When was The Raven first published?
The Raven appeared in the New York Evening Mirror on January 29, 1845, with Poe named as its author. The newspaper introduced it as copied in advance from the February number of the American Review. This is why accounts of the poem’s beginnings often mention both a January newspaper date and a February magazine issue.
Those dates describe different publications, not necessarily a contradiction. An issue’s printed month is not always the day copies became available. The Evening Mirror’s introductory notice is important evidence because it explicitly describes the relationship between its printing and the magazine appearance.
The American Review appearance used the name Quarles. Later newspaper reprints and collected editions are additional witnesses to the poem’s circulation and revision; they should not all be called its first printing. For a citation, identify the exact publication and date of the version you consulted. The Poe Society’s textual history and the preserved Evening Mirror text help keep the publication sequence separate from later claims about the poem’s fame or the author’s private circumstances.
Sources and further reading
Editorial answer from Ask Poe. Interpretive readings are distinguished from documented publication facts. Check the linked texts and editions.