The Spectacles

"The Spectacles" was first published in the Philadelphia Dollar Newspaper in the March 27, 1844 issue.[1] Critics suggested that the piece was paid by the word, hence its relatively high length, especially for a work of humor. Upon its reprinting in the Broadway Journal in March 1845, Poe himself acknowledged he was "not aware of the great length of "The Spectacles" until too late to remedy the evil."