The Associated Press: Rare 1st Poe book could fetch record at NY auction: "When a teenage Edgar Allan Poe moved to Boston to find work in 1827, he was eager to launch his literary career, re-establish his roots in the city of his birth and distance himself from his foster father in Richmond, Va.
The result was his first book, 'Tamerlane and Other Poems,' virtually unnoticed when published but now one of the world's rarest and most sought-after texts.
Experts at Christie's auction house say it could sell for a record price for American literature.
'This is known as the black tulip of U.S. literature,' said Francis Wahlgren, head of books and manuscripts at Christie's in New York, which expects to get from $500,000 to $700,000 for the book on Friday. To the best of Wahlgren's recollection, the record is $250,000 for a copy of 'Tamerlane' sold at auction nearly two decades ago."
Hat tip to Scott Cupp.
7 comments:
I mean come on. These poems aren't very good. I sold my copy of this at a garage sale a couple years ago for a buck.
I ran a store and gave a few away free with cereal purchase. My bad.
Stephen
Still, it would be nice to have it, huh? Black tulip indeed. Prices for collectible books seems to have shot up over the past few years, or maybe that's just the ones that get in the news. Maybe I should take up the hobby again.
I paid $150,000 for mine. Might be time to sell it.
I do enjoy Poe, but of course I was NOT serious - I've not heard of the TAMERLANE item until I read this post!
:)
The hammer went down at $662,500. Not bad for a flimsy paperback in less than vg- condition.
Art Scott
I need to check BOOKED FOR A HANGING and see how much I thought the book was going for when I wrote that one.
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