Inscribed offprint or advance promotional packet from the August 1941 issue of The Southern Literary Messenger

Item Details

POE, Edgar Allan — DIETZ, F. Meredith, editor; PITTMAN, Diana. The Key to the Mystery of Edgar Allan Poe, with Dietz’s introductory essay, “Return of Edgar Allan Poe.” Richmond, Virginia: The Southern Literary Messenger, August 1941.

Offprint or advance promotional packet from the August 1941 issue of The Southern Literary Messenger, comprising [2], 367–377 pp., printed on rectos only. Includes F. Meredith Dietz’s introductory essay, “Return of Edgar Allan Poe,” followed by Diana Pittman’s psychoanalytic interpretation, “The Key to the Mystery of Edgar Allan Poe.” The first leaf is inscribed by Dietz in red graphite, “Good pictures available / F. M. Dietz, Editor.” Paper-clipped, with the introductory leaves partially stapled, and accompanied by a printed promotional card announcing “The Most Sensational Literary Find in this Century” and advertising the issue.

The packet is laid into the March 1939 issue of The Southern Literary Messenger, edited and published by Dietz, which is separately present in its original printed wrappers. The 1941 material reflects Dietz’s energetic attempt to revive the historic journal’s association with Poe and to promote Pittman’s highly sensationalized psychological reading of the author. March 1939 issue worn and soiled, with edge wear and creasing; inserted packet toned, creased, and handled, with rusting paper clip and staple marks.