The Purloined Letter

Authors

  • Edgar Allan Poe 1837 Poe, Southern Literary Messenger, Richmond

Abstract

The Purloined Letter

First printing of Edgar Allan Poe's tale "The Purloined Letter" in The Gift: A Christmas and New Year's Present for 1845 (published late 1844). This was Poe's favorite among his detective stories and was widely reprinted during the author's lifetime. According to an inscription on the inside front cover, this book is a reprint of the first issue (see Object# 601.81) because it contains extra illustrations. Its cover also differs from that of Object# 601.81. (Collection: Poe Museum Collection)

Author Biography

Edgar Allan Poe, 1837 Poe, Southern Literary Messenger, Richmond

Poe wrote in many genres, but his contribution to horror is what makes him famous today. Poe revolutionized the genre. He was one of the first to involve deep, intuitive, psychological horror. He often wrote stories where the true monster was the capacity for evil that is inside each person, and what happens when that evil is acted upon. 

  Poe’s most famous piece is “The Raven.” Once published, in the early months of 1845, this poem made him an overnight success. Before the publication, Poe was well known in literary circles, but because of “The Raven” Edgar Allan Poe became a household name. Although Poe only made around $15 from the publication of “The Raven,” its international success created financial opportunities like taking on literary clients and giving lectures and recitations. Poe was the first American writer to live completely off of his earnings from writing.

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Published

1987-03-01

How to Cite

Poe, Edgar Allan. 1987. “The Purloined Letter”. Journal of Literary Studies 3 (3):13 pages. https://unisapressjournals.co.za/index.php/jls/article/view/16530.

Issue

Vol. 3 No. 3 (1987)

Section

Editorial

License

Copyright (c) 1987 JLS/TLW

Creative Commons License

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