Wallace would insist upon the juleps

University of Virginia Library U.Va. Acquires Rare Poe Letter and Opens Major Exhibit

A newly acquired 1842 letter written by Poe

In honor of the 200th anniversary of the birth of Edgar Allen Poe — the 19th-century American author and one-time University of Virginia student — the U.Va. Library announces the acquisition of a rare Poe letter and the opening of an exhibit that explores his life, works and enduring influence.

In the letter, written in July 1842, Poe apologizes to publishers J. and H.G. Langley for his drunken behavior. He encloses an article he hopes the publishers will buy, as he is "desperately pushed for money." He also blames a friend, poet and lawyer William Ross Wallace, for making him drink too many "juleps" and tries to make amends for the unfortunate result:

"Will you be so kind enough to put the best possible interpretation upon my behavior while in N-York? You must have conceived a queer idea of me – but the simple truth is that Wallace would insist upon the juleps, and I knew not what I was either doing or saying."

Source: U.Va.