Essential Tales and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe

EDGAR ALLAN POE (1809-1849) is one of America's greatest and best-loved writers. Known as the father of the detective story, Poe is perhaps most famous for his short stories--particularly his shrewd mysteries and chilling, often grotesque tales of horror--he was also an extremely accomplished poet and a tough literary critic.Poe's life was not far removed from the drama of his fiction. Orphaned at a young age, he was raised by a foster family. As a young man, he developed problems with gambling, debts, and alcohol, and was even dismissed from the army. His love life was marked by tragedy and heartbreak. Despite these difficulties, Poe produced many works now considered essential to the American literary canon.

• Introduction by Daniel StashowerTALESMS. Found in a BottleA Descent into the MaelstromThe Gold-BugThe Facts in the Case of M. ValdemarThe Murders in the Rue MorgueThe Fall of the House of UsherThe Purloined LetterThe Tell-Tale HeartThe Black CatThe Imp of the PerverseThe Premature BurialThe Cask of AmontilladoThe Pit and the PendulumThe Masque of the Red DeathThe Man of the CrowdHop-FrogWilliam WilsonLigeiaMorellaMetzengersteinThe Narrative of A. Gordon PymPOEMSPreface to the PoemsPoems Written in YouthTamerlaneTo HelenMiscellaneous PoemsThe RavenUlalumeAnnabel LeeThe BellsThe Conquerer WormThe City in the SeaA Dream within a DreamEldoradoIndex of First LinesThe Life and Times of Edgar Allan PoeFurther Reading