Thomas Holley Chivers (18 October 1809-18 December 1858), American poet and dramatist, was born in Washington, Georgia, and died in Decatur, Georgia. His father was a prosperous farmer so Chivers always had the means to lead a comfortable life and the time to write at his leisure. Never able to interest a publisher in his works he was obliged to have all his writings printed at his own expense. Although he received an M.D. degree from Transylvania University in Lexington, Kentucky, in 1830, he practiced medicine for only a short period and then devoted the rest of his life to writing. He is largely remembered for his relations with Poe and the controversy that arose over their alleged plagiarisms of each other. As Poe himself declared, Chivers could write the best and the worst poems of the period. Undeniably some of his lyrics have substantial merit. Along with Poe and...