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ALS signed “Edgar A. Poe,” one page, 7.75 x 9.75, August 9, 1845. Handwritten letter to Thomas W. Field, in full: "It is nearly a month since I received a note from you, requesting an interview—but, by some inadvertence, I placed it (your note) among my pile of 'answered letters.' This will account to you for my seeming discourtesy in not sooner giving you an answer. I have now to say that I shall be happy to see you at any time, at my residence, 195 East Broadway. You will generally find me at home in the morning before 10." Addressed on the integral leaf in Poe's hand to "Mr. Thomas W. Field, New-York." Professionally inlaid into a slightly larger sheet and in very good to fine condition, with light staining and soiling, and a repaired tear in the upper blank area, affecting none of the handwriting. Accompanied by an engraved portrait of Poe, bearing his facsimile signature.
Poe writes to poet and historian Thomas Warren Field (1820–1881), inviting him to call at a Manhattan boarding house where he briefly lived. A year later, Poe would report that he did not leave the house on good terms with the landlady, who gave little concern to forwarding his mail. Field was a fellow author best known for his 'Essay Towards an Indian Bibliography,' a seminal bibliographical reference for books relating to the history, antiquities, languages, customs, religion, wars, literature, and origin of the American Indians. This is the only recorded piece of correspondence between Poe and Field.
Poe first published his most famous poem, 'The Raven,' in the New York Evening Mirror on January 29, 1845. It proved to be a popular sensation, but yielded little in the way of financial remuneration.
Provenance: Lot 132, Sotheby's, June 3, 2014.
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