Tales of Mystery, Imagination, and Humour: And Poems

by Edgar Allan Poe

Overview

According to even his most forgiving biographers, Edgar Allan Poe (1809–49) was a difficult man. Arrested whilst touring Europe, and expelled from the United States Military Academy at West Point, he tended to lose both work and friends through drunkenness. Best known for his goriest stories, Poe is often presented to the modern reader as a writer of horror. However, this collection, published in 1852, offers a broader selection of his work. It includes one of his first pieces of detective fiction, 'The Gold-Beetle', resulting from his preoccupation with cryptography; 'A Descent into the Maelström', an early example of science fiction; the mesmeric verse of 'The Raven'; and some of his lesser-known love poetry. A pioneer of modern genre fiction, Poe remains important and influential in the American literary canon. This lavishly illustrated collection represents an excellent introduction to his work.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781108060479
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	05/09/2013
Series:	Cambridge Library Collection - Fiction and Poetry
Pages:	282
Product dimensions:	5.60(w) x 8.60(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849) was orphaned at the age of three and adopted by a wealthy Virginia family with whom he had a troubled relationship. He excelled in his studies of language and literature at school, and self-published his first book, Tamerlane and Other Poems, in 1827. In 1830, Poe embarked on a career as a writer and began contributing reviews and essays to popular periodicals. He also wrote sketches and short fiction, and in 1833 published his only completed novel, The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket. Over the next five years he established himself as a master of the short story form through the publication of "The Fall of the House of Usher," "The Masque of the Red Death," "The Tell-Tale Heart," and other well–known works. In 1841, he wrote "The Murders in the Rue Morgue," generally considered the first modern detective story. The publication of The Raven and Other Poems in 1845 brought him additional fame as a poet.

Table of Contents

Memoir of the author; Part I. Tales: The Gold-Beetle; Startling Effects of Mesmerism on a Dying Man; A Descent into the Maelström; The Murders in the rue Morgue; The Mystery of Marie Roget; The Purloined Letter; The Premature Burial; Some Words with a Mummy; Part II. Poems: The Raven; Lenore; The Bells; Ulalume; Annabel Lee; Bridal Ballad; The Haunted Palace; Eulalie; For Annie; A Valentine; An Enigma.