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Edgar Allan Poe Collection
One of the greatest writers of the gothic fantastic, Poe’s dark, masterful stories inspired a generation of writers. With his macabre twists of fate and fascination with science and invention his work led to the detective stories of Sherlock Holmes, the weird horror of H.P. Lovecraft and the grim, tortured tales of Stephen King.
480 pages, Hardcover
Published October 30, 2017
78 people are currently reading
673 people want to read
About the author
Edgar Allan Poe
9,791 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
December 3, 2021
While I really liked Poe’s short horror stories and his poetry, I was not really enjoying the rest. I would not recommend reading or listening to the entire collection of Poe’s work in a short period of time, unless you already are a big fan. After a while it got really tedious and took away most of my enjoyment.
I can clearly see why and how he achieved his legendary status and influence. There is something for everyone in this collection: overall, what I am trying to say is that you may really love some of his stuff and really dislike some others. Better choose in the genres you think you may like the most!
Anyway, I will definitively come back to his short macabre horror stories (The Mask of the Red Death, Ligeia, Morella etc…) and will probably stay away from the rest.
I can clearly see why and how he achieved his legendary status and influence. There is something for everyone in this collection: overall, what I am trying to say is that you may really love some of his stuff and really dislike some others. Better choose in the genres you think you may like the most!
Anyway, I will definitively come back to his short macabre horror stories (The Mask of the Red Death, Ligeia, Morella etc…) and will probably stay away from the rest.
October 28, 2020
How many times does one need to read a single book to deem it 'completed'... I don't think I'll ever get enough of Poe, I've read this so many times.. and I'm sure I will read it so many more.
October 25, 2019
Unfortunately, I wasn't super crazy about this collection.
This is my first time ever reading the work of Poe, other than "The Raven", and I found his work to be very hit and miss for me. I can appreciate how influential his work is, and completely see why he is so popular, he has an incredible talent for constructing creepy, edgy atmospheres, and for creating super-creepy suspense.
I LOVED the poetry section, more so than the short stories, however "The Raven" was definitely my favourite. As for the short stories, this is where my rating drops down. On the whole, the only stories I can truly say I loved were "The Black Cat" and "The Tell-Tale Heart." Unfortunately, these two aside, none of them particularly inspired me, or struck me as something highly memorable. They often had an excellent atmosphere, but for me the "twist" either happened way too late, meaning it was 20-30 pages of seemingly pointless narrative just for a "dun dun duuuuun" right at the last minute, or they just didn't make a huge amount of sense. However, as mentioned before, I can appreciate his talent, which is why I have still opted for a 3* rating.
I will certainly revisit his work in a few years to see if my views change, in the hopes that I can appreciate his writing a bit more one day.
This is my first time ever reading the work of Poe, other than "The Raven", and I found his work to be very hit and miss for me. I can appreciate how influential his work is, and completely see why he is so popular, he has an incredible talent for constructing creepy, edgy atmospheres, and for creating super-creepy suspense.
I LOVED the poetry section, more so than the short stories, however "The Raven" was definitely my favourite. As for the short stories, this is where my rating drops down. On the whole, the only stories I can truly say I loved were "The Black Cat" and "The Tell-Tale Heart." Unfortunately, these two aside, none of them particularly inspired me, or struck me as something highly memorable. They often had an excellent atmosphere, but for me the "twist" either happened way too late, meaning it was 20-30 pages of seemingly pointless narrative just for a "dun dun duuuuun" right at the last minute, or they just didn't make a huge amount of sense. However, as mentioned before, I can appreciate his talent, which is why I have still opted for a 3* rating.
I will certainly revisit his work in a few years to see if my views change, in the hopes that I can appreciate his writing a bit more one day.
January 7, 2021
This collection gets two stars because I love Poe’s writing. The collection itself would get fewer I think. The organization is bizarre and there’s numerous typos. The choice to stick the novel right smack into the middle of an already lengthy collection was not a great one. The choice to include the most compelling stories all at the beginning was questionable as well.
Overall, lost interest partway in. Poe is most at home in murder and thrills. Once those stories are read, the rest pale in comparison.
That’s just my two cents though. His writing is still as beautiful as always. It’s the editing that I find less than ideal.
Overall, lost interest partway in. Poe is most at home in murder and thrills. Once those stories are read, the rest pale in comparison.
That’s just my two cents though. His writing is still as beautiful as always. It’s the editing that I find less than ideal.
March 12, 2025
These took entirely too long to read. Admittedly, one story sticks out as the worst and that's the one that took me the longest to get through. For those curious, it was The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket as it was left, basically unfinished, but went into egregiously unnecessary detail and was verbose to the point of pain.
Additionally, as they are not among his more famous works, I never realized how mildly obsessed Poe seems with balloon travel and seafaring. It seems as though these are the subject of a number of his lesser known, and admittedly not as enticing, works. I've still yet to figure out if these are truly areas that intrigued him, or it they are a product of the times. I don't mean this as a pro or a con to his work, merely an observation.
In a number of his stories, Poe goes into an excessive amount of detail on trivial matters not even remotely pertinent to the story at hand. It makes you wonder if he was paid by the word, and results in some very dry reading. As previously stated The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket is possibly the worst offender and I could have gone my entire life without reading it.
That being said, there were a few enjoyable stories beyond the obvious which we ALL know him for. Oddly enough, the main ones that come to mind were all in the "Humor and Satire" section of stories. This shocked me the most, as I never really saw Poe as someone to come across as funny. Truly though, his best works are the ones that jump to mind when his name is mentioned: The Raven, The Cask of Amontialldo, The Pit and the Pendulum , etc.
Additionally, as they are not among his more famous works, I never realized how mildly obsessed Poe seems with balloon travel and seafaring. It seems as though these are the subject of a number of his lesser known, and admittedly not as enticing, works. I've still yet to figure out if these are truly areas that intrigued him, or it they are a product of the times. I don't mean this as a pro or a con to his work, merely an observation.
In a number of his stories, Poe goes into an excessive amount of detail on trivial matters not even remotely pertinent to the story at hand. It makes you wonder if he was paid by the word, and results in some very dry reading. As previously stated The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket is possibly the worst offender and I could have gone my entire life without reading it.
That being said, there were a few enjoyable stories beyond the obvious which we ALL know him for. Oddly enough, the main ones that come to mind were all in the "Humor and Satire" section of stories. This shocked me the most, as I never really saw Poe as someone to come across as funny. Truly though, his best works are the ones that jump to mind when his name is mentioned: The Raven, The Cask of Amontialldo, The Pit and the Pendulum , etc.
April 2, 2023
A solid compendium of some of the most important works of Edgar Allen Poe and quite a few not-so-important ones. It contains all the classics such as the sublime 'The Raven' and short stories like 'The Tell-Tale Heart', 'The Black Cat' and 'The Pit and the Pendulum' plus others. Unfortunately once you get past the classics though there's an awful lot of filler. Most of the other short stories feel little more than outlines and as such are unsatisfying, so beyond those well known tales there's little else of interest.
Included in this collection is Poe's only longer story, 'The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket' which is mildly interesting but seems as though it was never finished, abruptly ending without resolving or completing the story. In contrast to this, the much shorter 'The Unparalleled Adventure of One Hans Pfaall' is a more fun and entertaining story (or rather a parody) but like most of Poe's tales seems so incredibly dated now that it's almost impossible to suspend disbelief long enough to fully appreciate it.
Read it for the classics and skip the rest.
Included in this collection is Poe's only longer story, 'The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket' which is mildly interesting but seems as though it was never finished, abruptly ending without resolving or completing the story. In contrast to this, the much shorter 'The Unparalleled Adventure of One Hans Pfaall' is a more fun and entertaining story (or rather a parody) but like most of Poe's tales seems so incredibly dated now that it's almost impossible to suspend disbelief long enough to fully appreciate it.
Read it for the classics and skip the rest.
September 19, 2020
I decided to have a Summer of Poe this year and chose to read this treasury of Edgar Allan Poe’s work that was given to me as a gift from my youngest son. While it does not contain everything written by this master, I thoroughly enjoyed this compilation of tales and poetry. Some of the stories were familiar to me; however, I discovered new treasures like “The System of Doctor Tarr and Professor Fether” and “The Spectacles.” I also discovered that not all of Poe’s stories are about fear, murder, and steeped in horror. There are several stories about adventures of the sea and the sky, including his one novel The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket. And, there are three humorous or satirical stories which I absolutely loved.
November 7, 2025
A hard read for this modern boy. However, this compilation of his short stories is very digestible. I definitely prefer the poems over the stories as the language translates better.
Read
December 5, 2025As with every short story collection, I found most of Poe’s to be hit or miss. (But the hits really hit!)🐦⬛👺🫀🐈⬛🪶⚰️🪞🦷
June 19, 2023
A book of tales by Edgar Allan Poe. Excellent collection of stories.
The Stories:
Death & Resurrection
- Metzengerstein
- Berenice
- Morella
- Ligeia
- The Fall of the House of Usher
- Eleonora
- The Masque of the Red Death
- Lenore
- To One in Paradise
- Mesmeric Revelation
- A Tale of the Ragged Mountains
- The Raven
- The City in the Sea
- The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar
- Ulalume
- Annabel Lee
Fear & Obsession
- Shadow - A Parable
- Silence - A Fable
- William Wilson
- The Man of the Crowd
- The Oval Portrait
- The Pit and the Pendulum
- The Premature Burial
Tales of Murder
- The Assignation
- The Murders in the Rue Morgue
- The Mystery of Marie Roget
- The Tell-Tale Heart
- The Black Cat
- Thou Art the Man
- The Imp of the Perverse
- The Cask of Amontillado
- Hop-Frog
Adventures of Sea & Sky
- MS. Found in a Bottle
- The Unparalleled Adventure of One Hans Pfaall
- The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket
- A Descent into the Maelstrom
- The Gold-Bug
- The Balloon-Hoax
- The Oblong Box
- Mellonta Tauta
Humour & Satire
- Never Bet the Devil Your Head
- The Spectacles
- The System of Doctor Tarr and Professor Fether
The Stories:
Death & Resurrection
- Metzengerstein
- Berenice
- Morella
- Ligeia
- The Fall of the House of Usher
- Eleonora
- The Masque of the Red Death
- Lenore
- To One in Paradise
- Mesmeric Revelation
- A Tale of the Ragged Mountains
- The Raven
- The City in the Sea
- The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar
- Ulalume
- Annabel Lee
Fear & Obsession
- Shadow - A Parable
- Silence - A Fable
- William Wilson
- The Man of the Crowd
- The Oval Portrait
- The Pit and the Pendulum
- The Premature Burial
Tales of Murder
- The Assignation
- The Murders in the Rue Morgue
- The Mystery of Marie Roget
- The Tell-Tale Heart
- The Black Cat
- Thou Art the Man
- The Imp of the Perverse
- The Cask of Amontillado
- Hop-Frog
Adventures of Sea & Sky
- MS. Found in a Bottle
- The Unparalleled Adventure of One Hans Pfaall
- The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket
- A Descent into the Maelstrom
- The Gold-Bug
- The Balloon-Hoax
- The Oblong Box
- Mellonta Tauta
Humour & Satire
- Never Bet the Devil Your Head
- The Spectacles
- The System of Doctor Tarr and Professor Fether
January 20, 2022
Some re-reads for me in this anthology, but some new stuff, too. It had been a long time since I read "The Murders in the Rue Morgue" so I had the joy of learning who the murderer was in that all over again. And no matter how much more graphic modern horror is, this reminded me of why Poe is considered the master -- many of these pieces were extremely unsettling and creepy. I wasn't a fan of the wild wind and all of the creaks and groans of my house last night...
It was also very fun to read this on EAP's 213th birthday!
It was also very fun to read this on EAP's 213th birthday!
October 14, 2020
this book was good for more advanced readers, but I'm not one of those. the book has some langue and the langue is very old and hard to read. if you are into graphic short stories and is an advanced reader I suggest this book.
October 21, 2021
I had mostly read Poe's horror stories before this anthology. After reading this I'd say the non-horror stories are not my favorite. There were several instances that Poe describes something in way too much detail that it actually takes away from the story.
January 23, 2024
First time reading Poe. I was familiar with The Raven and the poem Annabel Lee (because Peter wrote it to Lara Jean for Valentines in To All The Boys😂😂😂). A lot of great stories in the collection. It did take me 3 months to get through. Just because I couldn't read the old English as quickly.
April 20, 2021
The Poems are my favorite. Yes I've read the stories, but his poems are just... amazing.
December 4, 2022
DNF. Dont get me wrong….I love EAP. But some of his work…I just couldn’t understand. There are many horror/thrillers by him that I love. But I couldn’t bring myself to finish.
July 1, 2024
En fascinerande och fantastisk samling av en mängd noveller från Edgar Allan Poe. Genrer skiljer sig mellan skräck, äventyr, non-fiction, Science fiction, paranormal. Så blandat och riktigt bra.
November 23, 2025
good collection of his stories
October 5, 2020
I'm not sure any other author has Poe's unique gift for expressing the macabre through psychological instability. Not all of the pieces in this collection are gems, but there are so many good ones that it's impossible to rate the anthology less than 5 stars. The book itself has rather inscrutable typeset that can cause fatigue at times, but it's a gorgeous and very extensive collection!
My Favorites:
The Cask of Amontillado
The Masque of the Red Death
Must Read:
Morella
The Fall of the House of Usher
Mesmeric Revelation
A Tale of the Ragged Mountains
The Raven
The City in the Sea
Annabel Lee
Shadow - A Parable
William Wilson
The Oval Portrait
The Tell-Tale Heart
Mellonta Tauta (Note: Quite a departure from Poe's usual works with its futuristic, satirical tone - but it's still frightening in how relevant it's proven to be!)
Recommended:
Berenice
Ligeia
Lenore
The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar
Ulalume
Silence - A Fable
The Pit and the Pendulum
The Premature Burial
The Murders in the Rue Morgue
The Mystery of Marie Roget
The Black Cat
Thou Art the Man
The Spectacles
The rest of the pieces aren't necessarily bad, just didn't particularly strike me in any way. Definitely a collection to pick up!
My Favorites:
The Cask of Amontillado
The Masque of the Red Death
Must Read:
Morella
The Fall of the House of Usher
Mesmeric Revelation
A Tale of the Ragged Mountains
The Raven
The City in the Sea
Annabel Lee
Shadow - A Parable
William Wilson
The Oval Portrait
The Tell-Tale Heart
Mellonta Tauta (Note: Quite a departure from Poe's usual works with its futuristic, satirical tone - but it's still frightening in how relevant it's proven to be!)
Recommended:
Berenice
Ligeia
Lenore
The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar
Ulalume
Silence - A Fable
The Pit and the Pendulum
The Premature Burial
The Murders in the Rue Morgue
The Mystery of Marie Roget
The Black Cat
Thou Art the Man
The Spectacles
The rest of the pieces aren't necessarily bad, just didn't particularly strike me in any way. Definitely a collection to pick up!
May 28, 2021
Spine chilling, creepy and lucid
December 19, 2022
The principal tales from Poe included in this book. Impressed to read the variety of the tails; one included Science Fiction ("Mellonta Tauta") written in 1849!!
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews