Poe’s Only Bestseller as a Living Author Was This Schoolbook About Seashells

In 1839, Edgar Allan Poe accepted a somewhat sketchy writing job: remixing and condensing an existing book, Thomas Wyatt's Manual of Conchology, into a cheaper version that would be useful to students. Wyatt's Manual was beautiful and expensive, selling at the high price of $8; Poe's was simple and could be bought for $1.50.
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