Dear concher's
When I was an undergraduate (I know, many years ago), my university
library (Southern Illinois) had a copy of Poe's book and I checked it
out occassion.  As an unknowledgeable undergraduate (an oxymoron?), I
was quite unimpressed with the little work, other than its connection to
the author of the foreward.  Last time I visited the library, the book
was locked up in the rare book secion, probably a good thing; but I
guess folks were a little more trusting then. . .
 
Alan Gettleman
Merritt Island, FL
 
 
Glenn Burghardt wrote:
>
> I have read that R.W. Griswold stated in the International  monthly
> magazine, Oct. 1850, that Edgar Allan Poe's book "The Conchologist's
> First Book..." , 1840, is a copy,  nearly verbatim, of the text-book
> of conchology by Captain Thomas Brown printed in Glasgow in 1833.
> Interesting, it also stated that this title holds the distinction of
> being the only work published by Poe that went to a second printing
> during his lifetime.
>
> Glenn Burghardt