irst experience in publishing to discourage h!
             im, for he produced a second volume of literature, Al Aaraaf, Tamerlane, and Minor Poems, in 1829. As its title indicates, it was a revised and expanded version of his first book, receiving about as much acclaim. After expulsion from West Point, which he admittedly brought upon himself of his own free will, Poe was destitute. He was in extreme financial difficulties, being unable to attain any grant from his foster father. Though he was at this time more desperate then ever before, he showed extreme perseverance in his literary ventures. He published a book entitled, merely, Poems. Though it too was largely ignored by critics, it contained several of his most famous poems: "To Helen," "Israfel," "The City in the Sea," "Lenore," & "The Valley of Unrest." Upon finding salvation in the home of his Aunt Clemm in Baltimore, an active publishing center, he set to work as an author. In 1831 he competed in a contest, held by the Philadelphia Saturday Courier, to see who could submit t!
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