You would never expect Edgar Poe to have had involvement in one of the most well known scientific books of his day...but he was.
First published in 1839, it was intended that Poe would simply lend his name to this work on seashells for a sum of $50.00, but that changed when Edgar put his pen into the mix. He ended up writing the preface and introduction, as well as reworking some of the book mechanics and translations. In the end, it truly is a work by Poe, and the only book of his to go into a second edition within his lifetime.
Here is a facsimile of the 1839 first edition: The Conchologist's First Book
And the second edition: The Conchologist's First Book (2nd Edition, 1840)
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