ABSTRACT
Elizabeth Barrett (1806–61), who married Robert Browning in September 1845, was widely regarded as one of the most important English poets of the day, and Poe cultivated her attention. In January 1845, he sent to her via her friend Richard Hengist Home (1803–84) his long Broadway Journal review of her collected poems, together with a copy of ‘The Raven’. Poe had already puffed Home's ‘epic’ poem, Orion,in Graham's,and hoped to use him as an intermediary with English publishers. Later, Poe dedicated The Raven and Other Poems to Miss Barrett; she received his presentation copy on 20 March 1846, and document (b) is part of her response. The present texts are from Works, 17, 229–30; 385–6.
