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Selected Stories
The midnight hour approaches. You lie in bed and try to sleep, but there is the howling of the wind outside, the creak of a floorboard, the scream of a cat, the ticking clock... Your heart beats, your skin crawls, and despite yourself you reach for this book and enter a world like a nightmare, haunted by dark fears, guilty secrets and the bloody consequences of rage, revenge and obsession. You cannot tear yourself away, these tales will appall and yet enthral you, for no mere mortal can resist the master of Gothic horror, Edgar Allan Poe.
208 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published November 27, 2012
35 people are currently reading
152 people want to read
About the author
Edgar Allan Poe
9,796 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 - 21 of 21 reviews
October 19, 2018
What a terrifying, bone-chilling and spine-tingling journey into the darkest pit of horror with the master of this genre Edgar Allan Poe!!! I’ve known him and his stories ever since I read their retold versions in Oxford Bookworms Library, and I was so thrilled to read the original versions of “The Fall of the House of Usher”, “The Pit and the Pendulum”, “The Cask of Amontillado”, “The Masque of the Red Death”, “The Murders in the Rue Morgue” in this collection of Poe’s selected stories.
I was also introduced to some of his stories that I hadn’t known before, such as “The Tell-Tale Heart”, “Hop-Frog” and “Premature Burial”. What a masterful storyteller Poe was!!! Some of the stories make use of supernatural elements to create the horrific setting, but most of them rely more on the mental degradation and the darkness in the characters’ minds to play with our fear and suspicion. Poe’s characters struggled with sins, guilt, revenge, being buried alive, hypochondria and phantasm, which just proves that the human mind may be the place where Hell truly reigns.
What I love most about Poe is the way the used adjectives and similes to bring about detailed descriptions of the surroundings that strike readers with realism, the way he constructed his short but heavy sentences to create a scary atmosphere that makes our hair stand on end. We are scared of something we can’t explain, but we also can’t help but continue reading till we find out what it was.
My top 3 favorite and most impressive stories in this collection are “The Tell-Tale Heart” (what a masterpiece this is!!!!), “The Cask of Amontillado” and “The Fall of the House of Usher”. I highly recommend this book for Halloween season :)))
I was also introduced to some of his stories that I hadn’t known before, such as “The Tell-Tale Heart”, “Hop-Frog” and “Premature Burial”. What a masterful storyteller Poe was!!! Some of the stories make use of supernatural elements to create the horrific setting, but most of them rely more on the mental degradation and the darkness in the characters’ minds to play with our fear and suspicion. Poe’s characters struggled with sins, guilt, revenge, being buried alive, hypochondria and phantasm, which just proves that the human mind may be the place where Hell truly reigns.
What I love most about Poe is the way the used adjectives and similes to bring about detailed descriptions of the surroundings that strike readers with realism, the way he constructed his short but heavy sentences to create a scary atmosphere that makes our hair stand on end. We are scared of something we can’t explain, but we also can’t help but continue reading till we find out what it was.
My top 3 favorite and most impressive stories in this collection are “The Tell-Tale Heart” (what a masterpiece this is!!!!), “The Cask of Amontillado” and “The Fall of the House of Usher”. I highly recommend this book for Halloween season :)))
May 21, 2025
Primera vez que leo a Poe, al margen de que conocía varios de los cuentos en forma indirecta. Si bien no soy un adepto al género, me sorprendió mucho el manejo total de la oscuridad y lo asertivo de los cuentos en los que, sin embargo, se genera un clima de tensión y horror que pocos escritores me han logrado transmitir.
Los cuentos me parecieron en general muy concisos. Pareciera como si Poe, teniéndose entre manos historias tan atrapantes y originales, hubiese descartado la ornamentación o toda contextualización que no fuera esencial: va al hueso porque sabe que no necesita más.
* The Fall of the House of Usher: Es una clase magistral de cómo generar clima y tensión. En particular, la caracterización de la casa me pareció de una efectividad inédita. Y el desenlace, con la correlación entre lo leido y lo percibido, es excelente (no hay forma de que no haya sido inspiración para Cortázar en Continuidad de los parques).
* The Crimes of Morgue Street: Es reputada como la primera ficción policial y, sin dudas, pueden reconocerse a simple vista los cimientos sobre los cuales se desarrolló luego el género: Holmes y Poirot son claros sucesores de Dupin. Por supuesto que, siendo el primero en su clase, si se lo compara con la producción de Christie o Connan Doyle se lo hallará algo rústico, pero sin perjuicio de ello es un muy buen relato.
* The Black Cat y The Tell-Tale Heart: Son cuentos muy similares entre sí y que son -con razón- los más famosos de Poe. Aquí el narrador ya no mira los horrores desde afuera sino que los protagoniza y no en un rol de víctima, sino de victimario. Imagino que para la época este simple hecho habrá sido sumamente innovador. En ambos cuentos hay una transición hacia la locura que redunda en hechos concretos, atroces y feroces: el infierno, antes de traducirse en hechos concretos, es interior. Si tuviese que hacerle una crítica, sólo diría que son demasiado cortos: es tan bueno Poe narrando la insanía que me hubiera gustado que se extendiera por páginas y páginas.
* The Premature Burial: El inicio del cuento me pareció algo borgeano, con esa recopilación de antecedentes y casos concretos que llevan al lector a dudar, por más que sepa que es un cuento ficcional, dónde acaba la realidad e inicia la ficción. El final me resultó llamativamente luminoso para Poe.
* The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar: El planteo es interesantísimo: ¿qué pasaría si, en el momento mismo de su muerte, una persona se encontrase en estado de hipnosis? Bueno, no era exactamente hipnosis sino mesmerización (una especie de antecedente al hipnotismo), pero el concepto es el mismo. Es un relato interesante que, según leí, causó gran revuelo cuando fue publicado porque Poe no aclaró que se trataba de ficción. Nuevamente, al igual que en el caso de The Premature Burial, hay un juego con los límites entre ficción y realidad.
* The Cask of Amontillado: Si bien es un buen relato, el aspecto psicológico del protagonista me pareció bastante menos trabajado que en The Black Cat y The Tell-Tale Heart. Es más directo, más centrado en los hechos que en el viaje interior del personaje aunque igual de efectivo en generar y aumentar la tensión hasta su desenlace. Me parece el cuento más moderno de todos.
* Hop Frog: Me pareció el más flojo de la serie, quizás porque es muy previsible: por la forma en que se va planteando la historia, el desenlace parece obvio.
Los cuentos me parecieron en general muy concisos. Pareciera como si Poe, teniéndose entre manos historias tan atrapantes y originales, hubiese descartado la ornamentación o toda contextualización que no fuera esencial: va al hueso porque sabe que no necesita más.
* The Fall of the House of Usher: Es una clase magistral de cómo generar clima y tensión. En particular, la caracterización de la casa me pareció de una efectividad inédita. Y el desenlace, con la correlación entre lo leido y lo percibido, es excelente (no hay forma de que no haya sido inspiración para Cortázar en Continuidad de los parques).
* The Crimes of Morgue Street: Es reputada como la primera ficción policial y, sin dudas, pueden reconocerse a simple vista los cimientos sobre los cuales se desarrolló luego el género: Holmes y Poirot son claros sucesores de Dupin. Por supuesto que, siendo el primero en su clase, si se lo compara con la producción de Christie o Connan Doyle se lo hallará algo rústico, pero sin perjuicio de ello es un muy buen relato.
* The Black Cat y The Tell-Tale Heart: Son cuentos muy similares entre sí y que son -con razón- los más famosos de Poe. Aquí el narrador ya no mira los horrores desde afuera sino que los protagoniza y no en un rol de víctima, sino de victimario. Imagino que para la época este simple hecho habrá sido sumamente innovador. En ambos cuentos hay una transición hacia la locura que redunda en hechos concretos, atroces y feroces: el infierno, antes de traducirse en hechos concretos, es interior. Si tuviese que hacerle una crítica, sólo diría que son demasiado cortos: es tan bueno Poe narrando la insanía que me hubiera gustado que se extendiera por páginas y páginas.
* The Premature Burial: El inicio del cuento me pareció algo borgeano, con esa recopilación de antecedentes y casos concretos que llevan al lector a dudar, por más que sepa que es un cuento ficcional, dónde acaba la realidad e inicia la ficción. El final me resultó llamativamente luminoso para Poe.
* The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar: El planteo es interesantísimo: ¿qué pasaría si, en el momento mismo de su muerte, una persona se encontrase en estado de hipnosis? Bueno, no era exactamente hipnosis sino mesmerización (una especie de antecedente al hipnotismo), pero el concepto es el mismo. Es un relato interesante que, según leí, causó gran revuelo cuando fue publicado porque Poe no aclaró que se trataba de ficción. Nuevamente, al igual que en el caso de The Premature Burial, hay un juego con los límites entre ficción y realidad.
* The Cask of Amontillado: Si bien es un buen relato, el aspecto psicológico del protagonista me pareció bastante menos trabajado que en The Black Cat y The Tell-Tale Heart. Es más directo, más centrado en los hechos que en el viaje interior del personaje aunque igual de efectivo en generar y aumentar la tensión hasta su desenlace. Me parece el cuento más moderno de todos.
* Hop Frog: Me pareció el más flojo de la serie, quizás porque es muy previsible: por la forma en que se va planteando la historia, el desenlace parece obvio.
March 19, 2022
3.5 ⭐
August 5, 2018
A fantastic array of short stories, that were compelling, innovative and wonderfully dark and Gothic. I would expect no less from the Master of Gothic fiction that is Edgar Allen Poe. So many classics like 'The tell tale heart', 'The black cat' (gruesome but so brilliant) and 'The pit and the pendulum'. But also stories that I hadn't heard of like 'Hop frog', 'Murders in the Rue Morgue', 'The premature burial' and 'The facts in the case of M. Valdemar'. These were just as fantastic as the stories that I had heard of before. Also, like with so many great works of fiction, at the core of each story was a strong underlying message that makes you really think about life and death, even in this modern society.
June 8, 2019
Čakala som trochu viac. Z desiatich sa mi pačila asi polovica, samozrejme, The Pit and the Pendulum nesklamalo. Black cat ma veľmi prekvapilo a The Murders in the Rue Morgue ma sklamalo na plnej čiare.
January 19, 2022
Edgar Allan Poe's selected stories is a good book. Black cat, the Masque of the Red Death and the Hop-frog are my favourite. They are easy to read and for me personally easier to follow. Also The fall of the House of Usher and the Murders in the Rue Morgue is not bad but they where harder to follow.
Poe's stories are classic and for me a good start to dive in horror genre. It gives you chills but can also teach you a lesson.
Other stories from this collection were good but to long and confusing. Maybe because of the language or style in which was written confused me. But I read it and I appreciate it for the classics that they are.
Poe's stories are classic and for me a good start to dive in horror genre. It gives you chills but can also teach you a lesson.
Other stories from this collection were good but to long and confusing. Maybe because of the language or style in which was written confused me. But I read it and I appreciate it for the classics that they are.
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September 16, 2024This man spent a lot of time thinking about being buried alive.
July 29, 2024
As it often is with short story collections, some are great some are just mehhh
The black cat, The fall of usher house and The pit and the pendulum were quite fun
The black cat, The fall of usher house and The pit and the pendulum were quite fun
March 22, 2020
As I said on instagram after reading this book, I only wanted to read Poe after watching Poe Party on Youtube, but also because of Thug Notes and Overly Sarcastic Productions summarized some of his stories. I absolutely love these stories that are in this collection. I actually graded them (!!!) and even though some of the grades may look a bit low, I must say that is no reflection on how much I enjoyed them altogether. I will definitely will be going back to these.
The fall of the House of Usher: 8/10
This one is so creepy, but in the best way. It has so much atmosphere. The dichotomy of twins is an interesting thing to explore.
The Murders in the Rue Morgue: 9/10
Great detective story! I heard this is the precursor to Sherlock Holmes and I can see the influences. The twist at the end is an eye opener.
The Pit and the Pendulum: 6/10
I... didn't really get this one. It was good, but i just didn't get it.
The Masque of the Red Death: 8/10
Aha! Comeuppance at it's finest! You think you can run? You cant run. Also, don't think you're invincible or untouchable. Death strikes the rich and the poor.
The Black Cat: 9/10
I LOVE this one! Cats on a whole are weird, and this story captures that, as well as the fact that crazy people will find any means to justify their behaviour.
The Tell-Tale Heart: 9/10
More mad people justifying their crazy behaviour. Poe has a crutch, which is burying people in unorthodox places, which is in many of his stories, but are still interesting and entertaining each time somehow. How did he do that?
The Premature Burial: 8/10
I think I first read this one in Literature class when I was in high school, but totally forgot until I read it this time. There is a good moral in it, to face your fears and realize that the fear of death will keep you from living.
The Facts in the Case of M. Valdermar: 7/10
CREEPY. So creepy. This one along with Fall of Usher are the closest I came while reading this book to being actually scared.
The Cask of Amontillado: 9/10
This one didn't get full marks mainly because i already knew the story, so i saw the end coming. But it is easily one of my favourites. The protagonist brings revenge to a whole new level.
Hop-Frog: 9/10
Basically what everyone expects Tyrion Lannister to become at the end of the books. This one also has a revenge plot, but SO satisfying!
Total: 8.2/10
Overall, I think many of these will become my favourite stories going forward.
The fall of the House of Usher: 8/10
This one is so creepy, but in the best way. It has so much atmosphere. The dichotomy of twins is an interesting thing to explore.
The Murders in the Rue Morgue: 9/10
Great detective story! I heard this is the precursor to Sherlock Holmes and I can see the influences. The twist at the end is an eye opener.
The Pit and the Pendulum: 6/10
I... didn't really get this one. It was good, but i just didn't get it.
The Masque of the Red Death: 8/10
Aha! Comeuppance at it's finest! You think you can run? You cant run. Also, don't think you're invincible or untouchable. Death strikes the rich and the poor.
The Black Cat: 9/10
I LOVE this one! Cats on a whole are weird, and this story captures that, as well as the fact that crazy people will find any means to justify their behaviour.
The Tell-Tale Heart: 9/10
More mad people justifying their crazy behaviour. Poe has a crutch, which is burying people in unorthodox places, which is in many of his stories, but are still interesting and entertaining each time somehow. How did he do that?
The Premature Burial: 8/10
I think I first read this one in Literature class when I was in high school, but totally forgot until I read it this time. There is a good moral in it, to face your fears and realize that the fear of death will keep you from living.
The Facts in the Case of M. Valdermar: 7/10
CREEPY. So creepy. This one along with Fall of Usher are the closest I came while reading this book to being actually scared.
The Cask of Amontillado: 9/10
This one didn't get full marks mainly because i already knew the story, so i saw the end coming. But it is easily one of my favourites. The protagonist brings revenge to a whole new level.
Hop-Frog: 9/10
Basically what everyone expects Tyrion Lannister to become at the end of the books. This one also has a revenge plot, but SO satisfying!
Total: 8.2/10
Overall, I think many of these will become my favourite stories going forward.
December 26, 2025
Very generous 3 stars.
I guess my problem was the high expectations set by the general public's opinion on Poe. He is always so lauded and so praised as a god tier author and although I could see some of it in this collection, he generally didn't blow me away. At all.
A consistent positive of Poe is his skill in setting ambience and atmosphere. The vibes, the scenery, those were always on point. He always delivered. These creepy places, usually dark, the arquitecture, the Usher mansion, the prison with the pit in it, Hop-Frog's last stage, the seven chambers where the Red Death appeared. Always on point.
The problem is that he not always delivered on the rest, on the plot execution.
By far, the best two stories in this selection were The Fall of the House of Usher and The Masque of the Red Death. Absolutely elite. Unnerving and beautiful at the same time. 5/5. 0 complaints.
The Black Cat was pretty good too but flawed (the MC going bananas out of nowhere felt a bit strange and ???), The Murders in the Rue Morgue was pretty interesting but it didn't hit super hard (I know it has historic value tho) and The Tell-Tale Heart felt like a weaker version of The Black Cat.
As for the other stories, there were some rays of brilliance here and there (mainly The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar) but they felt like nothing burguers most of the time. Hop-Frog? kind of eh. The Cask of Amontillado? Didn't care for it. The Premature Burial? Boooring.
That's another thing. This book was a selection of stories and my guess is that these were -according to the editor- Poe's best stories and if this is the best Poe has to offer, then I'm just really underwhelmed. Sorry.
I guess my problem was the high expectations set by the general public's opinion on Poe. He is always so lauded and so praised as a god tier author and although I could see some of it in this collection, he generally didn't blow me away. At all.
A consistent positive of Poe is his skill in setting ambience and atmosphere. The vibes, the scenery, those were always on point. He always delivered. These creepy places, usually dark, the arquitecture, the Usher mansion, the prison with the pit in it, Hop-Frog's last stage, the seven chambers where the Red Death appeared. Always on point.
The problem is that he not always delivered on the rest, on the plot execution.
By far, the best two stories in this selection were The Fall of the House of Usher and The Masque of the Red Death. Absolutely elite. Unnerving and beautiful at the same time. 5/5. 0 complaints.
The Black Cat was pretty good too but flawed (the MC going bananas out of nowhere felt a bit strange and ???), The Murders in the Rue Morgue was pretty interesting but it didn't hit super hard (I know it has historic value tho) and The Tell-Tale Heart felt like a weaker version of The Black Cat.
As for the other stories, there were some rays of brilliance here and there (mainly The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar) but they felt like nothing burguers most of the time. Hop-Frog? kind of eh. The Cask of Amontillado? Didn't care for it. The Premature Burial? Boooring.
That's another thing. This book was a selection of stories and my guess is that these were -according to the editor- Poe's best stories and if this is the best Poe has to offer, then I'm just really underwhelmed. Sorry.
February 1, 2023
Es un libro que si tenés la chance de leerlo en inglés hacelo, no tengo idea de como es traducido pero en el idioma original no se pierde nada. El tío poe tiene una prosa hermosa, una mágia para escribir frases elevadas y llenas de sutilezas.
Un kpo
Un kpo
December 3, 2024
*4.5
I've had this collection of short stories on my shelves since I was a teenager. A great way to welcome in the wintery months - The Black Cat remains a firm favourite and would have been a far better figure for the front cover!
I've had this collection of short stories on my shelves since I was a teenager. A great way to welcome in the wintery months - The Black Cat remains a firm favourite and would have been a far better figure for the front cover!
December 27, 2022
mid w chuj
March 12, 2023
Absolute horrors, but described in such beatiful words.
May 22, 2024
how i love edgar's masterful use of language, the way the story imbues you in horror entirely, within just several paragraphs, and the CRAZY things at the end woah
July 12, 2024
I thoroughly enjoyed the melodic way of storytelling E.A Poe managed to create. Sinister, yet intriguing scenarios and characters.
January 2, 2026
i am scared
January 9, 2026
it might be just me but it didn’t really scare me, just disturb me at times. then again i was listening to abba while reading this so it might also be that
June 9, 2022
1. The tell-tale heart
2. The black cat
3. The primature burial
4. The Cask of Amontillado
5. The fall of the house of Usher
6. The Masque of the red death
7. The pit and the pendulum
8. The facts in the case of M. Valdemar
9. Hop-Frog
10. The murders in the Rue Morgue
2. The black cat
3. The primature burial
4. The Cask of Amontillado
5. The fall of the house of Usher
6. The Masque of the red death
7. The pit and the pendulum
8. The facts in the case of M. Valdemar
9. Hop-Frog
10. The murders in the Rue Morgue
March 21, 2019
Dark and interesting. Might not be suitable for readers of all age and mental conditions.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews