spine stamping. A simultaneous signed or limited issue, when one exists, is a distinct state from the trade first.

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

Poe's 1831 poems were not gathered into a standalone volume again until The Raven and Other Poems (Wiley and Putnam, 1845), which reset the type completely, dropped or substantially revised many of the earlier poems, and does not reproduce the small 1831 cloth format or its printing errors, including the page-105/'150' misnumbering.P-034415

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Poems by Edgar A. Poe: Second Edition a first edition?

A first edition of Poems by Edgar A. Poe: Second Edition by Edgar Allan Poe (Elam Bliss) is identified by: Issued in spring (probably April) 1831 by New York publisher Elam Bliss and printed by Henry Mason, the title page calls it 'Second Edition' even though it was actually Poe's third book of verse, following the anonymous 1827 Tamerlane and Other Poems and the 1829 Al Aaraaf, Tamerlane, and Minor Poems (which did carry his name); bibliographers have never established why Poe numbered it 'Second' rather than 'Third.' Small duodecimo of pages [1]-124, more than twenty of them blank, issued…

How do I tell the first printing from a later one?

Check the copyright page. A stated first edition, a number line ending in 1, or a dated first printing with no later printings listed is the key.

Is the book-club edition the same as the first?

Poe's 1831 poems were not gathered into a standalone volume again until The Raven and Other Poems (Wiley and Putnam, 1845), which reset the type completely, dropped or substantially revised many of the earlier poems, and does not reproduce the small 1831 cloth format or its printing errors, including the page-105/'150' misnumbering.

I have a first edition of Poems by Edgar A. Poe: Second Edition — what should I do?

First, document the copy: photograph the copyright page (the number line and any edition statement) and the dust-jacket flap — an unclipped, priced jacket matters. Confirm the points of issue above against your copy, and use the free First Edition Checker to decode the printing. To sell, the author’s collecting guide covers the market. And if you are clearing books in the Albuquerque area, the New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies are identified rather than discarded.

Glossary

First edition

Every copy printed from the first setting of type. Collectors usually want the first edition, first printing (the true first).

First printing / impression

A single press run from that setting. The first printing is the earliest and most desirable; later printings are still the first edition but not the true first.

Number line (printer's key)

A row of numbers on the copyright page (e.g. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1). The lowest number present is the printing — a line including 1 marks a first printing (Random House deliberately ends at 2).

Points of issue

Specific physical details — a stated edition, a number line, a typo, a jacket state — that identify the true first printing.

Book-club edition (BCE)

A reprint made for a book club. Tells include a blind-stamped dot or square on the rear board and a dust jacket with no printed price. Not the true first.

First thus

The first appearance of a particular version (first paperback, first illustrated, first U.S. printing) — a first of that kind, not the first edition of the work.