FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Rarely-Seen Poe Family Bible to be on Display in Richmond, VA

Bible Currently Undergoing Restoration for Unveiling During Author’s Bicentennial Year

Richmond, VA-In honor of Edgar Allan Poe's 200th birthday, the Library of Virginia, in partnership with Richmond, VA's Poe Museum, is preparing an exhibition on Poe's life and works. The centerpiece of the exhibition will be the Poe Family Bible, a rarely-seen artifact in the Poe Museum's collections. The exhibition will open July 18, 2009.

The Poe Family Bible includes genealogical information such as birth and death dates of Poe family members and notes on marriages, with the earliest family information entry dating to 1725. The handwritten notes also include a sketch of the Poe family burial plot at Westminster Hall and Burying Ground.

The Bible is currently undergoing restoration at Cat Tail Run Hand Bookbinding in Winchester, VA. EMC Corporation, the world's leading developer and provider of information infrastructure technology and solutions, is funding the restoration and digitization of the Bible through its Information Heritage Initiative, which preserves, protects, and makes cultural treasures globally accessible in digital form. The digital images and the Bible itself will be on display from July through December 2009 at the Library of Virginia.
The exhibit is part of Poe Revealed 1809-2009, a cooperative effort among Virginia historical sites, museums, libraries and performing arts organizations to commemorate the life and works of Poe throughout 2009. A schedule of Poe-related events as well as information for educators, students, Poe enthusiasts and visitors is available on the Poe Bicentennial Web site www.Poe200th.com.

Throughout 2009, Richmond, Virginia will host numerous events in honor of the Poe Bicentennial. During his adulthood, Poe spent time in Philadelphia, New York and Baltimore, but it was Richmond, Virginia that Poe considered home; the place where he grew up, married and first gained a national literary reputation.

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The Edgar Allan Poe Museum in Richmond, Va interprets the life and influence of E.A. Poe for the education and enjoyment of the public. Founded in 1921, the Poe Museum preserves and exhibits artifacts and archival resources related to the life and works of Edgar Poe for a global audience. For more information about the Museum and its programs visit www.poemuseum.org.

The Library of Virginia is the state's oldest institution dedicated to the preservation of Virginia's history, literature, and culture. The Library was created by the General Assembly in 1823. The collections illustrate the rich and varied past of the commonwealth, documenting the lives of Virginians whose deeds are known to all, as well as those of ordinary citizens whose accomplishments are the foundation of our heritage. This rich treasure-house of materials attracts more than 190,000 visitors each year. For more information about the Library of Virginia please visit www.lva.virginia.gov.

Cat Tail Run Hand Bookbinding was established in 1991 by Jill Deiss, who studied bookbinding and restoration first in Northampton, Massachusetts, then at Cornell University's Department of Library Conservation, and in the Smithsonian Institution's Conservation Laboratories. Mrs. Deiss holds a B.S. in Chemistry and received a Master of Library Science degree from Syracuse University where she specialized in the study of archives and rare book collections. The other staff binders include Dee Evetts, Bill Deiss, Susan McCabe, and Amy Jackson with support from Brandi Ferrebee and Charlotte Kirks who serve as bindery elves.

Documents and/or Photos available for this release:
Edgar Allan Poe
Poe family bible undergoes restoration.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 30, 2008

Edgar Allan Poe Stamp to be Unveiled
in Richmond, VA

First Day of Issue to be Held at the Library of Virginia

WHO: U. S. Postal Service in partnership with the Poe Museum, Library of Virginia and St. John’s Church
WHAT: First Day of Issue ceremony for the Edgar Allan Poe stamp
WHEN: Friday, January 16, 2009 from 11 am until 2 pm
WHERE: Library of Virginia, corner of 8th Street and Broad Street, Richmond, Virginia
NOTES: On January 16, 2009, the U.S. Postal Service commemorates the 200th anniversary of the birth of Edgar Allan Poe, one of America’s most extraordinary poets and fiction writers.

The stamp portrait of Edgar Allan Poe is by award-winning artist Michael J. Deas, whose research over the years has made him well acquainted with Poe’s appearance. In 1989, Deas published The Portraits and Daguerreotypes of Edgar Allan Poe, a comprehensive collection of images featuring authentic likenesses as well as derivative portraits.

Deas’ work adorns many U.S. Postal Service commemorative stamps, including Marilyn Monroe, James Dean, Audrey Hepburn and Cary Grant. 

The stamp sheet contains the following quote: Leave my loneliness unbroken! — “The Raven”

The event will be free and open to the public.

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An independent federal agency, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that visits every address in the nation, 146 million homes and businesses, six days a week.  It has 37,000 retail locations and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to pay for operating expenses, not tax dollars. The Postal Service has annual revenues of $73 billion and delivers more than 46 percent of the world’s mail volume.

For press Inquiries please contact:
Katarina Spears
Director, Edgar Allan Poe Museum
Phone: (804) 648-5523 or 1-888-21E-APOE
1914-16 East Main Street
Richmond, VA 23223