THE RAVEN  Edgar Allan Poe

Together with The Philosophy of Composition

llustrated by Ferdinand Huszti Horvath

Dodd, Mead & Company     New York     1930

First edition thus. 1930 date at title and copyright pages.   Large 8" x 10.5" design.  Deep black full cloth boards, impressed black raven in sharp gilt relief surrounded by titles w/decoration, slight shelf wear.  Pages near fine; no writing.   Pallid green matte endpapers.  Stylized frontispiece illustration of Poe by Horvath.  Bind fine; hinges intact.    Rare original pictorial dust wrapper, moderate edge wear, toning; protected in new clear sleeve.  Front panel features titles in a unique out-of-time deco font over the silhouette of the black raven over light grey silhouette of Pallas bust, surrounded by dark charcoal haze.   Front flap features short bio of Horvath and book description.   Also, includes remaining front cover panel and back panel of black case; one of eight sides remains w/case.  Case possibly restorable contains gold label matching front board cover art, and, rubbed gold label to the one side remaining with vertical titles: "The Raven". 

Intriguing art nouveau monochromatic imagery at every page.  Truly dynamic and enthralling in detail, symbology, and flourishes.  Begins with  "The Philosophy of Composition" which elucidates Poe's approach to writing well.   Intriguing geometrical near chiaroscuro art nouveau-like full-page illustration by Ferdinand Horvath throughout.  The results are rich in tone and detail.    Near fine rarity in even more rare good wrapper.

With 19 full-page illustrations by Ferdinand Huszti Horvath, author of "Captured!" etc., etc.  Horvath was born in Budapest in 1891.   His enthusiasm for Poe's masterpiece dates from his schoolboy introduction to it, but it was not until the artist's captivity in Russia, graphically described in his recent novel, "Captured",  that the idea for The Raven developed into a series of rough outline sketches.  some of these Lieutenant Horvath carried with him at the time of his escape across the Swedish border and these formed the nucleus of the drawings done since the artist's arrival in this country.

Edgar Allan Poe's hazy narrative begins on a night in December when "The Raven" haunts the unnamed narrator  who sits reading "forgotten lore" to sublimate the loss of his love, Lenore.    A "rapping at his chamber door" reveals nothing, yet excites his soul to "burning".    A similar rapping, slightly louder, is heard at his window.   When he investigates, a raven enters his chamber...   Printed in the United States of America at The Plimpton Press, Norwood, Massachusetts.  Near fine example of this thoroughly enjoyable and rare volume in the ultra rare haunting wrapper.    Insured post.