Product Description

This selection of Poe's critical writings, short fiction and poetry demonstrates an intense interest in aesthetic issues and the astonishing power and imagination with which he probed the darkest corners of the human mind. The Fall of the House of Usher describes the final hours of a family tormented by tragedy and the legacy of the past. In the Tell Tale Heart, a murderer's insane delusions threaten to betray him, while stories such as The Pit and the Pendulum and the Cask of Amontillado explore extreme states of decadence, fear and hate.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #141649 in Books
• Published on: 2003-03-27
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 544 pages

About the Author
Although dissipated in his youth and plagued by mental instability towards the end of his life, Boston-born Edgar Allan Poe (1809-49) had a variety of occupations including service in the US army and magazine editor, as well as his remarkable literary output.

Customer Reviews

Once upon a midnight dreary ...
Great stuff - it's hard to believe that Poe's short stories were written in the first half of the 19th century. They are superbly modern, even postmodern, in their claustrophobic obsession with mystery, darkness, death and decay, madness, cruelty and torture. Poe is a master stylist, a superb writer of English, and all the stories are compact and totally consistent in atmosphere and tone.

As another reviewer mentions, this collection also inlcudes the detective stories about M. Dupin, solving the mysteries of "The Murders in the Rue Morgue" and "The Purloined Letter". These are masterpieces of short fiction, while "The Black Cat" and "The Tell-tale Heart" are truly horrific. Other stories are more gothic - "Ligeia" and "The Fall of the House of Usher", while "The Pit and the Pendulum", "The Masque of the Red Death" and "The Cask of Amontillado" are compact, dense tales of medieval cruelty, torment and horror.

Also included in this edition are some poems ("The Raven" is a particular highlight) and some of Poe's non-fiction writing - magazine articles, theatre and book reviews.

Perfect Introduction
This a collection of the best writings of Poe, featuring all of the most well known works such as the Raven.

It is an ideal introduction to the works of one of the greatest poet/story writers ever.

A great value for money book, and as I said, the perfect introduction.

Fantastic Writing
Edgar Allan Poe was perhaps the greatest American short story writer in our history. He is a surrealist and a subtle master of the pyschological thriller. In fact, it was Poe who created the Detective/Mystery genre, and it was he from whom Sir Author Conan Doyle drew his inspiration for Sherlock Holmes.

Poe, however, reaches his peek when he is telling a tale of madness and horror. My absolute favorite Poe tale is The Fall Of The House Of Usher. Also, the Pit And The Pendulum is an excellent read.

And, as has been stated, this book is an excellent primer for all would be Poe enthusiasts.