Tamerlane and Other Poems

Tamerlane and Other Poems is the first published work by American writer Edgar Allan Poe. The collection of poems was first published in 1827. It is believed that only 12 copies of the collection still exist.
Poe moved to Boston to find work in 1827. While a member of the United States Army, he paid a printer named Calvin F. S. Thomas to publish his manuscripts. The 40-page collection was called "Tamerlane and Other Poems". It did not include Poe's name. Only 50 copies were printed. The poems were largely inspired by Lord Byron. This includes the poem "Tamerlane". It is about a historical conqueror and the loss of his first romance. Like much of Poe's future work, the poems in "Tamerlane and Other Poems" include themes of love, death and pride.
This collection is so rare that the editor and critic Rufus Wilmot Griswold believed it did not exist until one was found in 1859. It has since been said to be one of the rarest first editions in American literature.