Q: Can you help me identify this book of Poe’s Poems? There is no copyright date in it, and I’d love to know how old it is. I can’t find any covers like it online. Every page is intact, but no page with the copyright date. It was printed in Philadelphia by the Henry Altemus Company. In the back is a listing of other publications of Henry Altemus Company that are advertised as having Title pages, etched portraits, full cloth ivory finish and embossed gold and inlaid colors with side titles, boxed for 40 cents, with a second list of gift books for 50 cents each. There is also a listing of ‘new’ publications – Galopoff, the Talking Pony, by Tudor Jenks,Gypsy, the Talking Dog, by Tudor Jenks, Caps and Capers, by Bagrielle E. Jackson, Doughnuts and Diplomas, by Gabrielle E Jackson, For prey and Spolls; or The Boy Buccaneer, by Fred A Ober, and Tommy Foster’s Adventures, by Fred A Ober. Since those are listed as new, I looked up Tommy Foster’s Adventures, by Fred A Ober and found that it was published in 1901. That would mean that this Poe’s Poems is at least that old, right? What is it’s value?

A: This book is part of Series 143- Petit Trianon Series. This series consisted of numerous books which were all reprints of previously published works. Fiction, non fiction, essays, poetry, short stories all are seen in this series. Your book is the 1901-1902 version of this series. In those years the left side has been seen in blue, pink, and white. The blue and the pink are less common than the white. 16 different flower pictures have been seen on the right half of the cover. Yours is #3-Rose

These Poe’s reprints are very common. Despite that, they are frequently advertised incorrectly as first editions and sell for relatively high sums on some auction sites. Good for the seller but unfortunate for the buyer.
For more information on Series 143, click here