Often acclaimed as the finest Irish illustrator of all time, Harry Clarke (1889-1931) first turned his hand to depicting the works of Edgar Allan Poe around 1914. Poe's work was ideally suited to Clarke, who drew in an intricate style often reminiscent of Aubrey Beardsley, and was fascinated by the weird and macabre. By 1919 Clarke had produced 24 drawings to accompany a new edition of Poe's "Tales of Mystery and Imagination". It became a best-seller, and was reprinted in 1923 with an additional 8 full-colour plates by Clarke. NIGHTMARES IN DECAY features full-page reproductions of all 32 of Clarke's Poe illustrations, including all 8 full colour plates, as well as vignettes and rare variations. It also includes a lengthy illustrated biographical introduction to Clarke, his life and his entire artistic oeuvre by D M Mitchell, making a total of over 50 illustrations.
