The Conchologist's First Book - Background

Background

Poe originally wrote just the preface and introduction but, for $50, Poe lent his name on the title page of the book, published in Philadelphia by Haswell, Barrington, and Haswell. Poe also edited, arranged, compiled, and made translations. Poe was one of the most important editors in the U.S. at the time. This odd arrangement was to avoid copyright problems with the original edition of Wyatt's book, Manual of Conchology, previously published by Harper & Brothers. Wyatt's book contained multiple illustrations of shells and carried the cover price of $8, a price too high for both beginners and advanced students of conchology. Wyatt intended a cheaper, concise edition to be used in schools with a price of $1.50. Harper's, however, did not want to produce a second edition that would compete with sales of the first. Wyatt had said, "Poe needed money very sorely at the time," and so Poe allowed the use of his name to popularize the book.

Poe made some significant changes to Wyatt's original text. Poe edited, compiled, translated, and organized the textbook into an inexpensive and condensed version intended for use in classrooms. Poe wrote the preface, the introduction, translated the French text by Georges Cuvier into English, worked on the accounts of the animals, constructed a new classification or taxonomy scheme, and organized the book. So Poe made translations of the scientific descriptions by the French naturalist and zoologist Georges Cuvier, although he was uncredited on the title page.

The new edition sold out within two months and was used in schools as had been hoped, though Poe received no royalties for its sales. It was the only volume by Poe to go into a second edition in the United States during his lifetime. The edition, nonetheless, caused some criticism in later years not only of copyright problems but of plagiarism. In 1844, Poe tried to publish more of his work with Harper's (which had also printed his novel The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket) but was informed by a friend, "They have complaints against you... grounded on certain movements of yours."

Poe himself explained the book:

I wrote it in conjunction with Professor Thomas Wyatt, and Professor McMultrie... my name being put to the work, as best known and most likely to aid its circulation. I wrote the Preface and Introduction, and translated from Cuvier, the accounts of the animals, etc. All School-books are necessarily made in a similar way."

Poe denied the charge of plagiarism and wrote that he would sue over the allegation: "This charge is infamous, and I shall prosecute for it, as soon as I settle my accounts with the 'Mirror.'" Moreover, Poe had knowledge and a background in conchology based on his acquaintance and association with Dr. Edmund Ravenel, a "eminent conchologist", who had resided on Sullivan's Island during Poe's army service.

Wyatt's book, in turn, took much material from British naturalist Thomas Brown without attribution. Brown's book, The Conchologist's Textbook, had been published in Glasgow, Scotland in 1837. Brown himself based his text on the previous work of Jean-Baptiste Lamarck and Linnaeus. Brown noted on his title page that his book was "embracing the arrangements of Jean-Baptiste Lamarck and Linnaeus". In other words, Brown himself could be accused of "plagiarizing" his textbook from Lamarck and Linnaeus.

In his personal copy of the 1839 first edition, Poe made annotations and corrections. He penciled in as the last sentence to the preface an acknowledgment to Thomas Brown: "Also to Mr. T. Brown upon whose excelent book he has very largely drawn". The second edition of the book, however, did not incorporate Poe's acknowledgment of Brown.