The Raven, Edgar Allan Poe
Illustrated by Gustav Doré
First edition of this lavish production, featuring Poe's The Raven accompanied by 26 engraved plates by Gustav Doré, the last he would illustrate before his death. Doré's dark, dramatic, and dreamlike engravings perfectly capture the poem's supernatural atmosphere, melancholy, and descent into madness, making this one of the most iconic editions of Poe's work.
New York: Harper & Brothers, 1884. Elephant folio, publisher's original decorated cloth boards, all edges gilt; pp. 23 of text + 26 plates, each with descriptive caption on translucent leaf inserted before image. An about very good copy. Binding remains sturdy, neat reinforcment to hinges. General shelfwear and rubbing to boards, fraying to corners, scattered soiling, some of the black titling appears to have been traced over at one point, along with the illustration to the back cover which has also been colored. Internally quite clean with a couple closed tears (not to plates, not affecting text), offsetting to one plate and a handful of minor stains. Scarce.