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Selected Stories by Edgar Allan Poe
The Masterpieces of World Fiction series brings together the best loved short stories by the great masters of the genre—from Chekov and Maupassant, Kipling and Wilde, to O. Henry and Saki and Tolstoy and Conrad. Thoughtfully compiled by the bestselling author Terry O’ Brien, this series is a great way for readers to revisit old favourites and for introducing literary masterpieces to newer, younger readers.
152 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2014
45 people are currently reading
69 people want to read
About the author
Edgar Allan Poe
7,174 books28.7k followersThe 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...
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...
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
December 29, 2018
Edgar Allen Poe was quite interested in the ideas of death, human psychology, mesmerism, premature burial, etc. and my oh my what stories he has woven around them...Superb!
December 30, 2022
Not sure. Sentences that run to the whole length of a paragraph, leads that take forever to arrive at the pith that does little to shock or thrill - may be Poe isn't for me.
December 2, 2015
Deliciously horrifying. Can't believe he used such dark themes for his books in the 1830's. They're powerful enough to give you nightmares, and yet you can't stop reading.
July 18, 2021
Loved it.
I didn't have many expectations about it, because it was the first time I've read any of his stories, except The Raven.
I need to say that one story after the other I was captured into this poetic style of writing and right now I can't even choose my favourite short story anymore.
After I finished reading each one of them, they're all my favourites.
I didn't have many expectations about it, because it was the first time I've read any of his stories, except The Raven.
I need to say that one story after the other I was captured into this poetic style of writing and right now I can't even choose my favourite short story anymore.
After I finished reading each one of them, they're all my favourites.
January 26, 2018
When Poe's name comes up, many people think "The Raven". Poe is considered a legendary poet/writer and I enjoyed several of the stories in this compilation, however, I wasn't as entertained by "The Raven" (nor "The Tell-Tale Heart" for that matter) as I was by "The Murders in the Rue Morgue" and "The Black Cat". I'll keep this short but I confidently rank "The Murders in the Rue Morgue" up there with Holmes' adventures. "The Black Cat" was just bone-chilling. I recommend you read them for yourself…in the daytime.
Trey Claige
Trey Claige
April 25, 2025
(This review is prob not for the right short story collection)
Some are spooky and creative! Some are slow.
From a modern standpoint, these stories have really poor pacing. The beginnings are usually abstract and have heavier vocabulary, to the point where I’d put down a story a couple times from boredom and confusion until I could power through and get the beginning of the action. Then most of the stories end so abruptly, it’s jarring. I think this can be attributed to the style of the day, but I can’t say for sure. It reminded me of the way that Grimm fairy tales often end with one sentence like “and then they all died and no one saw them again”, and it leaves you unsatisfied.
The middle of each story was suspenseful and so dark. Really fun to read.
I did love reading some of the classics and I’m happy to understand the original stories now.
Favorites (in order):
The Masque of the Red Death (rich people and the plague! So so good)
The Cask of Amontillado
The Fall of the House of Usher
Disliked:
The Premature Burial (soooo slow and incredibly random ending. Literally this one put me to sleep 3 times)
The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar
Others in this collection:
Hop-Frog (strange and good revenge)
The Tell-Tale Heart
The Black Cat (so dark)
The Murders in the Rue Morgue (such a great set-up and locked-door mystery! But then the reveal felt silly)
The Pit and the Pendulum (suspenseful but disappointing ending)
Some are spooky and creative! Some are slow.
From a modern standpoint, these stories have really poor pacing. The beginnings are usually abstract and have heavier vocabulary, to the point where I’d put down a story a couple times from boredom and confusion until I could power through and get the beginning of the action. Then most of the stories end so abruptly, it’s jarring. I think this can be attributed to the style of the day, but I can’t say for sure. It reminded me of the way that Grimm fairy tales often end with one sentence like “and then they all died and no one saw them again”, and it leaves you unsatisfied.
The middle of each story was suspenseful and so dark. Really fun to read.
I did love reading some of the classics and I’m happy to understand the original stories now.
Favorites (in order):
The Masque of the Red Death (rich people and the plague! So so good)
The Cask of Amontillado
The Fall of the House of Usher
Disliked:
The Premature Burial (soooo slow and incredibly random ending. Literally this one put me to sleep 3 times)
The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar
Others in this collection:
Hop-Frog (strange and good revenge)
The Tell-Tale Heart
The Black Cat (so dark)
The Murders in the Rue Morgue (such a great set-up and locked-door mystery! But then the reveal felt silly)
The Pit and the Pendulum (suspenseful but disappointing ending)
August 18, 2022
Actual rate: 1.5
love his poetry but this wasn’t good enough…
love his poetry but this wasn’t good enough…
January 28, 2020
A great collection of stories, many of which I have never read, that really brought you into the mind of Edgar Allan Poe (EAP).
The Raven - Never knew that EAP wrote poetry. Thoroughly enjoyed it.
Hop-Frog - Obviously bullying and teaches one to NOT make fun of persons with special needs as you will certainly be revenged upon.
The Black Cat - This is the making of a serial killer. Physical abuse to his own wife and all his animals, specifically the black cat who he gouged out an eye and hung with a noose. He eventually murdered the wife and buried her body in the cellar walls whereas the ghost of the black cat helped police to find the body.
The Cask of Amontillado - EAP certainly like to bury people.
The Facts in the Case of M. Waldemar - The hypnotizing of someone at the brink of death. I wonder if it has exactly ever been tries.
The Fall of the House of Usher - Didn't enjoy as didn't get it, until the end when once again EAP buries another person in a tomb.
Gold Bug - Loved this story up to when EAP started writing about the alphabet, but then finally once done, enjoyed it again to the end.
The Masque of the Red Death - A dark story but also slightly comical.
The Murders in the Rye Morgue - I was completely lost in the beginning but once the dialogue started, the story was awesome. An orangutan murdering so brutally because he watched his master shave and cut himself.
The Purloined Letter - A mystery of detective case. I did learn where I could hide things.
The Pit and the Pendulum - Absolute terror to either be slain the by pendulum or falling to his death into a pit. Him going unconscious often only to wake up to find another new terror awaiting. Well done.
The Tell-Tale Heart - I read this in high school. The senses of one's own mind can clearly be deceitful, likely to do with a guilt conscious as well.
The Raven - Never knew that EAP wrote poetry. Thoroughly enjoyed it.
Hop-Frog - Obviously bullying and teaches one to NOT make fun of persons with special needs as you will certainly be revenged upon.
The Black Cat - This is the making of a serial killer. Physical abuse to his own wife and all his animals, specifically the black cat who he gouged out an eye and hung with a noose. He eventually murdered the wife and buried her body in the cellar walls whereas the ghost of the black cat helped police to find the body.
The Cask of Amontillado - EAP certainly like to bury people.
The Facts in the Case of M. Waldemar - The hypnotizing of someone at the brink of death. I wonder if it has exactly ever been tries.
The Fall of the House of Usher - Didn't enjoy as didn't get it, until the end when once again EAP buries another person in a tomb.
Gold Bug - Loved this story up to when EAP started writing about the alphabet, but then finally once done, enjoyed it again to the end.
The Masque of the Red Death - A dark story but also slightly comical.
The Murders in the Rye Morgue - I was completely lost in the beginning but once the dialogue started, the story was awesome. An orangutan murdering so brutally because he watched his master shave and cut himself.
The Purloined Letter - A mystery of detective case. I did learn where I could hide things.
The Pit and the Pendulum - Absolute terror to either be slain the by pendulum or falling to his death into a pit. Him going unconscious often only to wake up to find another new terror awaiting. Well done.
The Tell-Tale Heart - I read this in high school. The senses of one's own mind can clearly be deceitful, likely to do with a guilt conscious as well.
October 1, 2017
Although one of my favourite poems is The Raven by Poe, I rated this collection of stories poorly. There certainly were some stories deserving of 5 stars like The Masque of Red Death or the Tell-Tale Heart and others but the majority of these stories seemed rather dull. I felt more like pushing through the mediocre stories rather than enjoying his writing. I would recommend some of the stories but I dont think I recommend the collection as a whole.
September 29, 2018
This one gave me the chills. My copy is in the freezer now =P
November 26, 2018
My favourites were "The Black Cat" and "The Premature Burial"
May 19, 2024
some are quite good, i really liked "The Tell-Tale Heart"
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews