On this day, in 1945, Edgar Allan Poe's poem The Raven was first published in the New York Evening Mirror.
Today regarded as one of the most famous poems ever written, it describes a talking raven's visit to a distraught lover and the man's eventual descent into madness.
 The Raven, illustrated by John Tenniel |
The Mirror's 1945 publication of The Raven brought Poe much fame at the time, although this didn't translate to financial success - at least during the author's lifetime.
Late last year, a Christie's sale of the William E Self library included a very fine first edition copy of The Raven and other poems.
The original book achieved $182,000, beating an expected sale price of $100,000-150,000.
At the same sale, even more excitement was generated by the sale of two handwritten Poe poems. Estimated at a mere $60,000-80,000, they realised a far-higher $362,500.
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