3 volumes, tall 8vo (251 x 146 mm). Numerous illustrations, some hand-colored, and engraved plates (spotting throughout, minor dampstaining to vol. XXII). Contemporary half calf (spines rebacked, rubbing).

THE FIRST APPEARANCE OF "THE MASQUE OF THE RED DEATH."

Graham's Magazine was established by Philadelphia editor and publisher George Rex Graham and ran from 1840 to 1858, quickly making a name for itself with its engraved plates and artwork; it is also known as the first United States publication to copyright its contents. Edgar Allan Poe became its editor in February 1841 and quickly became notorious for scathing reviews of other writers, many of whom were friends of Poe's rival, Rufus Wilmot Griswold. Poe remained in this position until late 1842, due in part to stress over his wife's illness and to financial and creative disagreements with George Rex Graham. He was replaced by Griswold, whose personal dislike of Poe was so strong that he began refusing Poe's submissions; most famously, "The Raven," which Poe wound up publishing in the New York Evening Mirror on 29 January 1845. Following Poe's death, Griswold was appointed Poe's literary executor and would eventually write a biography of him in which he disparaged him as a drug addict and a lunatic.

The present volumes include five works of poetry and criticism including "An Appendix of Autographs," "A Few Words About Brainerd," "To One Departed," "Life in Death," "The Poetry of Rufus Dawes: A Retrospective Criticism," and "The Conqueror Worm" as well as one of Poe's most popular short stories, "The Mask of the Red Death." For this story, Poe was paid $12, which would be about $400 today. In its original form, the title referred to the central figure of the story, who appears at a party hosted by wealthy nobles amid a devastating plague that brings death to all it encounters. When reprinted in the 19 July 1845 issue of The Broadway Journal, Poe changed the title to "The Masque of the Red Death," placing the emphasis on the fateful masquerade ball. Heartman & Canny, p.208.