Tales of Mystery and Imagination

by Margaret Naudi (Adapted By)

1000 Headwords
Spiral into a dimly lit world, down streets lined with madmen and their black deeds, through the cold twists of the catacombs, and into rooms where secrets dwell. From the tortured mind of Edgar Allan Poe, these three tales, "The Black Cat," "The Fall of the House of Usher," and "The Cask of Amontillado," speak to the hidden places inside us all. Capturing the mist and shadows rising from the stories are illustrations by prominent artist Gary Kelley. Angular and dark, his work heightens the Gothic terror that is Poe's trademark and creates windows into Poe's world.

Genres: Horror, Classics, Fiction, Short Stories, Mystery, Gothic, Fantasy

80 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1908

Reviews

[Warwick · Rating 3 out of 5]

I remember visiting the Edgar Allan Poe museum the last time I was in Richmond, Virginia. At the time I don't think I had read any of his work, except perhaps The Raven. The museum was a creepy place, as you might imagine, with a lot of dark wood and eerie pictures and a strange garden that seemed to be in permanent shadow. It was a strange place and he was a strange man – a hard writer to pin down: distinctly American, but hugely influential in European letters; not technically a very brilliant writer, and yet the founder of half a dozen new literary genres.

Reading him feels, to me, like an act of almost shameful self-indulgence; rich but sickly; you feel you need a brisk walk afterwards. His weird stories mark a bridge between the Gothic and the new movements of symbolism and decadence and, later, the genres that would become known as horror and science fiction. He also invented the modern detective story.

I think of him as one of those writers that translates easily. In the same way, Tolstoy is venerated by non-Russians while native speakers find his prose mediocre. French speakers often say something similar about Victor Hugo. And the French were, it must be said, quite obsessed with ‘Edgar Poe’, particularly after his works were translated by Baudelaire.

Quelque chose de monomanique was the shrewd judgement of the Goncourts. Hard to argue with that. The predominant theme is death, but death elevated to a supernatural vividness and importance. The archetypal image of his works, for me, is the image of the young, beautiful, dead woman. This trope features heavily in ‘Morella’, ‘Berenice’, ‘The Fall of the House of Usher’, ‘Ligeia’ – and indeed in Poe's own life, because he married his thirteen-year-old cousin and she went on to die of tuberculosis when she was twenty-four. The death clearly left a lasting imprint on him.



So, yes: thanatophilia. I'm rolling out the long words. But it's true. Have a look at how he chooses to end ‘The Masque of the Red Death’, for instance:

And now was acknowledged the presence of the Red Death. He had come like a thief in the night. And one by one dropped the revellers in the blood-bedewed halls of their revel, and died each in the despairing posture of his fall. And the life of the ebony clock went out with that of the last of the gay. And the flames of the tripods expired. And Darkness and Decay and the Red Death held illimitable dominion over all.

Sleep tight, kids! Another story ends: ‘the grave was still a home, and the corrosive hours, co-mates.’ Another ends: ‘there lay a nearly liquid mass of loathsome—of detestable putridity.’ Another ends – well you get the idea.

Poe's prose is melodramatic and rococo and makes full use of Grand Exclamations! And italicised phrases of dread! Oh the Horror and the Agony! And nothing but the drear grave and the worm for evermore! And so forth. But he is also imaginative and, sometimes, positively economical, setting the scene brilliantly in just a few short sentences and creating an atmosphere all his own (what Allen Ginsberg called his ‘demonic dreaminess’). His vocabulary, steeped as it is in the high-flown tradition of dark romanticism, was a constant delight to me, built of ornate items like sulphureous, pulsation, exergue, faucial, chasmal, cachinnatory, asphyctic and many more goodies besides.



Jorge Luis Borges said that Poe's writings as a whole constitute a work of genius, although each individual piece is flawed. This is a very appealing assessment. He is an important writer, and often a very fascinating and enjoyable one – but that said, I don't really feel the desire to spend all that much time in his company.

However, make sure you get a version with Harry Clarke's angular, Beardsley-esque illustrations. They are superlative.

[Thomas Stroemquist · Rating 5 out of 5]

Partly, but quite sufficiently different selection of Poe's stories compared to Selected Tales, which I also have and re-read from time to time. Absorbing, suspenseful, chilling and very very good!

[Abrar Alarjan · Rating 4 out of 5]

أود أن أقرأ أكثر لإدغار ألن بو ،هذا الرجل أذهلني بالفعل .
محتوى القصص :القصة الاولى عن رجل مع آرشر وعن مرضه بسبب الكآبة المتواجدة في منزله ثم يتأثر بسماع قصصه ويعتقد بأن القصة تتحدث عنه فيموت بعده هو وأخته .

القصة الثانية عن القطة الاسود الذي قلعته عينه بوساطة صاحبه ومن ثم خنق بوساطته أيضا لينتقم منه قط لديه وشم يذكره بالذي فعله مع القط السوداء فيغضب ثم يقتل زوجته ويخبئها خلف الحائط ثم يتعرف بلسانه أمام الشرطة عندما بحثت عن ذلك .

القصة الثالثة عن الرجل الذي كأني منع رجلا أخرى من ارتكاب الجرائم ولايعرف بأن هذا الرجل إنما هو نفسه إلا عندما يقتل الرجل فيعرف بأنه قتل نفسه وكأنها (صورة رمزية عن الضمير )

القصة الثالثة عن رجل لديه إذن حادة أراد قتل رجل عجوز لأنه لديه عينان مثل النسر في الحدة فيقتله ثم يقطع أجزاء جسده وخبأها جيدًا ححتى جأت الشرطة بسبب ان الجيران قد سمعوا صوتًا قويًا لتتأكد بأنه لم يحدث شيء يعترف الرجل بأنه قتل الرجل العجوز عندما يمسع نبضات قلب الرجل العجوز مع أن الشرطة لم تكن تسمع النبضات

[Dominic Piacentini · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is the size of an AP textbook, and it is not conducive to reading at the beach, in the bath, or anywhere besides a desk seemingly. It’s got it all — the classics (Red Death, Black Cat, Tell-Tale Heart, Pit & Pendulum, Amontillado, etc.) and also an array of others that stretched my expectations for what a Poe story is. Like — WTF is going on with Berenice’s teeth?!
I knew Poe for gothic horror and mystery; I didn’t realize until I read Lionizing that he was also funny. While Murders in the Rue Morgue is great fun, it’s sequel and the longest story in the lot (The Mystery of Marie Rogêt) is certainly not. Other standouts that were new to me included William Wilson, King Pest, and The Man of the Crowd.
Harry Clarke’s intricate illustrations were memorable. I only wish there were more of them.

[Sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another volume for my recently started Poe collection, this volume has 6 of Poe's better known stories complete with a small number of illustrations to bring hos work to life (as if it needs the help, still they are really good illustrations, the one for Usher is excellent). As ever I am a self confessed Poe addict so this review is biased to the hilt (you have been warned) but no-one can deny he had a knack and talent for bringing his stories to life and capturing the very essence of each of his characters and the core of the story. This volume includes The Gold-Bug, a great treasure hunt story that puts you in the mind of Treasure Isand, The Oblong Box, which is a tale of love, loss and superstition, The Mystery of Marie Roget, which takes a real life crime and proposes a solution. The volume also includes The Fall of the House of Usher, one of the first Poe stories I read and one that chills me even today, The Murders in the Rue Morgue, the prequal to Marie Roget and a great murder mystery in its own right and is finished of by The Pit and the Pendulum, which provides a terrifying look into the practices of the Inquisition. If you never read any Poe before (what is wrong with you!?) this showcases his most popular stories and makes a great start. If you have read Poe before, then you'll love it (unless you're not a fan, in which case...what is wrong with you!?!).

[Nostalgia Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Averages out to 3.6 stars, rounding up to 4 because the good ones are SO GOOD they make up for the really, really, really dull ones.

Buddy read reading list based off of this list of stories for ToMaI, plus some additional ones. See my status updates below for short reviews.

Metzengerstein: 3.5 stars
Berenice: 2.5 stars
The Fall of the House of Usher: 4 stars
William Wilson: 1.5 stars
The Murders in the Rue Morgue: 3.5 stars
A Descent into the Maelström: 3 stars
The Oval Portrait: 3.5 stars
The Masque of the Red Death: 5 stars
The Pit and the Pendulum: 4 stars
The Mystery of Marie Roget: 1 star
The Tell-Tale Heart: 3 stars
The Gold Bug: 4.5 stars
The Purloined Letter: 3 stars
The Black Cat: 4.5 stars
The System of Dr. Tarr & Prof. Fether: 4 stars
The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar: 4.5 stars
The Cask of Amontillado: 5 stars
Hop-Frog: 5 stars

[Isabel Ventura · Rating 2 out of 5]

2,5/5⭐️

Escogí este libro para empezar con lecturas en inglés porque necesitaba volver a coger el ritmo y costumbre.

Es un libro de nivel, cortito, de varias historias cortas de misterio y un poco oscuras.
No sé si es porque ya lo había leído antes (en clase) o por qué pero meh, las historias sí son un poco perturbadoras pero me han resultado algo aburridas la verdad.

[Aytaj Ismayilova · Rating 3 out of 5]

I decided to read literature in English to improve my reading ability. Starting with simplified versions of Edgar Allan Poe's novels is not a good choice, but I have limited access to English books at the moment.
Edgar Allan Poe's writing style is renowned, and even though his stories may not be as frightening by today's standards, they are still appreciated for their atmospheric and psychological elements.

[ثامر · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book has fantastic tales , you will not get bored when you read it , and it is type of books that you could take only one tale in each session.

[martiinflins · Rating 3 out of 5]

Històries de "terror" bastant cutrilles. Necessitava quelcom per llegir perque el seguent llibre està a Barcelona i fins demà no el tindre. Ha fet l'apaño pero bah

[Namiko]

I finally embarked on famous stories written by a famous writer - Edgar Allan Poe!!!
There are five short stories in this book. All plots are familiar, because, I think, many comtemporary writers are affected by him.
Most of all the main characters are crazy do cruel or brutal things, like taking out his pet cat's eyeball. And in the end they are all crazy enough to tell the truth.

The Fall of the House of Usher
The Black Cat
The masque of the Red Death
William Wilson (this plot is similar to the story written by Takashi Atoda)
The Tell-Tale Heart

[Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Harry Clarke's vivid and disturbing illustrations, reminiscent of the work of Aubrey Beardsley, bring hideous life to Poe's stories, and I find myself returning to both the stories and the illustrations again and again.

My parents had a copy of the original version of this book, published by Tudor Publishing Co. Calla Editions has done a truly excellent job with this reproduction, and I can't recommend it highly enough.

If you have any interest in either Poe's fiction, or weird art, this book will give you a lifetime of enjoyment--and if you're lucky, a nightmare or two!

[Mik Cope · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautiful, large-format hardcover published by The Folio Society in 1999. Regarding the content, little needs to be said; who once encounters Poe will go away forever changed ... or, put less dramatically - highly recommended!

[Nina Vansteenkiste · Rating 3 out of 5]

some of the short stories were boring but others were filled with suspense, so that is why i have it three stars

[juana · Rating 4 out of 5]

ok I can understand why everyone call edgar allan poe the master of mystery and horror. I haven't felt this last one tho, but I can affirm that the stories are great if u are a fan of these topics.
I really loved the prose and how easily u can read this so it ended up being a nice reading experience.
btw i notice that mostly in every tale, we find that before something bad or terrifying happens, the characters, through their feelings, know that something is wrong. that uncomfortable feeling they had before taking a bad decision is the one that we have in real life- idk just thoughts while reading.
a common element i found was the fact that almost every story is tell by someone who experienced that situation so we can think they are living a nightmare right now.
honestly I don't have much to say but here is my top (most to least fav)
1. william wilson
2. the masque of the red death
3. the black cat
4. the tell tale heart
5. the fall of the house of usher

[Dunia Derwiche · Rating 3 out of 5]

The five short stories were great, it just missed something in my opinion, the ending wasn’t as shocking as other fantastic stories I’ve read but they were short and easy to read ! As a person who gets frightened very easily I found them not very scary (which made them even more enjoyable)

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this back in 2016 and I liked it a lot, it sparked my interest in gothic literature and I’ve been wanting to read the original thing since

[Muhnnad Balbaid · Rating 2 out of 5]

It contains 5 strange and horror short story I liked the second one and the fourth most, who like horror book I advise him to read this book

[Eli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Muy interesante

[Robert M. Lucas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Most interest of the lot: The Black Cat, and The Masque of the Red Death.

[Patri (Between Books and Dragons) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ha sido mi primera lectura en inglés y la verdad que genial.
Las historias aún siendo cortas consiguen en poco engancharte. Para leerse relatos cortos de terror lo veo muy bien.

[Çetineus · Rating 4 out of 5]

it was scary and gripping

[هُـدىٰ · Rating 1 out of 5]

This supposed to be scary but I am too strong to be scared; it would be more enjoyable if I wasn’t. 😏✌️

[frani · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this in high school (but the cambridge version) and revisiting them was actually quite enjoyable

[Khitam · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't like it.

[Zimo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Five beautiful stories which are fun to read, and even more fun to ponder about.

[Juanita · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

[AMEER · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am not fan of horror stories.

[amy ♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bardzo mi się podobała, książka z dreszczykiem i fajnymi strasznymi historykami, polecam bardzo

[Zsófia Sánta · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's good for it's purpose. Very great adaptation, and didn't lose Poe's gloom at all.