[Poe, Edgar Allan]; Leslie, Miss [Eliza] (Editor)

The Gift: A Christmas and New Year's Present [featuring "The Pit and the Pendulum"]

Price: $1,500.00

Hard Cover. Philadelphia: Carey and Hart, 1843. 1st Edition. Near Fine.

Illustrated with eight black and white plates. First edition, first printing. Rebound in 20th century tan calf, with original publisher's elaborately gilt-decorated leather covers affixed to boards, spine with five raised bands, lettered and ruled in gilt, all edges gilt, and pale gray endpapers. Very good, with bright gilt, and some spotting to pages. Overall, a great, sturdy copy. BAL 16137. This issue of The Gift features the first published appearance of Poe's "The Pit and the Pendulum," a horror story set during the Spanish Inquisition, in which a man, imprisoned and sentenced to death, must choose between being killed by a massive swinging pendulum, being crushed by enclosing walls, or falling into a deep, dark pit. Unlike many of Poe's stories, "The Pit and the Pendulum" distinctly lacks supernatural elements, instead focusing on the grim reality of the prisoner's situation. This issue also features contributions by Charles West Thomson, L. H. Sigourney, John Frost, John Inman, Alfred B. Street, Seba Smith, and Mary E. Lee. The Gift was an annual periodical of stories and verses that ran from 1836 to 1845. Each volume was published towards the end of the year prior to the year on the title page, so that readers would purchase the volume as a Christmas or New Year's gift. Item #EAP012