I am so enthusiastic about collections of complete works. The probability of hating all the works of one certain writer is so small that it is negligible. So when I bought this book I knew deep in my mind that I would at least like about a hundred pages of the book. I did not. I enjoyed all the book except for possibly 40-50 pages which is more than impressive.

When I say I like all of the book, I mean to say all of the prose section. I hate poetry, sorry for that but I cannot help it. This review here is concerned with the prose section.

The book begins with the only novel Poe wrote, namely "Narrative of A Gordon Pym." (For a complete review of the novel, please click on the blue "a_mathematician" to view it in the proper place). The novel takes one fifth of the prose section, and is followed by a subsection called "Tales of Deduction."

The first short story of that section is "The Gold Bug," an interesting story. As a matter of fact, Doyle based "The adventure of the Dancing Men," a Sherlock Holmes's short story, on it. Then it goes into introducing Dupin the French, the first unofficial detective ever. (For a complete review of the novel please click on the blue "a_mathematician" to view it in the proper place).

Then comes "Tales of Horror," and, oh my, this part is the most wonderful of the whole collection. Even though Poe was the first to write in this genre, there still no one superior to him. I am not sure about HP Lovecraft, but I am sure King is not up to him. Poe can bring the chill to your heart. I heard he used to eat much on dinner just to bring nightmares to his night sleep, and when he wakes up in the morning he would record every single detail of his dreams to use it in his short stories.

The stories I prefer are: "The Black Cat," which ruined the life of a very wretched man; "The Pit and the Pendulum," which speaks about the pains of one prisoner of the Spanish Inquisition; "The Masque of the Red Death," whose story I would not have actually liked if not for the marvelous description, Poe provides, for every single bit of occurrence. "The Fall of the House of Usher," which speaks about the life of a very singular person and his sister (This one is considered by many to be the best short story Poe has every written); and "The Oblong Box," which is exactly what Doyle would have written had he got the idea first.

Then comes "Tales of Imagination." This section was the one I did not like that much. He started with a few very descriptive emotional stories (I would only consider them nonsensical, no offense).

The stories I liked here were: "Manuscript Found in A Bottle," which is a pretty funny story about someone being in a foreign ship without people feeling his presence; and "The Unparalleled Adventures of One Hans Pfall," which explores the reasons behind Pfall's wanting to forsake the earth for the moon on his balloon. The latter is more of a novella than a short story.

The next section is "Satirical Tales and Hoaxes." This was the second best section I enjoyed. The best stories were: "The System of Doctor Tarr and Professor Fether," which is an insane story, no one could have ever produced such a comedy before; "Some Words with A Mummy," and for those of you who are familiar with the Egyptian novelist Naguib (or Najib) Mahfouz, I may tell you that he had used a similar idea in his first collection of short stories; "The Man that was Used Up," which I can describe with no other word than ABSOLUTELY FUNNY with a very twisted end; "Loss of Breath," is another example for the genius of Poe; "Never Bet the Devil Your Head," HaHa; "The Spectacles," I read this one so long ago and it still possessed its charm with its funny twisted conclusion; "The Literary Life of Thingum Bob, Esq," which was a satirical and wonderful one; and finally "X-ing A Paragraph," which was the best one in the section.

Then come some articles, the best of which were 'Didling' and 'Maelzel's Chess Player.' They were nice to read despite their being out of date.

In the end I would like to apologize for this long review, but you cannot describe - or better yet, review - about a thousand pages in a two liner. I like the book and there is no reason you should not. Poe has affected so many writers, some of whom are: RL Stevenson, AC Doyle, Roald Dahl, HP Lovecraft, Steven King, and so many others, so if you read for any of those you would definitely enjoy this book.

...that's what this book makes me. I honestly do not know what there is left to say about one of the greatest horror writers of all times. this book is essential - so if you like reading horror, gothic, etc. stories and you have never read a story by EAP, shame on you.

If you never even heard of EAP, shame on you even more!

But if you don't own this book, "you shalt not be suffered to live"!!!!(sorry for dramatizing, but buy this (*) book!!!!!!!! And read it of course, not only buy it and put it on your shelf because it looks nice and when you show it to people, they all say, wow, you got a great collection - they say this, at least one of them says this, because he knows what proud 'n' lucky son you are to own such a beautiful book -> not beautiful because it is thick hardcover edition bound in leather with golden renderings on the pages on golden imprints on the front and back cover.

Legite: (Amazon does not provide pictures for The Complete Works of EAP, and because there are several books in hardcover bearing this title, I do not know which of these books matches the description of the book's design featured in the end, so do not blame me if you buy THIS book because you liked how it does look - if you care for design, take a look around. There has to be some way to retrieve information about the book's design.)

Edgar Allan Poe of Baltimore wrote the memorable poem, "The Raven", and that poem inspired the name of Baltimore's current NFL team. But naming football teams is not all he was good at. Poe wrote science fiction, horror, mystery, and detective stories. He is credited by some with the invention of the modern detective story. It is certain that Dupin, the hero of "Murders in the Rue Morgue", served as a model for Sherlock Holmes, who in turn inspired Hercule Poirot. One of Poe's short stories, "The Murder of Marie Roget", might even be classified as true crime. Although placed in Paris, it was based upon the true-life unsolved murder in New York of Mary Rogers. Poe never went to the scene of the crime, and everything he knew about the murder he got from the newspaper. Nevertheless he wrote a story in which he solved the murder and identified the murderer. His speculation was later confirmed in all major details by two confessions.

I read Poe's works as a pre-teen child, and some of the stories frightened me so badly that I can remember the details to this day. "The Pit and the Pendulum", "The Premature Burial", "The Black Cat", "The Fall of the House of Usher", "The Tell Tale Heart". All these stories and more will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Poe's longest work, "The Narrative of A. Gordon Pym", proved somewhat tedious, and his poetry isn't the best, but the short stories are great.

Edgar Allan Poe is one of the undisputed giants of United States literature--indeed, of all world literature. And "Great Short Works of Edgar Allan Poe," edited by G.R. Thompson, is a solid sampling of some of Poe's most marvelous literary achievements. The editor's selection allows the reader to experience the many different facets of this genius: Poe as poet, as critic, as mystery writer, as science fiction pioneer, as satirist, and, of course, as seminal master of horror.

Of course, no selective presentation of Poe will please everybody. I'm sure that most Poe enthusiasts will bemoan the absence of a favorite piece from this collection. Personally, I missed "The Gold-Bug," one of the stories that most impacted me as a young reader many years ago. But Thompson has packed a diverse cross-section of great material into a fairly compact space. You'll find such essential triumphs as "the Raven," "The Masque of the Red Death," and "The Murders in the Rue Morgue."

This edition includes both a good bibliography and a chronology of Poe's life. "Great Short Works" is a good resource for both the general reader and for classroom use.

all of poe's stories have really made me wonder what kind of guy he was. all of his short stories, mostly included in the contents of this book. my favorite the tell tale heart. this guy cuts the book done when it should be cut and i wouldnt expect anything different from him.

BUY IT!

I want to make this short and simple. If you want a good feeling for what Poe has to offer you should read this book.

My friends and I used this audiobook to help us work on a paper on Edgar Allan Poe for our high school writing and poetry class. This is an amazing story. We never knew these things happened to Mr. Poe. We always thought he was rich and famous and everybody loved him. Is this a true story? We've started doing more research on his poems and stories (our papers aren't due until May 3rd). Whoever played Lenore was great. But what is this love story about? Did Edgar love Mrs. Shelton? Or Lenore? What about the Woman in Black? What about Edgar's mother?

I'm in my first year of college (...) and my friends and I are working on our team paper on Edgar Allan Poe. This audiobook is great! We never realized how interesting and wild Poes life was. This story is a bit sad, especially the love Edgar has for Lenore. This is also deep because it shows how Edgar struggled for his art. My little sister is going to use this tape for her high school project too. So, I guess its good for younger adults too.

Thank you for taking us to that 'other' place with this deep. dark account of Edgar Allan Poe. The obsession, love and betrail by those close to Edgar is pain-stakingly scripted. I had to go through other works about Edgar (The Marriage of Heaven and Earth by Randall Clack, Henry Cain's - The Poe Mangan Question, The Influence of Edgar Allan Poe in France by Pierre Cambiaire and Edgar Allan Poe by Joseph Krutch from a book published by Knopf out of New York City back in 1926). My friends and I were floored at the amount of rare information in this audiobook that would probably be lost forever. Everyone I have talked to who listened to this book-on-tape agree, these actors and writers put it all together to tell a grand tale of a darker horror Mr. Poe, himself, never could have imagined. I've already ordered extra copies of this great story

The horror of being; the darkest depths of man's soul; the deepest fears brought about by darkness: it's all here. This is the work of the original genius of terror. And the most terrifying thing about Poe's stories and poems is that the threat doesn't come from a monster, or a devil, or a murderer: it comes from inside yourself, from your mind and your heart. There's no escaping them. Poe is not, of course a "terror" writer. He's just a writer, and one of the best there has been. His work can not be confined to a "genre". His tales touch horror, but there are some analytical, metaphysical, futurists, and tales of love (strange love, but love).

As correctly pointed out by other reviewers, Poe practically invented the mystery tale in which the detective is an amateur who solves the problem through reason and deduction alone ("The crimes of the Rue Morgue"). A wonderful cryptic and deductive tale is "The golden bug". "The cask of Amontillado" is a masterpiece of cruel vengeance. "The pit and the pendulum" is pure terror, like "The black cat".

The poems have even more variety. You know what the famous ones are: The Raven, The bells, Annabel Lee. Here, the most remarkable characteristics are music and rhythm. "Quoth the raven: nevermore!", and the ringing of the bells, the bells, bells, bells, etc. My personal favorite is Annabel Lee, but there are many other, less known, which are just excellent.

Poe was a troubled man, addicted to drugs and alcohol, who died in a miserable way (some thugs made him drink to use him in an electoral fraud; he died from drunkness on the streets of Baltimore). But his intellect and sensibility (hypersensibility) made him a true genius, a profound connoiseur of the human soul, up and down. His writing is superb and he will remain as a master of literature for centuries to come. In case you have never approached his work, do so now. Choose your favorite couch; wait until everybody is asleep, get yourself a good drink, and travel to the bottom of your own soul.

I've been a huge Edgar Allan Poe fan for a long time and believe he's one of the greatest authors ever. While not having this exact edition, I have one similiar. Knowing it contains all his stories and poems, you definitely can't go wrong picking this book up. It'll keep you busy for a long time.

Want a tale of mystery, deduction? Flip to "The Gold Bug" or "The Murders in the Rue Morgue".

Horror? "The Pit and the Pendulum", "The Masque of the Red Death" and "The Oblong Box" will fit the bill.

Imagination? "The Island of the Fay", "The Sphinx".

Satire and Hoaxes? "The Devil in the Belfry", "Mystification" and "Loss of Breath" for starters.

These few stories are just the tip of the iceberg. Don't forget all his poems, including the classic "The Raven". "Alone" is another of my favorite poems.

Poe is a master of storytelling and this book will show it. Highly Recommended.

Having never written a full novel, Poe is sometimes forgotten when the great fiction writers of American history are listed. The power of Poe's dark vision, though, is virtually unprecedented in world literature. The manifestation of such deep, intuitive symbols and archetypes, ones of such clarity, prophesy and terror that even his incredible craftsmanship in language becomes transparant, is a gift given to only the most blessed and tormented of writers. To read a story like the Masque of the Red Death is to be flung into an allegorical morality play which fits perfectly into the modern context. Poe's stories and poems travel through time and rap ceaselessy on the window of your conscious thoughts. An ominous pall of expectation and retribution permeates all of his work. To pick up Poe is really never to put it down.

Poe has been overlooked by today's literary order, but the man was one of the finest American authors ever. His stories paved the way for other great and popular authors--everyone from Conan Doyle to Stephan King. This book is an outstanding collection and should be read not for its literary value (which is tremendous) but for the sheer fun of it.

Poe is one of the best horror writers ever to have lived. I have read all of his works. Some of his best stories are The Fall of the House of Usher, The Masque of Red Death, The Black Cat, The Cask of Amontaiado, The Pit and the Pendelum, and The Tell-Tale Heart. His great poems include-The Raven and The Bells. Poe is a fantastic author, and his creepy tales of the dark side of life should be read over and over.

Poe is one of the world's finest writers and this collection of stories is what he's all about. This book contains the best of his tales, with many others for you to explore on your own. It has his poems and short stores. Its contents is very close to being unabridged except, for it missing a few poems and stories that aren't very good anyway.

Poe's tales contain all the excitement of a novel, in around 10 pages. I recommend this collection because it offers hours of enjoyment. The only thing you might need is a large vocabulary because he tends to have an advanced word choice. Get this book and have fun!

I have read most of the American poets, both past and present. For my money Poe is simply one of the best when it comes to rhythm and rhyme. Plus his imagery and themes are so dark and foreboding that poems, such as his masterpiece "The Raven" will stand forever as immortal verses from this master of shadows and sheer terror.

I was first hooked on literature in high school, having before that been strictly a reader of sci-fi and horror. I was wonderfully surprised to discover Poe's tales and poems, not only because they catered to my love of the dark and disturbed, but because they were something altogether different from what I'd been reading! This book contains the poem that Poe is most favorite for and one of my long time faves, the Raven. But it also contains a wonderful assortment of other poems so that you get the full range of Poe's literary ability in one slim little book! Whoever put teen angst in such beautiful terms; "From childhood's hour I have not been/as others were..." If you're looking for a cheap version with a good cross section of his poetry, this is most definitely the book to pick up.

What can I say of "The Raven" that has not been said? Beauty and sadness, grief and romance...

Lamenting the loss of a gentle but passionate woman, the narrator drinks, yet somberly dwells on her name. A local raven, with the capacity to utter like a parrot a syllable or two, repeats "Lenore," and "Nevermore." The narrator, tired and broken, believes the raven might be sent by God or even by the Devil, and tries talking with it.

The poem, like an long tale, draws the listener or reader to be in that lonely room.

Anyone who has ever been in love and lost that lover will known Poe's pain and supplication of god.

I fully recommend this book.

Anthony Trendl

Since the first time I saw this book I wanted to get it. I have been a big Poe fan for a long time now,and I've read a biography or two about him, and i wanted to read more of his works.I was tired of reading the same stories and poems he wrote like the most popular one's that we read in school like, The Raven,and The Tale Tale Heart and such other great works that he did. Since I wanted to read all the poems and stories he wrote I thought this would be a great book, and it is. If you'r a Poe fan or like a classic gothic story you should check out this book.It's filled with over a 1,000 pages of stories and poems. Dont delay and get this item while you can. Trust me you won't put this down until you have read every story and poem in this book.

I Bought this book a couple of years ago and found it to be the most utterly enjoyable collection and find myself returning to it time and time again. From his earliest works on "Tamerlane" his work as a playwrite on "The Politian". This book has it all. The Poe's novel, "The Narrative Of A. Gordon Pym", down to Arthur Conan Doyle's blueprint for Sherlock Holmes comprised in the three tales of C. August Dupine. It has everything even thoughts of Poe in his essays such as the opening to the poetry portion of the anthology entitled, "The Rational Of Verse". As an extreme Poe enthusiast who has written papers since highschool on his works to the man himself this collection is an excellent addition to any library of classic horror and the macabre.

Edgar Allen Poe. I'm sure you have read his most famous of works, The Pit and the Pendelum, The Tell Tale Heart, the Raven etc. But who of you has ventured deeper into his writings? There are many of his lesser known works that will keep you glued to the couch for hours. Example: The Angel of the Odd. You may think you know Poe, but.... you really don't. This book also contains an introduction that was very interesting. I know much more now, some of which I wish I didn't learn. Excellent stories, excellent poems, excellent book.

Maybe this review would be bigger than the story itself. a simple idea and an unbelievable story. the story of our evil deeds hauting us. it is scary , but true. the most amazing thing in this story is Edgar Poe himself; his greatest use of the language, his realistic description of anger. he made me laugh many times , though it this short story is not intended to do that, because of his clever use of the vocabulary. it is a must read book. Dont think of missing it.

It was the best story we have ever read because it was very scary.The part which we liked best was the ending, when the eye was burning.We felt sorry about the cat when the man cut out its eye.We didn't like the man because he was mean like a drunk.

If you want to know what is terror to its finest point, read this story

I love biographies and read a great many of them. Silverman's work on Poe is certainly my favorite bio of the American Romantic. Poe was my first and most important influence in life. I read him in middle school, and later in high school, I wrote my senior paper on his works. Since then, I have read every biography I could get my hands on. This one book is my keeper. Somehow, in his own personal way, Silverman was able to capture a side to Poe I had not really seen in earlier readings. It is subtitled a Mournful and Never-Ending Remembrance, and that is exactly what it is. Here Poe comes alive, in all his glories and disappointments. It's mournful, it's detailed, and it will certainly never leave your memory. Silverman actually breathes life into Poe, and for a moment, while you are reading, you feel as though you might look over and see Edgar A sitting next to you. That's kind of nice.

biography of Delmore Schwartz. Objective, magnificently researched, marvellously articulate, witty, urbane, insightful. Congratulations to you, Kenneth Silverman, for elevating the biographical bar for everyone.

I loved this book. It was another instance of realizing that almost everything I knew about a topic (in this case, E.A.Poe) was inaccurate. Also, Silverman's book provided a number of insights into life in New York, Boston, Philadelphia and Richmond in the pre-Civil War 19th Century. I do wish, however, that the author had more directly addressed some lingering questions about Poe; specifically, the real nature of his marriage to Virginia and his peculiar relationship to her mother, and the cause of his bouts of derangement (was it really alcohol or some other mental/chemical condition?). This was a rich and deep book that was very difficult to put down, even though it's long.

A Great Poe Story

"The Narrative of A. Gordon Pym of Nantucket" is a devilish tale about a young sea-loving man by the name of Arthur Gordon Pym. He becomes a stowaway onboard a ship by the name of Grampus. This gravely error causes the mutiny of the Grampus, the stranding of the Grampus at sea, and the death of his friend, Augustus. I believe this story is a wonderful spine-tingling tale by the popular author Edgar Allan Poe. This story would be a wonderful addition to anyone's horror story collection, especially anyone who loves Edgar A. Poe's gruesomely good stories of horror and mystery.

Being British, I can't comment on his significance in America, but I would like to praise him as one of the best writers of all time. Not content with single handedly defining new genre - The detective story (Murders in the Rue Morgue), the adventure story (The Gold Bug), he went on to write stories which would chill the spines of his readers for centuries to come. This book covers all his best work, and though it is often difficult to navigate his wide vocabulary, there is more than enough in content to keep even the most uneducated, glued to the pages. The only thing that would make this book perfect would be illustrations by Tim Burton, or a soundtrack by Danny Elfman.

Edgar Allen Poe's life of struggle and hardheadedness bore fruit in his writings, the most important of which are presented here. Poe's strongest point remains his mysteries, which have been used for the basis for many writers following after. Coldly stifling is the setting in which Poe casts his readers; feel the chill of the caverns, and the mouldering death-shroud of those buried before their time, or those damned to their fate by the acts of their lives. Poe's works have a constrictive effect *much like The Shining, by King does*, pulling the reader in closer to the text, seeking resolution at the end, but only finding... well, it would be a sin to spoil your first taste of Amontillado, or your first stroll along the Rue Morgue. So do what's right. Click for Edgar, and make sure that, unlike the sweet Lenore, he is seen for evermore...