Edgar Allan Poe at Home

by Christopher P. Semtner

Author Christopher P. Semtner takes readers inside the homes of Edgar Allan Poe. Edgar Allan Poe’s terror tales and melancholy poetry carved a bold new path across literary genres. Meet the man behind the madness, murder and mayhem on this road trip to Poe’s homes in Richmond, Baltimore, Philadelphia, the Bronx and more. Along the way, meet the grave robbers, murderers and tooth thieves who inspired his greatest horror stories. Learn the secret histories of these Poe places to find out which was owned by a man who kept Poe’s wife’s bones in a box under his bed, which might be haunted by Poe’s ghost, which has the best basement for hiding corpses and which stood across the street from an anatomy lab.

176 pages, Paperback

Published March 18, 2025

Reviews

[Neil MacNeill]

I've read so many books, blogs, and articles about Poe that I didn't expect to learn anything new about him. In fact, there's often contradictory information in different books. This one took me by surprise. It was extremely well-researched and organized chronologically based on the various homes (or places) where Poe lived. It's not a book to read quickly, at least it wasn't for me. I'd read a few pages and then take some time to digest what I was learning. But it never read like typical non-fiction, which in my opinion, can get boring. There were a few flaws — some typos and a few sections that teased with intriguing details but left questions unanswered. But nothing to keep me from recommending this book and giving it a 5-star rating. If you're interested in Poe, and you don't want to wade through hundreds of pages of academic writing, this book is a great way to start your own Poe pilgrimage.

[Daniel DiFranco]

A fascinating and illuminating look into the homes/places Poe lived. This is an excellent companion to Poe Land by J.W. Ocker. What sets this one in its own class is that wealth of knowledge and resources Semtner has at his disposal being the curator of the Poe Museum in Richmond. There is a streak of sarcastic and dry humor throughout this book that makes it an even more enjoyable read for any fan of Poe, new or old.

[April]

Amazing details that I have never read anywhere else.