The tale tell heart is a very well written story. It is very decribtive. Thou the most scary part came when the narrator was nervous of how he heard the heart beat. I would recomend it

I think both the stories were great mysteries, Edgar Allan poe writes great short stories that keeps you on your toes, i had to read these two stories for honors English, but they're great just to read for fun. So if you like weird and bizarre tales these stories are for you.

I am a huge fan of both Simon Marsden and Edgar Allan Poe, so when I learned that Mr. Marsden was putting his photos together with Poe's works, I was thrilled!
If you are already famliar with Mr. Marsden's atmospheric photography of ancient castles and haunted houses, then will probably recognize some of the photos in this book, as some of his best works were paired with various Poe stories. If you like Poe, try finding this wonderful book. The combination of Mr. Marsden's and Mr. Poe's works is truly an inspired one!

First of all, this biograpy does not critique or even mention when he wrote or published the stories of "William Wilson" and "The Pit and the Pendalum." This biography isn't as concerned for the work of Poe as what people of that time said and thought of him.

First half is an overkill of facts, quotes, rumors, and articles about Poe. Author seems to give no true opinion and is completely uncreative for as to how to make these facts and rumors about his character seems interesting to the reader.

It's not until well into the second half that the author seems to realize he's lead his audience to a bricked up wall. But behind the wall, we are willfully burried and sleeping in the hopes that he will not wake our slumber. Realizing this, he tries to revive us through a seance of medeocre creativity.

He does seem to put to rest the rumors circulating about the death of Mr. Poe.

But overall, this book is unimaginative, soulless, and a dozing to constantly waking history lesson of what it was to be an early American author.

I know a lot more about the life of Edgar Allan Poe after having read this book, and for that reason I'm glad I read it.

It's not, however, the most flattering of biographies. It would be an exaggeration to call Jeffrey Meyer's biography a hatchet job, but not much of one. You get the sense that the author wanted to take Poe's reputation down a peg or two. He portrays the troubled writer as not much more than a hypocritical, back-stabbing, often insincere hack who had the good fortune of stumbling upon a few brilliant turns of phrase. I don't doubt any of the factual information that Meyers provides about Poe's life. I just question the author's intent in piling high so many unflattering details. After a while, you get to wondering why Meyers even bothered writing a three hundred page book about the man.

I recommend this book to fans and scholars alike for the facts it provides about Poe's life, but with a warning regarding the biographer's unsympathetic and often harsh tone.

This book was great it shows all sides of Poe. I learned a lot about Edgar Allan Poe by reading this book. Anyone who wants to know anything about Poe should reasd thsi book. A great choice.

I think it was emotional and she was sick and really ill after catching a chill on a beach,the authoris mourning the death of his lover.

in my opinion it was sad,but a great book.there is alot of romance. It was kind of hard toread because i'm only 9 and I had to have someone explain the story to me.

Unless you're a collector or completist, this volume compiles all the Poe you could possibly ask for. All the classic stories are here, and you can clearly see how Poe broke new ground and influenced all creative fiction that came after him. While most people are wary of "classics" that everybody talks about, but nobody seems to really like, Poe's classics will give you a true appreciation for his genius. You will truly be enthralled by such well-known tales like "The Pit and the Pendulum", "The Tell-Tale Heart", "The Murders in the Rue Morgue" (in which Poe invents the detective story), and especially the immortal "The Raven".

The editor has included many of the surviving letters that Poe wrote to the various women he unsuccessfully tried to court, and especially to his cruel stepfather, which provide great insight into Poe's inner demons. If you ever wonder why most of Poe's stories are based on death and/or madness, these letters will show you why. The only problem with this particular book is that it is a little too exhaustive, and includes many items that are more of historical interest than they are readable. This is true of most of the entries in the Articles, Criticism, and Opinions sections of the book.

Of all the writers you were forced to read in High School, Poe may be the most contemporary. After all, where would today's Alternative Goth culture be without the influence of Poe.

In this volume, fans of the strange genius are given a rare treat. Editor Philip Van Doren Stern has collected not only the all-time greats (e.g. "The Tell-Tale Heart" "The Pit and the Pendulum" "The Raven" etc.), but also some eccentric choices like "The Man of the Crowd". In addition, the book gives several non-fiction articles and literary reviews written by Poe showing that he was not without a practical side.

But perhaps the most fascinating thing is a section of letters Poe wrote, to among other people, his stepfather, his wife, his mother-in-law, and various members of the literary community. These paint a colorful picture of his often desperate existence. After reading these letters, you may think Poe tragic, pathetic, pretentious or maybe even egotistical, but you wll never think of him in quite the same way you previously did.

Read this book for a fresh look at one of American literature's greatest geniuses.

Graphic novels, like comics, have to stand on the three legs of story, writing, and art. If any leg fails, the book fails. I found the story to be great and the writing to be above average. I found the photography to be lacking, though. It is not for a lack ot technique, as one look at the cover image demonstrates (it is actually what drew me to the book--stunning). What bothered me about many of the pictures is the posing of the models. The models come off, well, posed. So much so that they look like mannequins when they should be expressing movement or emotion. Whether this is the fault of the models or the photographer I can't say but the responsibility ultimately lies with the photographer. It detracts from the work as a whole and keeps the book from being completely satisfying.

I should preface this review by saying that I've loved Poe since I was a kid. I think Poe appeals to the young and romantics (and the two are not dissimilar - there is an admirable innocence in both), and why not? He was obviously a genius, who applied his incredible talents to the women he loved and idolized, and his own tortured, almost perpetually-adolescent soul is the definition of angst. Therefore, my connection with Poe is sentimental as much as it is "fun" and scholarly.

Which is all to say that I picked up a copy of "In the Shadow of Edgar Allan Poe" as soon as it became available. An unusual graphic novel - in the same style as "I, Paparazzi" which Stephen John Phillips also photographed - "Shadow" purports to be a "diary" left by Poe, rediscovered by a literary scholar teetering on the edge of decay. Poe's diary lays out in graphic detail that the man was not simply haunted by the "demons" of bipolar disorder and alcoholism, but actual demonic spirits that granted Poe his abilities at the cost of his health, his loved ones, and eventually his life.

On one hand, this makes a great addition to the Poe pantheon. What better explanation for a genius' macabre work than to explain it away by true supernatural forces? On the other hand, it sells Poe and that very genius short - what way to better insult one of the English languages finest authors than to claim that he wasn't responsible for his own work - that strange creatures from another dimension wrote it instead. Something about that doesn't sit well with me; one of the things take makes genius, literary and otherwise, so amazing is that people can sit and say, "he (or she) is one of US. A person, another human being, did THAT." If you explain it away with divine (or profane, as the case might be) inspiration, much of the effect is lost.

Not that "Shadow" is a bad book - far from it. Fuqua nailed Poe's writing style exactly, and the photography and graphic manipulation give it an otherworldly feel so familiar to those who "know Poe." There was obviously more than a little research involved in "Shadow," and both the story and the illustrations reflect a sincere desire to honor the author. Unfortunately - and maybe it's my own personal bias - "Shadow" ends up discrediting the very author to whom it pays tribute.

That being said, read at your own risk. Whether you agree with their premise or not, it's still worth a look.

Final Grade: C+

I am new to the world of the graphic novel, but if "In the Shadow of Edgar Allan Poe" is the standard, I want more. After their strong debut with "I, Paparazzi," the trio-con-brio of Parke-Fuqua-Phillips have realized their potential with this offering. Although it will predictably irritate Poe purists, it shouldn't - because this is just the type of informed speculation that even has a chance of plumbing the source of Poe's sort of mad genius. In the end, the question of Poe's literal demons is left open to debate - a masterstroke, given the ever-enigmatic Poe's legend.
The display of individual talent here is alone worth the cost of the book: Phillips photos are beautifully composed and lit.
Fuqua's writing is altogether spooky as he seems to channel the master himself. When Fuqua/Poe writes, "I laid bare the inner-world of haunted men, of people seeking revenge, of those doomed to die lonely," it's as if Poe is in the room with you. Steve Parke, whom I've been privileged to watch illustrate and photo-restore my own books, is at his apogee this time. Not only is every frame turned into a piece of art, but his casting of Damon Norko as Poe is inspired. If someone doesn't license some of his panels from Poe for posters I'll be shocked. As Joe Bob Briggs would say, "Check it out."

The book Tales of Terror is not that good as I thought it would be. I thought this book was going to be as good as the poems that he writes. Poe writes the best poems but now I am not so sure about his book,or stories. I think he could have done better.

I must admit that when I first recieved this book I didn't expect to like it, particularly since popular intrest in Poe has dramaticaly fallen recently, but I very much enjoyed it. It seems some things don't just fade away into the past.

This was my first introduction to the life of Edgar Allan Poe. The book was an easy read and satisfactorally highlighted the high (and low) points of his life. The author did a good job of using many direct quotes from primary sources and other biographies as well as from various letters. However, she seemed bent on painting Poe as a victim in every circumstance. While I do not believe everything negative I've heard about him, he was clearly a disturbed man - going from woman to woman to woman...looking for a wife, not being able to hold a job for more than a couple months, having volatile relationships with MANY people - these are not the symptoms of a mentally healthy man. The author tried to make it seem that everyone was out to get Poe and that he had little responsibility for his life's problems. While I do not doubt his genius, I see him as quite responsible for the misery he lived.

This book is great for any teenager writing a biography speech on Edgar Allan Poe! I highly recommend it!

This collection was not quite as great as i was hoping. the poems were nice to have, most aren't in the complete tales and poems. i especially like the lines on ale. the letters were truly a gem to read. it gave a nice view of poe's thoughts and a hint of his wit. the selection from poe's marginalia gave a wonderful insight to his mind. but the essays by the french were dull and really didn't give any new information, other than his worship by the french. i recommend this collection only for the poe enthusiast (like me).

The book goes far beyond the myth and the macabre of E.A. Poe. It goes into his everyday life and shows you in his own words how Poe saw it. From ordinary letters written to friends and relatives, to essays and obscure of obscure poems from Poe's earlist days. A true gem for the Poe buff. This title shows how Poe became a legend so much in France that many of the French people thought him one of thier own. This of course you can read about in the book because of Charles Baudelaire's ceasless efforts to translate Poe for the French people. The downfalls of this book are few in that I felt that there should have been more of an effort to put Poe's letters in more context. The way they were printed was more in chronological order, rather than sensible order. Perhaps more narration between the letters were neccesary. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and especially the early work of Poe that he himself never thought much of publishing. This book is a steal at this price and should adorn every bookshelf of every Poe buff everywhere.

Obviously, the reader from Miami, Florida filed the wrong review. This book is not the Poe short story "The Purloined Letter" (which, by the way, is a good story), but, rather a philosophical and psychoanalitical study of Poe.

I repeat I am not a big fan of mystery novels but this one was not mysterious at all. Edgar Allen Poe left out the suspenseful feeling that every mystery should contain.

Although I have not finished the book yet, I needed to respond to the other reviewer who wrote that this is not a good mystery. You dingbat! This is a work in philosophy and psychology, not fiction! If you don't even have the slightest clue regarding a text, do not review it!