1884 – The Raven – Edgar Allan Poe | Gustave Doré – First Folio Edition

The Raven is perhaps Poe’s most famous and well-recognized work, a poem that tells a tale of a raven’s mysterious visit to a distraught lover, tracing the man’s slow fall into madness. The poem makes use of folk, mythological, religious, and classical references.

While the poem itself is highly desirable, this particular edition is even more popular due to the Gustave Dore illustrations and the enormous folio size!

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Raven
• Author(s): Edgar Allan Poe
• Illustrator(s): Gustave Doré
• Contributor(s): Edmund Clarence Stedman (Commentary)
• Publisher: New York, Harper & Brothers
• Edition: First edition, 1884
• Format: elephant folio, single volume
• Binding: Decorative cloth, rubbed front cover, edges rubbed
• Size:  18.75in x 15in (47.5cm x 38cm)
• Collation: 23, [1]
• Illustrations: 26 full-page steel engravings
• Contents Include:
  • Complete text of Poe’s The Raven
  • Stunning works of art by Dore
  • Introductory essay by Edmund C. Stedman

Condition:

Front cover art clean and crisp. Binding professionally restored and strengthened. Pages tight and secure. Slight rubbing at corners. Very Good.

Why Collect This?

• First Doré-illustrated Raven printed in the United States
• Massive, oversized folio format uncommon for any book
• Appealing to collects of Poe, Dore, and books that spark a conversation

Item Number: #50392