Longfellow's "Spanish Student" appeared for the first time in _Graham's Magazine_, and Longfellow also contributed "Nuremberg" (June, 1844), "The Arsenal at Springfield" (May, 1844), "Dante's Divina Commedia" (June, 1850), "Childhood" (March, 1844), "Belfry of Bruges" (Vol. 22).
Poe published here "The Murders of the Rue Morgue," three chapters on Autography (Nov., Dec., 1841-Jan., 1842), a review of Horne's "Orion" (March, 1844), "Dreamland" (June, 1844), "To Helen," "Israfel," "A Few Words about Brainard," "Life in Death," "The Mask of the Red Death" (May, 1842), numerous reviews of new books, and "The Conqueror Worm" (Vol. 22).
After Griswold left the _Magazine_ Mr. Graham assumed more of the literary management, and engaged E. P. Whipple to write the editorial reviews of the more important books, which he continued to do until 1854.
Nathaniel Hawthorne included many of his early contributions to this magazine in his "Twice-Told Tales." "The Earth's Holocaust" appeared in May, 1844.
George D. Prentice wrote verses. "Fanny Forester" (Mrs. Judson) sent some brilliant sketches, and Phoebe and Alice Cary, and Grace Greenwood were faithful correspondents. From the South came verses and prose tales by William Gilmore Simms. Other captain jewels in Graham's carcanet were the gifts of Miss Sedgwick, Frances S. Osgood, N. P. Willis ("it was very comfortable that there should have been a Willis"), James K. Paulding, Park Benjamin, W. W. Story, Geo. W. Bethune, Mary Lockhart Lawson, Charles Fenno Hoffman, Alfred B. Street and Albert Pike.
Among the Philadelphians who rendered frequent aid to the editor were Joseph C. Neal, Richard Penn Smith, Dr. J. K. Mitchell, Robert Morris and Thomas Dunn English, the author of "Ben Bolt," who would seem to have tasted the fountain of eternal youth, and has gone to Congress in 1890 a jolly, thriving candidate.
William Henry Herbert (Frank Forester) furnished a number of sporting sketches and other articles.
The circulation of _Graham's Magazine_ when at the top of popularity was thirty-five or thirty-seven thousand. Mr. Graham sold out in 1848, but bought back the property in 1849. He finally parted with it in 1854.
Washington Irving alone, among the far-shining men of letters in the country, had no connection with _Graham's_. The _Knickerbocker Magazine_ of New York found place for all that the facility of his pen could create, and guarded jealously the productions of their "crack writer."