THE NARRATIVE OF ARTHUR GORDON PYM. OF NANTUCKET. New-York: Harper & Brothers, 1838. 12mo, pp. [1]-2 [leaf of ads dated "May, 1838"] [iii-v] vi-vii [viii] [9] 10-201 [202: blank] [1]-14 [ads], fly leaves at front and rear, publisher's brown cloth, printed paper label affixed to spine panel, untrimmed. First edition. Poe's first prose book and his only book-length work of fiction, one of the nineteenth century's most fantastic short novels. "A novel of horrendous sea adventure, followed by extraordinary experiences in the Antarctic ... Critically, Pym has generally been held in low esteem, but this is probably because of the full-blown sensation approach of the first part of the novel, which retails more horrors in one short voyage than would have taken place in a sailor's lifetime or more. But considered within the aesthetics of BLACKWOOD'S, it is a fine achievement. As for the second, puzzle section, it remains successfully puzzling after a century and a half." - Bleiler, Science-Fiction: The Early Years 1784. "Clearly, THE NARRATIVE OF ARTHUR GORDON PYM has exerted a powerful influence on its readers, and its entrancing ending in particular has aroused considerable interest. The novel has become a frequent subject for scholarly debate and a rich source for numerous literary and artistic endeavors, and in the last twenty-five years, it has come to be recognized as a masterpiece." - Survey of Modern Fantasy Literature III, pp. 1092-95. Anatomy of Wonder (1976) 1-41; (1981) 1-138; (1987) 1-74; (1995) 1-74: and (2004) II-857. Bailey, Pilgrims Through Space and Time, pp. 43-4. Barron (ed), Horror Literature 2-76. Bleiler, The Guide to Supernatural Fiction 1313. Bleiler (ed), Science Fiction Writers, pp. 15-7. Survey of Science Fiction Literature III, pp. 1480-87. Tymn (ed), Horror Literature 2-78. Bleiler (1978), p. 159. Reginald 11610. BAL 16128. Wright (I) 2052. Heartman and Canny, pp. 38-40. Cloth worn at spine ends and corner tips, ink stain on rear cover, paper label chipped and rubbed, small chip from the fore-edge of the front free endpaper, 15 mm closed tear in upper margin of first leaf of the "preface," endpapers and flyleaves tanned, very shallow tide marks along top edges free endpapers and flyleaves, scattered foxing to the text block, a very good copy. Provenance: "George Green / Book / New York / 1840" written in ink on the front paste-down. (#174269).
Price: $17,500.00
No statement of printing on copyright page.