Greatest Works of Edgar Allan Poe

by Edgar Allan Poe

Delve into the dark and mesmerizing world of Edgar Allan Poe, where suspense and terror reign supreme. In this collection of his greatest works, experience the haunting brilliance of The Raven, as a lone narrator confronts a mysterious visitor in a chilling tale of loss and madness. Enter the macabre depths of The Tell-Tale Heart, where a murderer's guilt manifests in haunting paranoia. Dis the mesmerizing detective skills of C. Auguste Dupin in Murders in the Rue Morgue, the pioneer of the modern detective story. These timeless classics display Poe's mastery of atmosphere, psychological complexity, and the power to elicit spine-tingling thrills.
Unforgettable tales of Gothic horror and macabre suspense.Masterful exploration of the human psyche and dark obsessions.Intricate and chilling mysteries with ingenious plot twists.Evocative language that lingers, haunting your thoughts and dreams.Unmatched ability to create an atmosphere of haunting dread. Optimized for digital reading, this ebook offers a smooth, immersive experience on any device.

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

592 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 1, 2018

About the author

The name Poe brings to mind images of murderers and madmen, premature burials, and mysterious women who return from the dead. His works have been in print since 1827 and include such literary classics as The Tell-Tale Heart, The Raven, and The Fall of the House of Usher. This versatile writer’s oeuvre includes short stories, poetry, a novel, a textbook, a book of scientific theory, and hundreds of essays and book reviews. He is widely acknowledged as the inventor of the modern detective story and an innovator in the science fiction genre, but he made his living as America’s first great literary critic and theoretician. Poe’s reputation today rests primarily on his tales of terror as well as on his haunting lyric poetry.

Just as the bizarre characters in Poe’s stories have captured the public imagination so too has Poe himself. He is seen as a morbid, mysterious figure lurking in the shadows of moonlit cemeteries or crumbling castles. This is the Poe of legend. But much of what we know about Poe is wrong, the product of a biography written by one of his enemies in an attempt to defame the author’s name.

The real Poe was born to traveling actors in Boston on January 19, 1809. Edgar was the second of three children. His other brother William Henry Leonard Poe would also become a poet before his early death, and Poe’s sister Rosalie Poe would grow up to teach penmanship at a Richmond girls’ school. Within three years of Poe’s birth both of his parents had died, and he was taken in by the wealthy tobacco merchant John Allan and his wife Frances Valentine Allan in Richmond, Virginia while Poe’s siblings went to live with other families. Mr. Allan would rear Poe to be a businessman and a Virginia gentleman, but Poe had dreams of being a writer in emulation of his childhood hero the British poet Lord Byron. Early poetic verses found written in a young Poe’s handwriting on the backs of Allan’s ledger sheets reveal how little interest Poe had in the tobacco business.

For more information, please see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edgar_al...

Reviews

[Saranya [mostly ia] · Rating 4 out of 5]

E.A. Poe’s legacy is a cathedral built of shadows. His words ring with dread, beauty and the fragile tremors of human madness. To read his greatest works is to wander through haunted corridors where grief, obsession and terror intertwined.

Poe’s genius is found in both his mastery of the macabre and his precise emotional insight. The Raven is not merely about a bird but about the way grief repeats itself until it becomes unbearable. The Tell Tale Heart doesn’t frighten with gore but with the suffocating rhythm of guilt. The Fall of the House of Usher was a beautiful symphony of decay, where every stone… every shadow whispers doom.

But Poe is not all darkness. Annabel Lee shows that love, even when drowned by the sea can shimmer with eternal devotion. And in The Murders in the Rue Morgue, he gifts literature its first detective (yes, even before Sherlock Holmes was born. People say that Sherlock Holmes was, in fact, inspired from this very detective.), showing that horror and logic can coexist in the same breath.

Reading Poe is like holding a candle in a storm. The light is shaky and might go out but it reveals dark truths we usually try to ignore. His stories are not just fiction- they are deep, dramatic looks into the messy reality of being human. Again and again, he choreographs the danse macabre- death not as an end, but as a relentless partner in the waltz of human longing.

If you crave literature that balances tragedy with triumph, madness with melody, Poe’s works remain timeless companions in the dark!

[Sonali Ekka · Rating 5 out of 5]

A collection of some of the poems, tales, essays, criticisms & personal letters written by Poe, this book is as beautiful inside as it's outside. Its well curated pieces convey the sheer brilliance of Poe: as the pioneer of detective stories by using ratiocination; as someone who wrote horror, romance, humour with equal brilliance, who described beauty of a woman as well as nature, as well as describe the absolute mental horror or grotesqueness of a rotting corpse; who wrote about grief from loss of love or a loved one but also fear or anger, as well as a sweet comedy about a talking Egyptian mummy! At 15, Poe wrote his longest, most complex poem about Al Araaf, a supernova; but he's also written a short poem berating Science as well as a tale describing a chess - playing automaton! His essays & criticisms were sharp, witty, sometimes unforgiving to the subject. But they taught me how to appreciate poetry. His letters give a glimpse of his personality, his romance(s), friendships as well as struggles. While Poe's works are freely available on the net, this book is a mandatory collectible for every Poe fan.

[Anirudh Kukreja · Rating 3 out of 5]

The OG emo boy of literature! Disclaimer: maybe don't read his work in Winters: you'll be chilled to the bone.
The collection was interesting, albeit a bit hard to read every now and then.
"Raven" is obviously one of his best works along with "Black Cat".
What came as a pleasant surprise was that I even enjoyed his "letters."

[Marcos “MSMDragon” · Rating 4 out of 5]

Poe’s writing is so good but so creepy! The Cask of Amontillado will forever be my favorite of all his works.

[Parthiv · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was surprised by the breadth of this collection; it covers everything from his finest tales to his most obscure letters. Otherwise, I don’t think one needs to be reminded of the excellence of Edgar Allan Poe. It suffices to say, his writing is visceral enough to give you nightmares—quite literally. Read at your own risk!

[Andrew Balyk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ідеальна осіння книга. Колись здавалось, що По - це про страх. А він, виявляється, про людей. І це ще страшніше.

[Kristen Glenn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ll get flack for this as a book lover but these weren’t my favorite works & it had been awhile since I’d read Edgar Allan Poe so I’d forgotten how long winded & detailed he writes & maybe the subjects were the issue & because I wasn’t interested I found it difficult to read every page for a majority of the story. His is a specific type of writing that isn’t for everyone. Mine is just a personal preference when it comes to not enjoying this type of writing though I love his shorter stories

[Tom Langemo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Poe is such a force in terms of his influence on storytelling and the horror genre, and his short stories and poems are iconic; when someone uses a motif from his work, you can't miss it. And, it was fun to explore again the classics like "House of Usher," "Tell-tale Heart," and "Annabel Lee." However, In reading this, I can see how some of his work became so popular vs other works of his. Some of it didn't quite hit the mark for me, but it was still enjoyable to read. I'll always be a Poe fan. I gave the book 3 stars, but some of his works and his legacy are a big 5 stars.

[Jason Krahn · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 * A bit of an up and down read. I enjoyed the Tales section more then the Poems. Was not a fan of the Essays & Criticism section. Poe was definitely an interesting writer but I felt he had a lot more of the weaker works than his famous ones. But when it works, he is a master of melancholy.

[Layla ライラ · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭒ 3.5 ⭒

[Tina Das · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had read most of the prose when I read "Tales of Mystery and Imagination". Nonetheless it was a delight to read his poems and his essays.
I particularly liked "Poetic Principle".

[Violet ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

GREATEST WORKS by Edgar Allan Poe
RATING: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
FAVE QUOTES: "How was it that Ambition crept, Unseen, amid the rebels there, Till growing bold, he laughed and leapt, In the tangles of Love's very hair?" ~ Tamerlane
"You call it Hope, that fire of fire; It is but agony of desire!" ~ Tamerlane
"And more I admire Thy distant fire, Than that colder, lowly light." ~ Evening Star
“Men have called me mad; but the question is not yet settled, whether madness is or is not the loftiest intelligence.” ~ The Tell-Tale Heart
“Is all that we see or seem, But a dream within a dream?” ~ A Dream Within a Dream
“While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping, As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door. Tis some visitor," I muttered, "tapping at my chamber door — Only this, and nothing more." ~ The Raven
“Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there, wondering, fearing, doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before.” ~ The Raven
“Quoth the Raven, "Nevermore.” ~ The Raven

➸ Woah I'd never realised just how good Poe was until I read this. I found a lot of his work similar to Kafka, specifically the parallels between The Pit and the Pendulum and Kafka's In the Penal Colony. I also saw just how influenced other writers have been by Poe's work. In particular, Stephen King, who references The Masque of the Red Death and draws from The Black Cat in The Shining. I never realised how many genres Poe started and adapted, such as modern detective, modern sci-fi and, obviously, the gothic and romantic tropes!
The book consisted of his poetry, short stories, essays and letters. Out of his poetic work, my favourite was definitely The Raven, which came down to how clever the rhyme scheme was. I also thought Al Aaraaf, Bridal Ballad, Ulalume, Tamerlane, Annabel Lee and Alone were brilliant! I had previously read The Tell-Tale Heart, which remains my favourite short story of all time, but I also liked The Masque of the Red Death, The Fall of the House of Usher and The Cask of Amontillado. I'd heard about his essay debunking Maelzel's Chess Player but it was interesting to read it for real! It was interesting to see Poe's own breakdown of The Raven in The Philosophy of Composition, too. I thought the letters being included was a nice touch as well, which offered insight into Poe's personal life.

➸ CONCLUSION!
I regrettably also found out that Poe married his 13 year old cousin when he was 27 which kind of put me off some of his romantic work... ANYWAY it was nice to finally get around to reading his stuff, because he has definitely left a legacy!

[Collin Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

As it pertains to my own original creative writing experience, there exist no bigger influence on my work and mode of composition than the gothic and troubled Edgar Allan Poe.

This collected work includes some of Poe's most famous poems, short stories, essays, critical pieces, and letters. This collected work also contains a plethora of black and white illustrations that are drawn beautifully and add well to the stories contained.

For the poetry of Poe, his poems are a hit or miss for me. Many I skim over, but works such as "A Dream Within A Dream," "Sonnet-To Science," and "The Raven" are some of my favorites. In the "Philosophy of Composition," Poe outlines his methodology for poetry composition. It is meticulous, analytical, and precise, which you can feel upon reading. He uses The Raven as an example, outlining his theory of the death of a beautiful women being the most poetical topic, the circumscribed space for creating an isolated incident, his usage of Pallas, and the decision to use a Raven instead of a Parrot. Everything revolves around the "unity of effect," short length for a reading in a single sitting, and effect.

Poe's short stories are what I prefer more. His works are gothic, contain psychological madness, hyperrationality, and obsession. I like that, in some of his works like "Ligeia" or "The Fall of the House of Usher," we have poems included in the stories themselves. Name symbolism, such as the case of "The Masque of The Red Death," or "The Cask of Amontillado" show intention behind every element in his narratives. This is also the case for the tone of his works, especially in establishing setting. One could also not leave out his contributions to the engendering of the modern detective story with "The Murders in The Rue Morgue."

His essays are also quite interesting. Some are more humorous, like "The Philosophy of Furniture," but others are groundbreaking works of literary theory and criticism like the aforementioned "Philosophy of Composition."

Poe is an inspiration for me due to his intentionality with his creative process. His ability to set tone, his vivid imagery, his attention to names, motifs he uses such as eyes or the death of beautiful women, all have influenced the reader and writer I am today.

[Todd Price · Rating 4 out of 5]

The melancholy tone of Poe’s works cannot be understated. The writer himself relays that the concept of death is the most poetic sentiment to him. But not only death, death and beauty commingled, and as a result the death OF beauty being the most romantic subject his mind can conjure.

Poe’s works are quite literally “morbidly fascinating”. The dark tenor of his writing elicits a sense of dread and presentiments of gloom. Yet, the style is highly engaging. Some of the poetry becomes a bit ostentatious, but several are quite riveting. I was surprised at how favorably “The Raven” compares to the other poetic works he created. It simply flows more freely in the reading, making it completely understandable how it has become his most beloved and famous work.

However, his tales are excellent. Noting that “Murders in the Rue Morgue” was truly the first detective story makes them all the more admirable. The deductive reasoning technique has been copied endlessly for the past nearly two centuries in literature, but Poe’s creativity stands the test of time.

Being that I read this in October, with the season of Halloween at hand, it made the tone appropriate to the time of year. The only section I struggled through were some of the reviews and literary criticism. Yet, they provide an enlightened glimpse into the brilliant and dark mind of the writer. Certainly a book for all fans of fine literature.

[Vincent]

The Greatest Works of Edgar Allan Poe is a collection of many of his stories, letters, and essays. Many of the iconic poets’ works are found in this book. Edgar Allan Poe wrote many great works, but what most intrigued me were his poems. The Gothic theme can trace much of its roots to this man, and it was amazing to see his writing (sort of) first-hand. The creepy mood of all his poems, and how amazing a storyteller he is. He does have some shortcomings, though; his wording and stories can sometimes be very confusing, making it difficult to understand the message. It also does not help that he wrote in Old English, making it even harder to understand. Regardless of those issues, I believe that everyone should read these stories when they are old enough to somewhat understand what Poe is writing, so that they can understand where the Gothic theme came from.
This book is largely poetry and Poe’s most famous works; poetry is common, but less so than the structure used for normal books. This text structure was amazing for Poe; his writing style shone with the help of poetic literature. The rhyming and flow of his words carry his thoughts and emotions to the reader, which really spoke to me.

[Brandon William]

Recommended Works:

Poems
-Evening Star
-Fairy-Land
-Lenore
-The City in the Sea
-The Valley of Unrest
-The Raven
-Ulalume: A Ballad
-Annabel Lee
-The Bells
-Alone

Tales
-The Fall of the House of Usher
-The Masque of the Red Death
-The Pit and the Pendulum
-The Tell-Tale Heart
-The Cask of Amontillado


Some fantastic work, alot of parody and detective work I couldn't care less for, but having some of these greatest-of-greats works in such a beautiful book is worth the package, and let me leave you with a quote from one of his letters.....

"Your kind invitation to dinner today has wounded me to the quick. I cannot come--and for reasons of the most humiliating nature--my personal appearance. .... If you will be my friend so far as to loan me $20 {~$720 USD 2024}, I will call on you to-morrow..."


[there is a typo in "A Tell Tale Heart" that goes as follows, " I tried how steadily I could maintain the ray upon the eve." instead of "upon the eye" .... I've been told this is likely because they scanned the books and let a computer copy it by eye, ironically enough.

[Arvin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked up the works of Poe after hearing about him in a YouTube recommendation, and at first, his writing felt slightly intricate and intertwined. But gradually, as I explored more of his stories and poems, his world began to unfold beautifully. Poe does not merely tell stories; he creates an atmosphere so immersive that one feels trapped inside the mind of the narrator itself.
What fascinated me most was the psychological depth beneath the horror. Stories like and are not simply about crime or fear — they are about guilt, obsession, madness, and the fragile workings of the human mind. His writing constantly keeps the reader at the edge, not only because of suspense, but because of the profound emotional and philosophical undercurrents hidden beneath the gothic surface.
Once one settles into Poe’s rhythm, reading him almost feels like listening to someone speak about life, grief, fear, and mortality in a strangely intimate manner. Edgar Allan Poe is truly a must-read for anyone interested in literature, psychology, and the darker yet deeply human corners of existence.

[Jeannine Morin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Edgar was one of the most beautiful and wonderful gifts given to mankind. I believe he's an angel, a forgotten angel from a long time ago that God put here to teach us something about mental illness, and the struggles one deals with when it comes to Unrequited love. I've had many spiritual moments throughout my life, but none as strong as the moment I was outside spending time with God, looking up at his wonderous night sky and thinking of Edgar Allan Poe and realizing that the word Poetry when broken up spells Poe/Try. It was such a perfect moment, and perfect find, that my faith and beliefs, and especially my journey, became that much more validated and stronger.
Of course my favorites will always be Alone, Annabel lee, and The Raven. They are masterpieces.

[Maks Chrapusta · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful collection of Edgar Allan Poe’s finest works. The poems were thrilling, the short stories mesmerising, the essays and criticisms intriguing (especially the philosophy of composition / the poetic principle) and the letters revealing. It’s a great dive into the world of Poe and his thinking. The only reason I haven’t given it a 5 is certain stories and most essays and criticism required effort to read and got highly analytical with branching ideas that offered a lot of confusion, and at times distracted me from a story.

[Rachel Englert · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is broken up into a few sections - his poems, short stories, essays/criticism, and letters. All of his short stories are great! I learned that Poe is credited to have written the first detective story with his character C. Auguste Dupin (The Murders in the Rue Morgue). Other favorites include The Tell-Tale Heart and The Black Cat. I am rather dense when it comes to poetry, so I had to look up meanings for a good deal of the poems but still felt like I learned something. My favorite poems were (of course) The Raven and Annabel Lee.

[RAVINDER KAUR · Rating 5 out of 5]

The one who beautified death, is a right description of Edgar Allan Poe. Poe has many literary achievements to his credit. His tales like Murder in the Rue Morgue, inspired Arthur Conan Doyle to compose Sherlock series.
This compilation contains some of the best compositions of Poe like The Raven, The Tell-Tale Heart, The Gold-bug, Ligeia, among others.
The language is archaic english which at times is little to comprehend.

[A.R. O'Brien · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been enjoying this book so much! I love poetry and Edgar Allan Poe doesn't disappoint with his deep if somewhat dark or depressive viewpoints on things. I have quite a few favorites marked in this already and am still quite enjoying the others as well. Plus, the short stories are a nice addition in this book.

[Johnny Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

This isn’t a book to be read from start to finish, it is a compilation of pretty much every piece from E.A Poe so it deserves nothing short of 5 stars. One of the most influential writers & poets of all time.

[Michael Fortin · Rating 3 out of 5]

To be truthful I don’t understand why they call this book “ his greatest works” ! Some of the stories were great but the ESSAYS AND CRITICISM AND THE LETTERS should not have been considered as his greatest works. NEXT.

[Vipul Musani · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the stories much, the criticism was fine and there was no need to print his letters in the book and the poems were nice too.

[Niranjana Sundararajan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gave in and bought the hard copy. Have read a lot of his work before but also discovered quite a few new ones!
Best for a quick early morning read before the day starts

[Sharanya Mukherji · Rating 5 out of 5]

A collection which should be the gateway for anyone who wants to get introduced to Edgar Allan Poe. I especially loved the poems and the tales. A little advice, if any one starts reading his work, then make them read the poems and then the stories, as I feel the poems sets the mood for the works that will commence. The essays were a bit of a bore for me, but through the letters I could understand the mind behind the tales and poems. Poe no doubt was a man with the capability to make the most horrific into dramatic, beautiful and sublime :)

[Anurag Gupta · Rating 4 out of 5]

I only read the poetry. It's amazing.

[W.J. Long III · Rating 4 out of 5]

Does anyone need a review of Poe? It's great stuff, though some of the poems didn't connect with me. Though, I'm not a poetry guy.

[Charity · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5