Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)/Poe, Edgar Allan

POE, EDGAR ALLAN, an American poet and story-writer; born in Boston, Jan 19, 1809. Left an orphan early, he was adopted by John Allan, of Richmond, Va., and at the age of 19 left this home and published his first volume of verse at Boston. He was a cadet at the United States Military Academy, 1830-1831; and subsequently was editor of the "Southern Literary Messenger," 1835-1837; of the "Gentleman's Magazine," 1839-1840; of "Graham's Magazine," 1841-1842; and of the "Broadway Journal," 1845. He also contributed to other periodicals. He projected a magazine to be called "Literary America," and to aid it, lectured in New York City and through the SOuth, 1848-1849. A complete list of his works in book form includes: "Tamerlane and Other Poems" (Boston, 1827); "Al Aar-af, Tamerlane, and Minor Poems" (Baltimore, 1829); "Poems" (2d ed., including many poems now first published, New York, 1831). "The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym, of Nantucket" (New York, 1838); "The Conchologist's First Book" (Philadelphia, 1839); "Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque" (Philadelphia, 1840); "The Prose Romances of Edgar A. Poe" (Philadelphia, 1843); "The Raven and Other Poems" (New York, 1845); "Mesmerism: in Articulo Mortis" (London, 1846); "Eureka, a Prose Poem" (New York, 1848). After his death there were republished "The Liberati: Some Honest Opinions about Autorial Merits and Demerits, with Occasional Words of Personality," etc., edited by R. W. Griswold (New York, 1850); "Tales of Mystery, Imagination, and Humor; and Poems," edited by Henry Vizetelly (London, 1852). The definitive edition is the one edited by E. C. Stedman and G. E. Woodberry (10 vols., Chicago, 1894-1895). Poe died in Baltimore, Md., Oct. 7, 1849.