When Emily Dickinson died intestate at her birthplace, Amherst, Massachusetts, in May 1886, at the age of fifty-five, only ten of her more than seventeen hundred poems had been published, and these appearances were not initiated by her: publication was arranged by others without her permission, though she did not condemn those who had brought public attention to her very private art.
By now, one might assume that the work of a nineteenth-century poet would be in the public domain. But rivalry between her relatives persisted and the release of all of the poetry was so gradual that claims of copyright continue to this day.
When Arion Press came to issue the poetry of Emily Dickinson, we decided to limit selection to two hundred poems from those published prior to 1923 that are clearly in the public domain. In editing this selection, we have regularized capitalization to current standards and punctuation to house style. It is our contention that the poems are not harmed and that imposing punctuation conveys an understanding of the poem that might otherwise be missed.
$1200
|
