Abraham Lincoln isn't the only one whose 200th birthday is being celebrated in 2009.
Next month, the Lincoln celebrations will take center stage, with commemorative stamps, coins and numerous other programs and events. In the meantime, the U.S. Postal Service is marking the 200th anniversary of the birth of poet and novelist Edgar Allan Poe.
A 42-cent Poe stamp was issued Jan. 16 at the Library of Virginia in Richmond. Among those at the first-day ceremony was artist Michael Deas, whose portrait of Poe is featured on the stamp. Deas is an authority on portraits and daguerreotypes of Poe.
The portrait, done in oils on wood, shows an enigmatic Poe with tousled hair and a mustache, wearing a high collar and tie. He is slightly averting his gaze -- not looking us in the eye. Below his image is his signature, "Edgar A. Poe."
In the selvage of the stamp sheet is art by Edmund Dulac, an illustrator of the early 20th century, from "The Bells and Other Poems." Featured is a quote from Poe's signature poem, "The Raven," which was published in 1845.
Born in Boston, Poe lost both his parents before he was 3. He was raised by John and Frances Allan, wealthy residents of Richmond, and took his middle name from them. He was educated in private schools in Virginia and England, but dropped out of the University of Virginia after one semester when he lost all his money gambling and his foster father refused to give him more.
After that, he bounced around the East Coast, receiving support from relatives in Baltimore. He struggled to have his writing published and joined the army. He received an appointment to West Point, but was thrown out for various infractions.
He became an editor and literary critic, which made him some enemies. He married and lived with his wife and mother-in-law in Philadelphia, where he published some of his tales of terror, including "The Tell-Tale Heart," "The Fall of the House of Usher" and "The Pit and the Pendulum."
His wife died of tuberculosis in 1847, leaving him despondent. He suffered ill health and dire finances until he died in 1849 in Baltimore. Although Poe never achieved popularity in his own country during his lifetime, his works have endured and remain staples of American literature.
The For Collectors column appears weekly in Abode, alternating between stamps and coins. You may reach Joseph Bakes at firstname.lastname@example.org.