WCP7163

Transcription (WCP7163.8294)

[1]1

Extract from Mr. Law's Letter (2nd)

"A literary friend who was a great admirer of Poe2 said to Riley3 if he could only write something like Poe his name and fortune would be secured: So, deliberately Riley set to work on a Poe poem, and Leonainie was the result. It was copied into a feigned Mss. and "discovered" opportunely without exciting any suspicion towards Riley. After it had run the gauntlet of Poe critics and been pronounced genuine if not canonical Riley proved the authorship. This drew attention to his own works, and he has never since lacked for praise and pudding"[.]

1
At the top left is the number 13, encircled, and written in a hand other than Wallace's.
2
Poe, Edgar Allan (1809 — 1849). American author.
3
Riley, James Whitcomb (1849 — 1916). American poet and author.

Editorial information

Status: Draft transcription [Transcription (WCP7163.8294)]

For more information about the transcriptions and metadata, see https://wallaceletters.myspecies.info/content/epsilon

Revision history

Transcribed by Hackett, Diana [2020-06-15]

Please cite as “WCP7163,” in Beccaloni, G. W. (ed.), Ɛpsilon: The Alfred Russel Wallace Collection accessed on 28 April 2024, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/wallace/letters/WCP7163