Twice thrown in the trash, an Edgar Allan Poe manuscript survives two fires

The manuscript of Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Murders in the Rue Morgue” survived two discards in trash and two fires before reaching the Free Library of Philadelphia. In 1841, after publication in Graham’s Magazine, a printing apprentice named J. M. Johnston rescued the original pages from a workshop waste bin. The manuscript subsequently disappeared for years, then traveled with Johnston’s family through moves. In 1850, an atelier fire destroyed most of Johnston’s possessions, but the manuscript survived hidden between pages of a music book. A second fire caused additional damage through smoke and water. In 1869, Johnston nearly discarded the music book, but a neighbor recovered it and returned it to him. Johnston sold the manuscript to editor George W. Childs for 200 dollars in 1881. After Childs’ death, his collection passed to Drexel Institute. In 1944, the manuscript was auctioned for 34,000 dollars to collector Richard Gimbel, whose Poe collection eventually went to the Free Library of Philadelphia, where the 17 pages remain accessible online.

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