Poe-Land: The Hallowed Haunts of Edgar Allan Poe

by J.W. Ocker

Edgar Allan Poe was an oddity: his life, literature, and legacy are all, well, odd. In Poe-Land, J. W. Ocker explores the physical aspects of Poe's legacy across the East Coast and beyond, touring Poe s homes, examining artifacts from his life locks of his hair, pieces of his coffin, original manuscripts, his boyhood bed and visiting the many memorials dedicated to him.

Along the way, Ocker meets people from a range of backgrounds and professions actors, museum managers, collectors, historians who have dedicated some part of their lives to Poe and his legacy. Poe-Land is a unique travelogue of the afterlife of the poet who invented detective fiction, advanced the emerging genre of science fiction, and elevated the horror genre with a mastery over the macabre that is arguably still unrivaled today."

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Biography, Travel, Horror, Halloween, Biography Memoir

384 pages, Paperback

First published October 6, 2014

Reviews

[Gary · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just now this second finished this book....I've been shirking my responsibilities, because I was having a hell of a time putting this book down....and not getting the sleep I should at night....taking naps between chapters, because I am dropping the book in my lap....not due to boredom, but because I just couldn't stop reading it at night....and when I finished this book, I was listening to Shadow of the Raven by Nox Arcana...which is fantastic....http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o__BNe... Listen to it all here.....

Ok, getting to the review...I could quote full passages from the book, or quotes of Poe's but here's one I have chosen from J W Ocker's book....

"Why is POE so cool?"

I am going to attempt to answer that...sorta.... A couple days ago, I would have been able to answer that, and it would have been all about POE. I have loved Poe since the first story of his that I read in High school, as a freshman.....THE MASQUE OF RED DEATH. I was hooked,and suddenly he was "the man." I began to read more of him,and couldn't get enough.....years later, college...I am taking English and Literature classes...reading, and writing papers about all the greats...and yet POE kept coming up for me....I decided to switch my major to Elementary Education. For 21 years, I taught 4th grade. I read books as much as I could working like a dog teaching,and raising my kids...then in 2001, I get a book of his complete works from my wife and sons for my birthday, which is 6 days after Halloween. Then I get the chance to switch to 5th grade. I prided myself on doing what I could to get kids excited about reading. I would read stories to them dramatically,and the librarians would tell me that my students consistently would show interest in certain books,certain authors,and they were amazed how kids that hated the library were suddenly avid readers,and parents would share with me,and other teachers how it was all my fault that kids began to read books,and lots of them....so getting to 5th grade.....suddenly it opened up a new world for me,and for them...I felt they were old enough to experience POE,and Dickens,and Twain,and expose them I did. In fact , a schoolboard member threw a fit,and insisted HUCKLEBERRY FINN be removed from the shelves, because I shared a portion of that story with my history classes....I taught 3 groups of kids history in 5th grade. I exposed them to MOBY DICK , reading a chapter of the killing of a sperm whale when we studied MASSACHUSETTS because whale oil was so important to their economy. What happened to Huck Finn taken off the library shelves? As soon as the woman decided to resign from the schoolboard,and didn't run for reelection, the librarian put Finn back on the shelves,and again kids began to read it.....due to me continuing to share a portion of it in my classes.

Now, getting back to this book....I spent years reading Poe to kids dramatically,and you could hear a pin drop,and they would get so excited,and the POE anthologies then would fly off the library shelves. I had high school kids, librarians, and teachers contacting me about POE when they needed some guidance in their study of him, or writing a paper about him.... I became known as the literary teacher, districtwide,and I prided myself in that. So, I'd be the first to admit I don't know everything about POE, but I do know a lot,and pride myself in my research on him. I even got asked to read him aloud at a winery in the area. The St. Louis Cardinals, were in the playoffs, playing a game that night in St. Louis, and the winery was worried about the crowd. We had about 40 people show up, which was pretty respectable. They checked the score on their phones,and yet stayed to hear me read POE. So, when I started this book I knew there would be a lot I already knew....but I also learned a lot about what I didn't know, while reading this book. The style of writing and J W's sense of humor, being somewhat sarcastic at times, did make me laugh outloud often while reading it. J W states in the foreward that this is not a travelogue, yet the way he organized it was geographically, which was fine for me to follow. He talked about people, experts,and amateurs, that he met that find POE to be "cool." He shared places he visited to see artifacts, (which I would die to see myself.) He kept my interest heightened from page 1 to the last.

I have placed this book on a poll on a discussion group I moderate on GOODREADS, on POE, and already received some votes to read it and to discuss it. I could go on and on about..."Why is POE cool?" I think what really made POE cool for me this week is this book.....and it's available for order on Barnes and Noble. If you are a fan, read it....if you think you know a lot about POE or want to know more, read it....if you could care less about POE, but remember one story of his you liked as a kid...read this,and then get yourself a collection of his stories & poetry and read it. J W Ocker has made POE even cooler for me than ever before....and I am thinking a major POE road trip is in order....

Thanks JW for instilling in me of "Why is POE so cool?" I am now going to finally read Narrative of A. Gordon Pym for the very first time, yep, a Pym virgin am I....but not for long,and I am going to reread Gold Bug too. I had to carry my anthology around with me as I read your book to check on things & looking stuff up that you were discussing....

Here's a last quote from JW.... "Never RIP, Edgar Allan Poe." I totally and completely agree,and thank you for keeping him alive in your book.


A sideline....one of the things that first attracted me as kid to POE? Allan...which is my middlename, but did you know it's not Edgar's??? The spelling has plagued me too,and my son. *smile*. Sullivan's Island in SC.....I live in Sullivan, MO.....

READ THIS! to Order....

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/poe-l...

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/edgar...

Enjoy!

[Amy H. Sturgis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't remember when I've had more fun reading a book.

J.W. Ocker takes the reader on a road trip dedicated to sites related to Edgar Allan Poe in Massachusetts, Rhode Island (with a healthy detour for sites related to Poe's literary descendant, H.P. Lovecraft), New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Great Britain, Virginia, and South Carolina. Ocker's sincere love for and knowledge about Poe, coupled with his irreverent humor, makes the journey a joy and a celebration.

I expect those new to Poe would find this book an eye-opening and entertaining read. I'm not new to Poe or Lovecraft: I teach the works of both at the graduate university level; I write and podcast about them; I've made my own pilgrimages to Poe spots such as his grave in Baltimore and the Poe Museum in Richmond; and I've even led students on a tour of the Lovecraftian sites in Providence (including all of those that Ocker visited). I mention this in order to say that Poe-Land includes a great deal for a dedicated Poe aficionado to love. It will meet you wherever you are in your own personal Poe-scape and delight you.

Ocker doesn't just visit and report on Poe-related sites. He tracks down the history (and campaigners and artists) behind each plaque and memorial. He interviews Poe performers and collectors and curators. He asks everyone he meets - even the reader - for his or her "Poe story." He has Poe-esque adventures while on his trip, and throughout his quest he chases the answer to the question of why Poe has left such an impressive literary, cultural, and physical footprint on the landscape.

I laughed out loud. I made some notes. I went back to my books and photos.

Highly recommended. You won't be sorry you made this trip.

[Mauoijenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Want to know more about the beloved author Edgar Allan Poe?
Well, this is the answer you have been looking for.
A great book for any fan of Edgar Allan Poe to read. :)

[Lynsey Walker · Rating 2 out of 5]

A high 2, more like a 2.5

It has taken me nearly a week to read this, this is due to two reasons.

1. I currently cannot buy books as quick as I can read them, so I'm going slow.
2. I had to read this a chapter at a time as it made me fall asleep, until the end when I was just desperate to finish it and had nothing else to do.

I am disappointed with this book. Perhaps the disappointment is my own fault, as this book was nothing like I imagined it to be. And perhaps I just became more and more disillusioned with it as I went on, as I descended into a spiral of it not being what I expected and me disliking it because of it not being what I expected.

I recently read Mr Ocker's book about cursed objects and loved it. LOVED IT. It was interesting and funny and was presented in the kind of informative style that isn't at all stodgy and makes you want to learn more.

Flash bang wallop off the back of that triumph I brought this.

And this is where the disappointment began, I thought it would be similar; funny, clever, informative but alas I didn't find it any of those things.

For me this book was far to much about the fans of Edgar Allan and the really bloody dull history of the States (and I use the term history loosely as that lot thinks stuff from 1709 is old and I'm allowed this opinion as I'm from England, where the history comes from) and how Poe's own history twisted with that, than about the man himself. I think that was the overarching problem for me. I wanted more Poe and less people talking about Poe as overall I do not care about other peoples stories.

I know this sounds stupid as this book is kind of advertised as a travel book of sorts, but I went in with the idea that each site would really go into his story and for me, it didn't. I'm probably not explaining myself very well but that's how I feel.

I wanted more Poe and less fans. I wanted more gothic and less dull American history. I wanted more literary commentary and less endless talk about plaques and the people who put them up.

I'm sorry, but I don't like people. I like dead poets and their life's.

Also, and to sound even more like a snob, the way that the States have treated the main Poe locales and how they keep the ones that haven't been bulldozed down, is terrible. The museums put the word sparse to shame and the architecture on the buildings and monuments is not at all aesthetically pleasing. Where are the crumbling gothic towers? Where are the mouldering tombs? The catacombs pictured in this book looked like they were made of concrete. A travesty.

Sad, dark times.

I'm now going to cheer myself up by reading The Masque of the Red Death, which is fitting as the world is currently ending in a similar vein. Alas not so stylishly.

[MKF · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a fan of both Edgar Allan Poe and J.W. Ocker I followed the creation of this book as Ocker wrote it. I actually got it for Christmas when it came out but with so many I had to read it got passed over until now.
Poe-Land is an amazing book about the life of Poe and the places associated with his life. It is more in depth then many of the biographies and makes him more real. Ocker has created the perfect mix of facts, humor, and history to make this a must read for Poe fans!

[Bill · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a travelogue, not a biography. It is snarky and irreverent and I loved it. The author takes on on tour of all the Poe and Poe satellite sites. He talks about Poe and the sites and the people behind the sites which is facinating. Even if you never intend to visit a Poe site read this book.

[Krista · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the writing style, like you were walking along with the author. I was tickled by picture of T-shirt at beginning of Virginia section since I have one. A good addition to the Poe shelf

[Jay Rothermel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Poe-Land is a refreshing look at Poe's life and career. Its author visits the eight cities where Poe lived and struggled. Each chapter explores the author's years in each city: some he lived in more than once, and J. W. Ocker does a fine job of tracing the vicissitudes and peripatea of his career geographically. Along the way, we are given a richly detailed history of the antebellum republic.

[....]The most interesting part of Ocker's Philadelphia chapter details his interview with local scholar Edward G. Pettit,
"writer and a part-time teacher at La Salle University . . . and he just happens to have a beard that’s a foot long."

[....]Poe-Land recalls another excellent "geographical biography" I read this summer: City of the Beast: The London of Aleister Crowley (2022) by Phil Baker.

Both Baker and Ocker take apart the chronologies of their subjects, giving us fruitful new angles for observation and summation. This is particularly useful in Poe's case, since he has been the subject of dozens of biographies, an hour-long episode of A&E's Biography, and two hour-long documentaries on PBS.

Ocker's skill is in never losing the thrust of the artist's life while he climbs around the bell towers and cottage basements where our favorite dreamed his dreams no mortal ever dreamed before.

It's a warm and tantalizing book.

Full: http://jayrothermel.blogspot.com/2022...

[Sheri · Rating 5 out of 5]

I ended up liking this book more than I thought I would. It is, in my experience, an original idea to base one's biography on the geographical relevance of their life and work. While I think this book is perhaps specific to a very narrow audience, I also believe anyone would enjoy hearing about the different places Poe has left his mark on along the eastern states. I thought it especially intriguing to read that some places fight over who gets to claim Poe as their own. Perhaps he belongs to all of us. :)

[Melanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved! Helped to fuel some Poe related travel 😎

Absolutely loved this book. I recently read a Poe biography shortly before a trip to Philadelphia and got to go to the house there and also see Grip at the Philadelphia Free Library. This book helped me plan more trips to walk in my favorite authors’ footsteps.

[Bryan Ball · Rating 5 out of 5]

Edgar. How much we know about you, how little, and how much we often take liberty and fill out the unknown in between. Edgar Allan Poe has quite always been one of my favorite writers. This man gave us everything from the horror story perfected (see “The Tell-Tale Heart,” “The Black Cat,”) to perfect pieces of poetry that speak beautifully of love, loss, life, and the celebrating and lamenting of it all.

“Poe-Land” is required reading for any and every one interested in Edgar Allan’s life. J. W. Ocker is such a gifted writer, and as we follow him to the many places where Poe lived so many years ago to see what remains—both physically and culturally—we learn more about Mr. Poe than this diehard fan thought possible. This book is almost 400 pages long, but does not feel its length. The content explored in this book feels like it should have taken so many more pages—and that is a very good thing. Whether it is Poe’s torrid relationship with Boston, his foster father, wife Virginia, where he died and how or the many major figures of modern day Poe-Land who give their lives to ensure his legacy survives (the collectors of his work and artifacts, the museum curators, the actors, artists, professors and grave care takers)—every topic and person Edgar Allan Poe lived, explored or left behind is giving just due in Ocker’s very capable hands.

“Poe-Land” is a masters course (in the best sense of the word; and more than that) in Edgar Allan Poe’s life, work and legacy taught by the most serious of fans who is able to expertly bridge the divides and bring together everyone from the passing fan on the street to those who have paid hundreds of thousands of dollars for Poe’s first editions or pieces of his coffin. If you love Poe the way I do, read this book.


“Never RIP, Edgar.”

[Doug Bright · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book arrived in the mail from Amazon about the same day as the unveiling of the Poe statue in Boston. I had made a donation a few years back so was happy to feel a part of that. Touchstones. If you're an Elvis fan it's Graceland. If a Civil War buff it's Gettysburg. For Poe fans it's, well all in this book and a true Poe-a-phile should not miss reading and re-reading it. I couldn't put it down. I was really glad that the author included detail of Poe's military career which most biographers skip over. Poe served in the first US artillery and rose as high in the enlisted ranks as a man could. He was company clerk, were I imagined he honed the physical art of writing and penmanship, but his other title was " artificer" essentially a bomb maker. " A short story must have a single mood and every sentence must build toward it." Poe. I like to think of his stories and poems as bombs. With a smoldering fuse and then an expolosion. And to be sure, there are sometimes duds. So though most writers discount his time in the military, I would argue that it was a key part of his development as a writer. This book was so enjoyable and hard to put down simply because with the turning of the page you just never knew what you were going to see next. Which is a lot like how Poe himself wrote.
PS- the burgers at Poe's Tavern on Sullivan's Island are great!

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book came in my Beautiful Madness subscription box, and I was so excited to read it. I was fun to read. I felt like I was on this trip with J.W. Ocker! I now want to re-read Poe!

[Alissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don’t think that Poe got to experience much peace or rest in this life, so I hope he found it in the next. It was wonderful to find out that he does have living relatives (descended from one of his cousins).

Without the sufferings that he endured, would he have been the great author and poet that he was?

This book was well researched and it gave some great locations from Poe’s life and travels that any fan would enjoy visiting. It would be an incredible experience to be able to stand in front of the fire place mantel where The Raven was likely written.

Perhaps because Poe’s story is so well known to his readers, I don’t know that there was much here that I didn’t already know about him. However, it was fun to “accompany” the author as he traveled around the country and even over seas in search of Poe connections and dedications throughout.

Also the author’s youngest daughter was given the middle name Lenore. Approved, fellow Poe fan.

[Jen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to love this book. As a Poe fan, I thought I would. But the author spends so much time describing things he saw that are barely related to Poe—like graves of people Poe knew as a teenager, or a theater where his actor mother may have performed—that the exciting artifacts he describes—like a lock of Poe’s hair—seem to get lost in the mix. A shorter book would have been more impactful and less filler would have been appreciated.

[Steven Schend · Rating 5 out of 5]

Want a travelogue that'll feel like a buddy is sharing travel stories with you over a beer? This felt like that for me.

Great book for writers, folks interested in American history, and (of course) fans of EAP himself.

Loads of interesting anecdotes and snippets I'd not previously known about Poe, Boston, Baltimore, and other New England sites with links to Poe.

Highly recommended.

[Melissa F. · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are a fan of Poe, you should absolutely read this. I'd like to think even people who aren't fans of Poe would be able to enjoy this book. It's less a biography (though there’s certainly some of that) and more a chronicling of the legacy of Poe. How and why is he so revered, so many years after his death?

I don't read much non-fiction. Even topics that interest me are often presented in such a way that's too bland for me to focus my attention on, and so I lose ninety percent of what I'm reading before I even have time to process it. But this year, I wanted to make an effort to change that, so I set a goal amidst all the fiction I'll read to also try for one non-fiction book a month. It was my housemate that recommended Poe-Land, which proves my housemate knows me reasonably well.

This book was informative, but it was also funny. I genuinely laughed out loud multiple times as Ocker recounted his explorations and conversations as he traveled to the places Poe had lived and worked. While the topic was hugely interesting as a fan of Poe's work (and having been to a couple of these places myself), it was the humor that kept me engaged enough to actually take in what I was reading, and I'm so glad I gave it a shot, because it turned into such a fascinating adventure.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I could totally relate to the way this author travels. I'm one of those people that goes around reading all the random plaques and historical markers. There was a lot I liked about his stream of consciousness writing style. There were some very funny moments and a TON of information about the life of Edgar Allan Poe. I loved learning about the old locations and the new ones. There's an inspiring statue of Poe in Boston that was commissioned and dedicated recently. I was in Boston a couple of weeks ago, only a block from the statue and I missed it! The monument is so new it wasn't in the "guide" materials I was using.

The book got bumped down a star because, as much as I love hearing the workings of this author's brain, I felt like it would have been improved by some editing. The same narrative could have been told in a more truncated way that would have had more punch and held my attention better. I also felt like there was way too much of a detour into H.P. Lovecraft. As much as I love his work and realize the influence that Poe had on him, I thought the level of detail distracted from the Poe travelogue.

[Annabel_Hawkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Something I only thought of after I read the book: you almost /need/ to know a few basic biographical details about Poe to know what the heck is going on in here, since it's done by area rather than in any chronological order. That being said, this is the sort of thing that I can only assume mostly appeals to people with a slightly-more-than-average interest in Poe or his writings.

Very interesting book with tons of trivia that either gets overlooked in biographies, or wouldn't fit (like the fact that the creators of Batman discussed the comic in the park where Poe's New York house is? Really neat, but it's not vital to a biographer). It could also function as a "guide book" to a researcher: I for one didn't realize that I live driving distance from one of the largest collections of Poe manuscripts in the world, and could have been utilizing the public collection for research projects all these years.

Can I reccomend this to just any random reader? No, it's far too niche to be interesting to someone who read The Tell Tale Heart in middle school and never went near the guy since, but for any fan of Poe or his work, I HIGHLY reccomend it.

[Dru · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is an exceptional tribute to Edgar Allan Poe. Too often, supposed experts on Poe succumb to the trope of portraying him as an unhinged, drug abusing, alcoholic facing one horrendous plight after another. That ends up being the only story we ever hear. What a disappointing way to depict one of the most understatedly profound writers of our time... In Poe-Land, Ocker addresses the many curt rebuffs shown posthumously by Boston and others. He takes us on a walking tour through Poe's many pockets of the country. He tells us the behind-the-scenes stories of where odd plaques in Poe's honor came from, what unique Poe-themed medallions on gates here and there mean, and how a truly "bad-ass" statue of Poe came to be. And this is just chapter one. My favorite line so far is, "...and her shop was a crossroads of transcendentalist writers and thinkers, the kind of place that would have burned Poe's skin like holy water on a demon had he [Poe] tried to enter."

I'm blown away by this book so far and had to leave a review. This is a must-read if you even slightly find Poe interesting.

[melina · Rating 2 out of 5]

This took me a year to read and it’s really a shame because when I did pick it up I enjoyed parts of it, but it was way too bogged down by all of the random Poe fan side stories. Like I get it the argument the authors trying to make is that Poe has monuments but he also lives on through the people who still love him and that is his legacy. But in execution how many random weirdos and their extensive collections of memorabilia can I really read about before wanting to tear my own hair out?? The good parts are the ones that describe Poes life in relation to the physical places and these are the parts I would highly recommend and that I picked up this book for. Unfortunately overall this was just too weighed down with bullshit.

[Jenn Estepp · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 1/2. If I'd read them in the order they came out, I probably would've liked this one better, but I think the Salem book is stronger and this one pales a little in comparison. Still a very good time and it's definitely made me want to re-read some Poe and visit some sites. But I think the thing I like best is the tangents that Ocker goes on about subject-adjacent matters and, with the exception maybe of H.P. Lovecraft, there just wasn't as much opportunity for that as in his other book. Still well worth the time.

[LuAnn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had such fun following along in Ocker’s footsteps while he follows Poe’s up and down the eastern US. I learned so more about Poe, who is much more than just a writer of scary stories, and have added Poe sites in Richmond, Virginia and other places to my Poe list on Google maps.

In each place Poe lived, including Boston, NYC, Baltimore, Philadelphia, England, Richmond and Sullivan Island, SC, Ocker seeks out all the Poe related sights, experts and memorabilia he can see. I appreciate his humorous asides and many photos.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Everything you thought you knew about Poe and dozens of things you never knew about him, his life, and family. There's a ton a Poe stuff out there if you know where to look, and Ocker shows you where to look. Ocker is fun to read and has the same thoughts and insecurities that we all have when driving around, not quite sure where we are. A fun and humorous read while also learning more about Poe than you knew was possible.

[Colin Gleason · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice tour of Poe’s legacy

This book asks us “Why is Poe so cool?” and proceeds to take us on a travelogue, state by state, of all of the places that Poe lingered. It celebrates the mystery, not just the resting place, but also the empty graves, and the historical markers that signify the places that might have been, or even better, simply weren’t.

[Britt · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m a fan of this author and his odd travels have inspired me to do my own since I started to read his work. I’ve been to most of the Poe sites but still found this interesting and jotted down notes for when I get to the rest. I’m giving it 4 stars because his travelogue writing is always a bit longer-winded than I need.

[Maria Finazzo Hernandez · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is such an eye opener. I knew little to none about Poe and I always thought I may have been a fan. This book is so strangely beautiful. The pictures of the places he has been and the life he had lived. I love this book. So interesting and I may just have to pick up another to see the difference in his life, seen through different authors. Excellent piece!

[Carrie Knauer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this writer was great, but the level of detail was just way too much for me. For example, one whole chapter was retty much about an author who was not Poe, but who lived 50 years after Poe, whose life paralleled Poe. But that author meant nothing to me. It was just too much.

[Levi Lionel Leland · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great guide to the haunts of Edgar Allan Poe along the East Coast of the United States. You also learn much about Poe himself through the sites, plaques, and locations associated with him in which Ocker traces and explains in this unique book.

[Angie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super super fun! Want to go all over Poe-Land and visit and see everything Poe!!