Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: The Raven That Inspired "The Raven"

Owned by Charles Dickens, who used him as a chatty character in a serialized novel. Edgar Allen Poe felt that the bird should have played a larger role, which inspired him to write his famous poem, "The Raven." Died and stuffed by Dickens in 1841. Declared a "Literary Landmark" by a national library association.

Free Library of Philadelphia

Address:: 1901 Vine St., Philadelphia, PA
Directions:: On display in the third-floor Rare Book Department of the Free Library of Philadelphia. On the north side of Vine St. between N. 19th and N. 20th Sts, at Logan Circle.
Hours:: M-Th 9-9, F 9-6, Sa 9-5, Su 1-5 (Call to verify) Local health policies may affect hours and access.
Phone:: 215-686-5322

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Stuffed raven.

Raven That Inspired "The Raven"

Taxidermy specimen of Charles Dickens' pet raven, Grip, who was immortalized in the book "Barnaby Rudge," and widely thought to have inspired Edgar Allan Poe's poem, "The Raven." After his demise in 1841, Grip was preserved and kept by Dickens until his own death in 1870, and is now on display in the Rare Books Dept. of the Parkway Central Branch of the Free Library of Philadelphia.

[Laurie Zambrano, 03/27/2016]

Oct. 2016: Photo added.

The Raven That Inspired "The Raven"

Lots of neat stuff on the third level of the library. Call and ask about a time for a tour - we didn't and caught the tail end of a tour. We saw the raven but weren't able to get a picture. Great collection!

[Alex, 08/09/2013]

Raven owned by Charles Dickens, stuffed by Dickens in 1841 after it died. The bird inspired Edgar Allen Poe to write his famous poem.