ENGLISH NOTES. A Rare and Unknown Work Being a Reply to Charles Dickens's "American Notes" With Critical Comments by Joseph Jackson and George H. Sargent.
New York City: Lewis M. Thompson, 1920. 1st edition. Limited to 100 cc. Not found in Gimbel. 182 pp. 2 plates depicting Poe: frontis of a 35 year old Poe, from an engraving that appeared in Graham's Magazine in February 1845 & the 2nd a rendering of the poet by Aubrey Breadsley, inserted as frontis to the facsimile t.p. of the original 1842 publication. Both plates with captioned tissue guards. 8vo. 8-3/4" x 5-5/8". Parchment binding with light brown stamping. TEG. Dark green paper dust jacket. Modest age-toning, a VG+ book in an About VG jacket, which has a dull backstrip & shows some minor edge chipping, along with a split to the front joint seam. Item #51718
From Jackson's preface, we quote his assessment of Poe's work, "Apart from his Tales, 'English Notes' is probably the cleverest bit of prose writing Poe ever did. While in the main it is a travesty, it is also a rather impish retort. There is a parody of Dickens's manner that is as excellent burlesque as anything of Thackeray's, and the satire which occupies a large part of the work, is as sharp as a hypodermic needle."
All-in-all, a scarce work discussing, and reprinting, Poe's anonymously published 16 page pamphlet, "English Notes", now rarely found in the trade, as most copies currently reside in institutions.
Price: $375.00