Essential Tales and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe (Barnes & Noble Classics Series)

Thrilling, psychological, and even humorous work

I have found that many, if not most, readers like to dismiss Poe as a shallow, simplistic, and even disturbed horror writer whose work possesses little or no merit for the sophisticated reader beyond that of Poe's literary status. Unfortunately, this conception has gained widespread acceptance (thanks in no part to the Vincent Price "remakes" of several of Poe's most famous stories), but, fortunately, this conception is simply untrue.

Poe's poetry demonstrates his mastery of form, technique, language, and the use of classical themes, besides thrilling the reader. Recurring themes include the nature of death and the afterlife, fear, beauty, truth/reality, and even love. This volume provides readers with a decent overview of Poe's poetic work and includes such classics as "Ulalume: A Ballad," "The Raven," "To Helen," and "The Bells."

Although Poe desired first to be known as a poet, his prose constitutes his best work. This volume includes an excellent sampling of Poe's short stories, which range from Gothic tales of terror to psychological thrillers to mysteries to tales of insanity and obsession to biting parodies and comical works. Beyond his skillful use of terror in his stories, Poe delves into his characters' minds, revealing the worst in Man and demonstrating how depraved we truly are. More specifically, his stories address troubling questions concerning human thought, emotion, and condition, and the consequences of overwhelming fear, obsession, and the thirst for revenge, among other things.

This volume also includes Poe's single novella, The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym.

Overall, this is excellent, thought-provoking material that provides for a thrilling, enjoyable, and occasionally hilarious read.

5 out of 5 people found this review helpful.

POSITIVELY THRILLING!

This book contains every poem and tale written by the great Edgar Allan Poe...tales are positively chilling to the bone...poetry written about death and pain, but it touches the soul...Sing praises to the work of Edgar Allan Poe FOREVER!!!!!!!!!!

3 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

Great compilation book

A great compilation book with the best works of Poe. Convenient and practical.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Poe Poe

Over all, i recommend reading this book, i have read about half of it when i'm in between books or want to ready a short story at night. but i recommend all to read a bit of poe !!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

This is an Awesome Collection

This is an awesome collection to have in one's own library.

Everyone should own Poe works, along with Ohio Blue Tips by Jeanne E. Clark, The Photos In The Closet by Daniel E. Lopez, and works by Alison Townsend.

1 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Insight for aspiring authors

His poems give you thrills, but his short stories provoke intense thought. This book is by no means a casual or lighthearted read; I consider it a must-have for the bookshelf of any writer who wants to gain some literary perspective and learn by example how to put real depth and density into his writing. Poe is the standard those kinds of authors must live up to.

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

horror beond imagination

an outstanding book for young adults and others including the classics such as The Raven,Hop-Frog,The Black Cat ,The Pit and the Pendulum, and the Tell-Tale Heart.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

A waste of time. Joke haha

I like this because my sis has told me about this and i have herd good stories from this book

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Recommended!

It is informational about Poe and has a ton of his writings. I love it!

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0 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Love this book!

I am happy to keep it in my Nook!

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Simply fantastic

An amazing compilation of Poe's works.

Awesome!!!!!!!!!

I love all the storys!

Oh yeah!

Hey! It is Poe - what isn't to love?!! It has all my favorites... The Raven, Masque of the Red Death, Pit & Pendulum... and some I had all but forgotten and find enjoyable all over again.

Forever a Fan

Besides that this book has every Poe must read, there is nothing else to say. Poe's work speaks for itself. I can, however, tell you which are my favorite stories:
The Gold Bug
The Black Cat
The Murders in the Rue Morgue
The Pit and the Pendulum
The Cask of Amontillado

POEMS:
The Raven (of course)
A Dream Within A Dream

Tales and Poems Essential Poe Reading

Like the previous Barnes and Noble publications on Poe, this is a wonderful addition for enthusiasts of this author's work. Right from the start there is a brief, two page summary of Poe and his life followed by an intriguing, more thorough examination of the world he lived in. In the final pages of this volume there are informative endnotes regarding various texts along with sections about different media inspired by Poe's works, comments and questions, and suggested further readings. The one detraction is the introduction by Benjamin F. Fisher which attempts to be scholarly in its examination of Poe and his works but, unfortunately, fails miserably in such efforts, being little more than a long winded diatribe. Had it not been for Fisher's awkward attempts at erudation I would have given a full five stars to this otherwise fine offering. This is still a worthy tome to add to one's collection. (liquidgee@comcast.net)

Truly a masterpiece!

I first started reading Poe when I was about 12. His stories and poems are unforgettable. My absolute favorite is Annabell Lee. This is required reading for any and all!

excellence in its purist form

Poe is the greatest of american(brits are good)poets. This collection is masterful, it even includes poe's only novel. B and N have done it again with brilliant intro's and exquisite notes. Keep up the good work and keep low the price!

Wicked Good

A superlative compilation of Edgar Allan Poe's works. Lovers of any kind of fiction should read this book.

An Outstanding read

This book is a must for everyone who enjoys the works of Edgar Allen Poe. A couple of my most favorite tales are the Gold-Bug and the Tell-Tale Heart. If you have read these stories and liked them, this book will amaze you with the Tales and Poems included in the book. Another great poem The Raven