Rosenheim, a professor of English and American Studies at Williams College, has produced a rambling, disjointed meditation on cryptography, Edgar Allan Poe, espionage, Thomas Pynchon, and the Internet.

Unfortunately, Rosenheim's attempts at discussion of technical matters are nearly always marked by severe misunderstandings of the mathematics and physics involved. For example, consider his definition of quantum cryptography, which appears in the glossary:

"A form of cryptography in which, under certain experimental conditions, pairs of photons may be created that exert an influence over one another that cannot be explained by quantum mechanics. Measuring the polarization of one particle immediately and identically changes the spin on its antiparticle. Such polarization takes place regardless of the relative positions of the two particles in the universe, in a result that seems to violate the second law of classical theory. It is theoretically possible that a stream of such polarized photons could be used to encipher messages that could be sent over space in literally no time at all."

There are so many errors in just these four sentences that it is difficult to know where to begin. First of all, the behavior of entangled photon pairs is, contrary to the claim, perfectly explicable through quantum mechanics. Second, practical quantum cryptography is not currently based on entangled photon pairs --- although Ekert did propose such a scheme --- but a different mechanism proposed much earlier by Wiesner and Bennett & Brasssard. Third, the reference to the ``second law'' is, of course, utter nonsense.

Other blunders in _The Cryptographic Imagination_ include conflating monkeys and apes, misstating Zipf's law, wildly over-estimating the amount of pornography on the Internet, misstating the name of the Usenet newsgroup "alt.sexual.abuse.recovery", and comically misspelling the name of one of the inventors of RSA as "Ronald Rivers". Rosenheim even makes mistakes in his own field: he claims that Georges Perec's book _La Vie: Mode d'Emploi_ was written without the letter "e", when in fact it is another book of Perec entitled _La Disparition_.

This is not to say that I didn't get anything out of Rosenheim's book. I was intrigued to learn about Lizzie Doten, a 19th century mystic who "channeled" ersatz poems of Poe and other writers such as Shakespeare and Burns. But the book is marred by the usual postmodernist excesses: making much of tenuous or nonexistent connections, second-rate wordplay (the series in which _The Cryptographic Imagination_ is published is entitled "re-visions of culture and society"; among postmodernists, this sort of gratuitous hyphen insertion is apparently considered essential), and opaque exposition. Consider the following two examples:

"When I claim that Poe helped end World War II, the `Poe' in that sentence represents both a particular author and the literary genre he helped create and for which he serves as a synecdoche." [p. 15]

"Such a homeopathic technique for the creation of mysteries produces highly cathected readers; the surface of the cipher produces a crypt in us, which we proceed to fill with our imagination, just as the semantic vacuity of Khumnhotep's [sic] glyphs contextually signified Khumnhotep's [sic] power and his resistance to comprehension." [p. 48]

_The Cryptographic Imagination_ will be of little interest to anyone wanting to learn about cryptography. In fact, I can scarcely think of a reason to read it, except perhaps to see an example of what passes for scholarly work in some academic disciplines.

Perhaps English majors will enjoy this book, but I didn't. The author constantly draws parallels between encryption and totally unrelated literature. Treating foreign languages or the Bible as a type of cryptography is going too far. If you're a Poe fan, this book is for you, but if you'd rather learn something about cryptography, find another book.

If you've gone to colege and have had to endure the [modest] writing of literary critics since the 1960s, this book will read like pure exbasy to your nervous system. Though it functions for me generically as self-help, it's also whimsical and wandering as a good narrative should be. Ultimately meta, Rosenheim's prose is dense but not impossible- if you have been indoctrinated by higher learning to see texts as coded puzzles, you'll find this book exemplifies the technique it decodes. If you are a genius like me, you'll love it, or you are unfit to hold your post.

Gregory Hines and Joel Gray present horrible readings of two of Poe's best poems. Gregory Hines sounds like a used car salesman when reading "Annabel Lee," and Joel Gray sounds like a spastic nut when reading "The Bells." Did they ever listen to themselves? Christopher Cazenove represents the best reader and the savior of this otherwise fiasco. Although he left out the last stanza, his reading of "Ulalume-A Ballad" is by far the best reading I've heard of this powerful poem. Michael York's reading of "The Raven" is ok, but he lacks correct interpretation with the "wispered word, 'Lenore?'" The only other reader to read this phrase like a question is Edward Blake. For some reason many of the poems have background music. Did the producers of this collection really think that these poems lacked something? Perhaps this collection going out of print was an act of mercy.

Like the first reviewer, I thought Gregory Hines absolutely ruined "Annabel Lee" for me, which is--or now, was--also one of MY favorite Poe poems. What's next, "Gregory Hines Tapdances 'A Cask of Amontillado'"? Stick to you day-job, Greg! Michael York and David Warner are much beter readers than Hines, though when York reads "I shrieked..." it hardly sounds like a shriek. Their readings are good, but not great. By far the two less-famous (to me, anyway) readers on the tape, Roger Rees and Christopher Cazenove, are giants compatred to the other three. Rees' reading of "The Conqueror Worm" alone is worth the price of this tape. Obviously Rees and Cazenove are experienced Shakespeare-trained actors who love--and know how to utilize to startling results--the English language. I would pay almost anything for a new version of this tape read by Rees and Cazenove alone, or possibly by them and other accomplished Shakepearean actors (Patrick Stewart? Ralph Fiennes? Simon Russell Beale?). It's just not enough, to effectively read aloud poems or prose written by a master, to be famous (Hines) or even British and famous (York and Warner); you have to be GOOD! Anyway, overall this tape's worth buying.

If "Annabel Lee" is your favorite Poe poem, be warned that it is read by Gregory Hines, and the AudioFile review is being generous when it says that his readings lack drama and force. Though it is one of my favorite poems, or, more precisely, because it is one of my favorite poems, I fast forward through it everytime I listen to the tape, lest his reading impare my ability to enjoy the poem in the future.

This is somewhat compensated for by Michael York's exellent rendering of "The Raven" and David Warner's various readings which wonderfully capture Poe's mood and spirit.

Overall, still worth the price. I don't regret having purchased it and I'm still enjoying it a month later. If only "Annabel Lee" had been assigned to Mr. York or Mr. Warner!

One thing Mr. Hoffman definitely cannot be accused of is hating "poor Eddie Poe" - except when to hate means to criticize (good-humoredly) verses like "Where the good and the bad and the worst and the best / Have gone to their eternal rest"... This book is both a work of art and a work about art. It's equally recommendable if you are doing serious research on Poe - Mr. Hoffman offers psychoanalytical criticism of all of Poe's major works - and if you like imaginative writing as much as Poe's beautiful dead women or simply want to read an extremely amusing book. Of course this is only possible if you don't take Poe, Mr. Hoffman or yourself too seriously. Buy Buy Buy Buy Buy Buy Buy!

Too many Poe books play on the reputation Poe had as a genius who lost a high number of woman he loved to TB, and drank himself to death. Hoffman can't ignore history and doesn't, but he does talk, unlike many others, about the writing. He does it in a playful, flirtacious way, yet engages a Poe fan in something beyond the 'same old, same old'. If it is the last word on Poe you want, that authoritative tome of all things Poe, go elsewhere. If you want to kick back and ENJOY a new look at one of the most influential American writers ever, buy this one.

It surprises me that one could read Hoffman's humor in this engaging critical study as anything but reverential to Poe's work. Hoffman isn't (as so many reviewers here have suggested) picking on Poe; instead, he's tempering his reverence with some very honest comments about an author whose work (like that of all authors) is not entirely consistent. I found it enlightening to read Hoffman's section on Poe's poetry, which brings out the steadfastness ofthe author's attempts, whether they succeed entirely or fail. In fact, Hoffman's honesty about the writings of Poe was this Poe devotee's first view of the author from a perspective other than absolute worship. Hoffman doesn't dwell on the misses in Poe's ouvre to belittle the author; he does it to show the experimental quality of the author's work. He illuminates the author's process and his struggle. Considering that writing is a struggle, and that "genius" is a problematic term, I think Hoffman justly humanizes Poe in this excellent, engaging book.

Though the partnership of Poe and Crocket is unlikely to have ever worked, the premise is fun. The author must have had enjoyed working the numerous references to Poe's stories into the details and plot of Nevermore. As a fan of Poe, I delighted in Schechter's attempt to duplicate the stilted and often tedious writing structure used by Poe - it made the first person narrative work. The whonunnit aspect of the book is somewhat contrived and rather anti-climactic, but the read is still enjoyable.

I loved this book. It is eloquently written from Edgar Allen Poe's perspective and is thoroughly engrossing. The idea of pairing frontiersman Davy Crockett and Poe is genius as the two actually work well together. Highly credible dialog and a historically atypical setting in old Baltimore make for a delightful read. If this is the author's first foray into fiction (I know he specializes in true crime pieces) I only hope he continues. I recommend this book highly to anyone who enjoys history and mystery stories. Poe's refined vocabulary may send some for their Webster's, but it is worth the effort.

As people who have read my reviews undoubtedly know, I only write one if I find the work fabulous beyond belief, or want to chuck every copy in existence into a trashcan, then set the lot on fire. This would be an instance of the fabulous kind ( tho by far, not the best book Ive ever read). I must say (to the point at last! ) that the author's depiction of poe appeared very realistic and characteristic of what is known of his life and psyche. The rather gory depictions of the murders are quite along the line of poe's dark writings, and I found them not disgusting, but interesting, as the author seeks to tell where Poe might have gotten inspiration for many of his short stories and poems (obviously the raven being the main work referenced). Although the story is a little far-fetched, I was entertained throughout with Poe and Crocketts antics as they ban together to solve the murders plaguing Baltimore. Although I wouldnt recommend this book to everyone, (those who have read his stories/poems would undoubtedly find it more interesting than those who have not), if you are looking for a quick mystery with unique characters (poe and crockett as "investigators"), I rather think you would enjoy this book. It is a refreshing divergence from the typical (often dully predictable) mysteries in circulation right now. Look for references to "The raven" "The Tell-Tale Heart" "The Cask of Amontillado" "the Masque of the Red Death" "The Premature Burial", and more.

Reading this short story by Mr. Poe made me want to look further into his works. Up until this time I was familiar only with "The Raven" and thought him to be mostly dark. The Angel of the Odd, however, is actually quite funny & quirky. Also made me re-think the whole "wine with dinner" thing. Enjoy.

Shortly after the turn of the century Wallace published two articles in "Fortnightly Review" concerning what he thought was the discovery of a previously-unknown Poe poem titled "Leonainie." He was soon told that the poem was a prank played by the Indiana writer James Whitcomb Riley, but at first refused to believe that intelligence. The Marriot letters contain a good deal of analysis by Wallace on the poem, and are informative both with respect to Poe studies, and to Wallace himself, who is known primarily for his role as a scientist (in the development of the theory of natural selection, and as a field naturalist). P.S.: No one seems to know much about the genesis of this little collection of letters--an unknown compiler put it together sometime between the dates of the letters themselves--around 1904--and its original library cataloging date, in 1930.

I think that this book is a great book for all ages it exprecises the feelings of poe.

EDGAR ALLEN POE IS FAIRLY SCARY BUT MORE GROSS OR DISGUSCUTING. I DO RECOMEND YOU BUY IT.

First and foremost: John Evangelist Walsh does not write well. He loves the skewed sentence and frail subject-verb current, the vague reference and imprecise noun. He also occasionally boasts of his investigatory prowess and belittles other critics for their blindness. But the reason for all this stylistic lameness becomes clear in the second half of MIDNIGHT DREARY; he is hamstrung by the lameness of his thesis, which is that Sarah Royster's brothers followed Poe around,force-fed him whisky and beat him to the verge of death to protect her from this womanizing drunkard.
The mysteries of Poe's whereabouts during his last days and why he was found delirious and battered in someone else's clothes in a Baltimore public house have long intrigued readers, and Walsh begins with some reasonable mustering of the known (and even the less accessible) evidence. He brings to light some documents often dismissed in the case and builds upon them, but when the avaiable information thins out, Walsh fills in with fiction, a dramatic tale which is distinguished by neither its presentation of characters nor its vividness.
If Walsh had set out to write an entertaining fancy, he might have succeeded, though it's difficult to believe his writing would have been less tortured. Had he contented himself to gather and display the evidence, both the popular documents and the more obscure ones, he might have performed a service, for the mystery of Poe's death is not fully solved by the common assumption of election press gangs and "cooping" of indigents to vote them over and over. But he has chosen to claim high drama and earth-shaking discovery.
The result has more in common with evangelism than scholarship. Walsh has a theory to sell, and he will say anything to convince the reader who is unfamiliar with the biographies. He combines the arbitrary and the desperately speculative into a net that cannot hold even the smallest fish. Even if Silverman's MOURNFUL AND NEVER-ENDING REMEMBRANCE is not the last word, compared to it, MIDNIGHT DREARY is an entertaining footnote.

I found this in the True Crime Section and expected an interesting read. I never found it. What I received instead was a detailed description of the last days of Edgar Allan Poe leading up to, what I thought would be an interesting and definitive conclusion, nothing. The book just leaves the reader to swallow the author's boring hypothesis. This is a case where the truth is NOT stranger than fiction (at least in this presentation).

I just finished this compelling book here on a sultry Saturday afternoon in August; nothing could have been better. Knowing very little of literary matters or much about E.A. Poe (except The Raven and Annibel Lee in 9th grade), I found this book to be riveting. I had not known of the mystery of his death or any of the theories pertaining to it. But having worked most of my life in mental health as a professional, I found myself more and more, as I sped through the book, asking myself whether this man might have been suffering from mental illness, certainly alcoholism as we know it today. The experiences and symptoms described of Poe by Walsh appear as classic examples of Bipolar Disorder or an agitated Major Depression with psychotic (paranoid) features. People who don't take their medication and who suffer from Major Mental Illness may often be "dually diagnosed" with substance abuse perhaps to self-medicate. The absence of real, tangible evidence in history to support the hypothesis that Poe was followed by Elmira's vindictive brothers during an agitated lost 5 days along the Eastern Seaboard, contributed to my obsessing about the possibility that just maybe Poe suffered from an agitated psychotic depression and had landed in Baltimore that October, 1849 having succumbed to alcohol poisoning. What a fabulous tale, but the sad mystery remains. And what a sad event for American history. And, oh, by the way, I found Walsh's writing to flow like a bounding river.