Page:The Raven; with literary and historical commentary.djvu/39

 Rh real sensibility in the matter, 'If five dollars be of any use to you, I will give you that for your poem and take the chances of its publication '; for his own judgment might yet be overruled." And so, according to the account given by The South, Poe's poem of The Raven became the property of Mr. Holley, and through his intervention found its way into print.

The Raven was published in the second number of The American Review, which was issued in February 1845, but its first appearance in print was in the New York Evening Mirror for the 29th of January of that year. It was thus editorially introduced by N. P. Willis:—

"We are permitted to copy [in advance of publication] from the second No. of The American Review, the following remarkable poem by Edgar Poe. In our opinion it is the most effective single example of 'fugitive poetry' ever published in this country, and unsurpassed in English poetry for subtle conception, masterly ingenuity of versification and consistent sustaining of imaginative lift and 'pokerishness.' It is one of those 'dainties bred in a book,' which we feed on. It will stick to the memory of everybody who reads it."

It has been surmised, with much probability, that Poe had intended to publish The Raven anonymously, and retain the secret of its authorship until he had had time to note its effect upon the public. It was, doubtless, due to the persuasion of Willis that he allowed the poem to appear in the Evening Mirror, with the author's name affixed to it; nevertheless it was published in The American Review as by "," and with the following note, evidently written or inspired by Poe himself, prefixed: