Poe collection covers writer in life and death

A collection of writings by Edgar Allan Poe -- along with a jagged wooden fragment of his coffin -- will be on display at Cornell University Library just in time for Halloween.

The new exhibition, "Nevermore: The Edgar Allan Poe Collection of Susan Jaffe Tane," will be featured from Sept. 29 through Feb. 24 in the Carl A. Kroch Library's Hirshland Gallery. Related events on Sept. 29-30 include a seminar, an opening reception in the gallery and a portrayal of Poe by actor David Keltz. All events are free and open to the public.

The exhibit traces the history of Poe's extraordinary career and includes more than 60 rare items -- many of Poe's handwritten manuscripts, editions of his most famous poem, "The Raven," and copies of several first editions, including Poe's first published work, "Tamerlane and Other Poems," one of only 12 copies known to exist, according to Tane.

Tane, a businesswoman, philanthropist and former schoolteacher, became a book collector in 1987 with the purchase of a copy of Poe's "The Raven and Other Poems." She built her collection over the next 19 years by frequenting small bookstores in New England, antiques shows in New York and rare-book auctions.

Tane also has begun collections of several other 19th century authors, including Mark Twain and Herman Melville. She donated her Melville collection to Cornell University Library in 2005.

She sits on the board of directors of The Edgar Allan Poe Museum Foundation in Richmond, Va., and is a sponsor of the Poe Studies Association.

The Cornell Library exhibit is co-curated by Tane and Katherine Reagan, the library's Ernest Stern '56 Curator of Rare Books and Manuscripts.

"Susan Tane's collection is remarkable in its depth and breadth," Reagan said. "She looked beyond the staples of standard author collections, seeking out not only first editions and letters, but a broad range of 19th century materials that defined American literary culture in the first half of the 19th century."

For example, Tane's collection includes rare and fragile original issues of magazines and newspapers in which Poe's work first appeared. Poe struggled to make a living as a writer, working as an editor, journalist, lecturer and critic and contributing a steady stream of poems, short stories and reviews to magazine and newspapers.

"One of the gratifying things about this exhibition is that people get to experience these poems and stories in the way their first audience did," Reagan said.

Cornell graduate students will present their current work on 19th century American literature Sept. 29 from 3:30 to 5 p.m. in Olin Library's Libe Café. The seminar, "Poe and His Circle," will be moderated by Shirley Samuels, Cornell professor of English.

On Sept. 30, Keltz will present his one-man show based on Poe's life and works, "Edgar Allan Poe in Person," at 3 p.m. in Barnes Hall. He will read some of the writer's best-known stories and poems, including "The Bells," "The Spectacle," "Hop-Frog," "The Raven" and "Eldorado."

The opening reception will follow, from 4:45 to 6:30 p.m. in Hirshland Gallery.

Gallery hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday and 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday.

More information is available online at http://rmc.library.cornell.edu/poe, by calling (607) 255-3530 or by e-mail at rareref@cornell.edu.

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