Edgar Alan Poe

1820s Literary Rivalry: Manhattan Versus Boston

August 7, 2023 by Jaap Harskamp Leave a Comment

On November 2, 1820, the city of New York‘s Chamber of Commerce placed an advertisement in the Commercial Advertiser and other newspapers inviting merchant clerks to meet in Tontine Coffee House at 82 Wall Street and discuss forming of an organization that would be similar to Boston’s Mercantile Library (founded earlier that same year).

Nearly two hundred and fifty young men responded to the notice and joined the meeting which led to the creation of Manhattan’s Mercantile Library Association. [Read more…] about 1820s Literary Rivalry: Manhattan Versus Boston

Here in Manhattan: A New Pop-History Guide

June 22, 2023 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

The new book Here in Manhattan: A site-by-site guide to the history of the world’s greatest city (Sutherland House Books, 2023) by Tom Begnal tells the story of Manhattan, ranging from Fort Washington to Wall Street, bridging important history and pop-culture moments. Here in Manhattan is a site-by-site guide to the wonders of the city. [Read more…] about Here in Manhattan: A New Pop-History Guide

The Strange Life & Death of Edgar Allan Poe

February 24, 2023 by Bob Cudmore 1 Comment

Edgar Allan Poe’s death in 1849 has been surrounded in enigmas, which seems apt for the writer who originated the mystery and horror genres.

Discovered half-conscious in the streets of Baltimore (when he was supposed to be in Philadelphia), wearing another man’s clothes and supposedly calling out for someone who has never been identified, Poe was to end his life with friends offering wildly conflicting accounts of what had happened, and enemies publishing relentless smears of him.