NEW YORK (AP)—A rare first edition of Edgar Allan Poe’s first book, a collection of poetry written when he was 14, is to be auctioned by Sotheby’s, which calls it “the most exciting book discovery in many years.”

In the 161 years since its publication, only 11 other copies of “Tamerlane and Other Poems” have been found. Published in 1827 by an obscure Boston printer when the poet, short story writer and critic was 18, it could bring as much as $300,000 at the auction on June 7.

This 12th copy of the book was discovered in a bin of early 20th-century pamphlets on fertilizers and farming machines by a Massachusetts book collector while he browsed at an antique barn in New Hampshire. The price was $15.

Recognizing the title from an article he had once read, the collector contacted Sotheby’s for an inspection and appraisal.

“It was quite a thrill,” said Jay Dillon, an assistant vice president in Sotheby’s Rare Books Department. “God, it was thrilling. … Here’s a fabulous rarity, famous to anyone who’s ever taken more than two courses in American literature.”

The Massachusetts man, who has been collecting works on local history for the past three years, wishes to remain anonymous, Dillon said.

Poe, who was born in Boston in 1809, orphaned when he was 11 and raised in Richmond, Va., had the volume published during a short visit to Boston.

The literary importance of the 40-page book, which names the author only as “A Bostonian,” is considered negligible; rather, the work’s value has to do with the fact that it’s the first work of one of America’s greatest writers and a limited number of copies were printed.

How many were printed?

“One can guess, but they are all wild,” Dillon said. “I think the range would be from 50 to 250. I would be amazed if more than 500 were printed.”

The softbound book has its original, tea-colored paper wrappers and is in unrestored condition. “The wrappers are frayed, as one would expect in a 161-year-old pamphlet,” Dillon said. “There’s also a white stain on the front cover running through the first few pages.

“But the condition of a book like this is not a matter of great importance among connoisseurs. The question with this book is how can you get one at all. I would prefer it to be in better condition. … I also would prefer to have Poe’s signature on it.”

Nine of the other copies are in public institutions, one is owned privately and the other’s whereabouts is unknown, Dillon said.

The first copy didn’t surface until 1859 when an antiquarian bookseller in Boston sent it along with a consignment of books to an agent in London who promptly snatched it up for the British Museum. A second copy turned up 23 years later in a bookshop’s sidewalk box. It cost 15 cents and later sold at an auction in 1892 for $1,850.

Other copies have surfaced over the years through collections and dealers. The 11th copy was discovered in 1954 and was auctioned by Sotheby’s in 1974 for $123,000.

The poems included in the book are “Tamerlane” and a group Poe called “The Fugitive Pieces.” They are: “To —,” “Dreams,” “Visit of the Dead,” “Evening Star” (never again printed), “Imitation,” “Stanzas,” “Poem,” “A Wilder’d Being,” “The Happiest Day” and “The Lake.”

The adolescent collection was not exactly the literary hit of the day. One critic noted: “A book the critics read without praising, and the ladies praised without reading.”

However, the complex and tortured artist was vindicated in later years through his sinister and compelling stories such as “The Pit and the Pendulum.”