What do you think?
Rate this book
Terrifying Tales
The melancholy, brilliance, passionate lyricism, and torment of Edgar Allen Poe are all well represented in this collection. Here, in one volume, are his masterpieces of mystery, terror, humor, and adventure, including stories such as The Tell-Tale Heart, The Cask of Amontillado, The Black Cat, The Masque of the Red Death, The Murders in the Rue Morgue, The Purloined Letter, and The Pit and the Pendulum, to name just a few, that defined American romanticism and secured Poe as one of the most enduring literary voices of the nineteenth century.
309 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 16, 2014
2014 people are currently reading
4579 people want to read
About the author
Edgar Allan Poe
9,900 books28.7k followersThe name Poe brings to mind images of murderers and madmen, premature burials, and mysterious women who return from the dead. His works have been in print since 1827 and include such literary classics as The Tell-Tale Heart, The Raven, and The Fall of the House of Usher. This versatile writer’s oeuvre includes short stories, poetry, a novel, a textbook, a book of scientific theory, and hundreds of essays and book reviews. He is widely acknowledged as the inventor of the modern detective story and an innovator in the science fiction genre, but he made his living as America’s first great literary critic and theoretician. Poe’s reputation today rests primarily on his tales of terror as well as on his haunting lyric poetry.
Just as the bizarre characters in Poe’s stories have captured the public imagination so too has Poe himself. He is seen as a morbid, mysterious figure lurking in the shadows of moonlit cemeteries or crumbling castles. This is the Poe of legend. But much of what we know about Poe is wrong, the product of a biography written by one of his enemies in an attempt to defame the author’s name.
The real Poe was born to traveling actors in Boston on January 19, 1809. Edgar was the second of three children. His other brother William Henry Leonard Poe would also become a poet before his early death, and Poe’s sister Rosalie Poe would grow up to teach penmanship at a Richmond girls’ school. Within three years of Poe’s birth both of his parents had died, and he was taken in by the wealthy tobacco merchant John Allan and his wife Frances Valentine Allan in Richmond, Virginia while Poe’s siblings went to live with other families. Mr. Allan would rear Poe to be a businessman and a Virginia gentleman, but Poe had dreams of being a writer in emulation of his childhood hero the British poet Lord Byron. Early poetic verses found written in a young Poe’s handwriting on the backs of Allan’s ledger sheets reveal how little interest Poe had in the tobacco business.
For more information, please see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edgar_al...
Just as the bizarre characters in Poe’s stories have captured the public imagination so too has Poe himself. He is seen as a morbid, mysterious figure lurking in the shadows of moonlit cemeteries or crumbling castles. This is the Poe of legend. But much of what we know about Poe is wrong, the product of a biography written by one of his enemies in an attempt to defame the author’s name.
The real Poe was born to traveling actors in Boston on January 19, 1809. Edgar was the second of three children. His other brother William Henry Leonard Poe would also become a poet before his early death, and Poe’s sister Rosalie Poe would grow up to teach penmanship at a Richmond girls’ school. Within three years of Poe’s birth both of his parents had died, and he was taken in by the wealthy tobacco merchant John Allan and his wife Frances Valentine Allan in Richmond, Virginia while Poe’s siblings went to live with other families. Mr. Allan would rear Poe to be a businessman and a Virginia gentleman, but Poe had dreams of being a writer in emulation of his childhood hero the British poet Lord Byron. Early poetic verses found written in a young Poe’s handwriting on the backs of Allan’s ledger sheets reveal how little interest Poe had in the tobacco business.
For more information, please see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edgar_al...
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 197 reviews
January 30, 2024
An Uneven Pleasure.
This book is a collection of some of Edgar Allen Poe’s stories.
The Tell-Tale Heart is my favorite. I give it five stars
✨ ✨✨✨✨
The Cask of the Amontillado is the next story. I give it five stars
✨ ✨✨✨✨
The Masque of the Red Death. I give it two stars ✨ ✨
The Fall of the House of Usher. I give three stars ✨ ✨✨
The Murders in the Rue Morgue. I give it five stars
✨ ✨✨✨✨
The Purloined Letter. Two stars ✨ ✨
The Pit and the Pendulum. Four stars ✨ ✨✨✨
Most of the stories have great endings. A few of the stories are duds. I wish this book contained more stories. I would love to read The Black Cat 🐈⬛.
Four stars. ✨✨✨✨
This book is a collection of some of Edgar Allen Poe’s stories.
The Tell-Tale Heart is my favorite. I give it five stars
✨ ✨✨✨✨
The Cask of the Amontillado is the next story. I give it five stars
✨ ✨✨✨✨
The Masque of the Red Death. I give it two stars ✨ ✨
The Fall of the House of Usher. I give three stars ✨ ✨✨
The Murders in the Rue Morgue. I give it five stars
✨ ✨✨✨✨
The Purloined Letter. Two stars ✨ ✨
The Pit and the Pendulum. Four stars ✨ ✨✨✨
Most of the stories have great endings. A few of the stories are duds. I wish this book contained more stories. I would love to read The Black Cat 🐈⬛.
Four stars. ✨✨✨✨
May 22, 2019
Fantastic short stories. Full review to follow, after hols 😀.
Hmm, nearly 2 years later, its about time I wrote the review.
Hmm, nearly 2 years later, its about time I wrote the review.
May 7, 2016
This collection contains a few of Poe's very best stories. If you're looking to add this author to your bookshelves, this volume would be a perfect introduction. It contains "The Tell-Tale Heart", The Murders in the Rue Morgue", and "The Pit and the Pendulum"' among others.
October 27, 2016
I thoroughly enjoyed this collection of classic gothic stories (perfect for the lead-up to Halloween). I can definitely see why Poe achieved notoriety as a writer of gloom and horror, both super natural and of this world.
The Tell-Tale Heart is a story told by a madman, and his own description of incredibly disturbed actions. His taking an ENTIRE hour to put his head through the door of the old man's bedroom chilled me to the bone. The Cask of Amontillado is a tale of revenge: Fortunato ain't so fortunate deep in the Venetian catacombs. In The Masque of the Red Death, Duke Prospero in quarantined revelry, thinks he has cheated the plague, when death visits his masked ball. The Fall of the House of Usher tells of a haunted house and its sinister effects on a brother and sister. The Murders in the Rue Morgue as well as The Purloined Letter use Poe's amateur sleuth Dupin. These stories are miniature detective stories a la Sherlock Holmes, but perhaps more macabre, thus enchanting. The collection ends with The Pit and the Pendulum, a very disturbing tale inspired by a prisoner of war scenario that I won't soon forget.
The Tell-Tale Heart is a story told by a madman, and his own description of incredibly disturbed actions. His taking an ENTIRE hour to put his head through the door of the old man's bedroom chilled me to the bone. The Cask of Amontillado is a tale of revenge: Fortunato ain't so fortunate deep in the Venetian catacombs. In The Masque of the Red Death, Duke Prospero in quarantined revelry, thinks he has cheated the plague, when death visits his masked ball. The Fall of the House of Usher tells of a haunted house and its sinister effects on a brother and sister. The Murders in the Rue Morgue as well as The Purloined Letter use Poe's amateur sleuth Dupin. These stories are miniature detective stories a la Sherlock Holmes, but perhaps more macabre, thus enchanting. The collection ends with The Pit and the Pendulum, a very disturbing tale inspired by a prisoner of war scenario that I won't soon forget.
June 21, 2016
Yo al terminar de leer este libro:
Leer los cuentos de Edgar Allan Poe en ingles fue un gran reto. Me costo meses pero lo logre.
Quiza haga resena de cada cuento, no lo se, pero me siento completamente feliz en este momento.
Leer los cuentos de Edgar Allan Poe en ingles fue un gran reto. Me costo meses pero lo logre.
Quiza haga resena de cada cuento, no lo se, pero me siento completamente feliz en este momento.
May 12, 2017
Rating: 4 / 5
I'm not going to review each story in this individually so you can read those below:
My review for The Tell-Tale Heart can be found here [5 / 5]
My review for The Cask of Amontillado can be found here [3 / 5]
My review for The Masque of the Red Death can be found here [4 / 5]
My review for The Fall of the House of Usher can be found here [2 / 5]
My review for The Murders in the Rue Morgue can be found here [5 / 5]
My review for The Purloined Letter can be found here [4 / 5]
My review for The Pit and the Pendulum can be found here [5 / 5]
I found this for free on the Kindle Store, and as someone who has always appreciated the gothic side of writing, I decided that I needed to read the King of Gothic Literature and grabbed it quickly. I finally settled down to read it and was lost in a world of total wonder.
First of all, the reason this is rated sort of low, was because of my dislike for the story of The Fall of the House of Usher. If it hadn't been for this book, I'm sure my review would have been much, much higher. On the other hand, though, there was a lot about this that I really, really enjoyed. The stories were dark, they were gripping, some of them were really out there and I just didn't see them coming at all, and it was a total surprise.
Secondly, I have to say, if you want to collect some of Poe's works, then this may very well be one of the best to start with. There's a lot in there that covers his crime works, his horror works, and some of it can even be seen as comedic (yes, I'm talking to you, The Murders in the Rue Morgue). If you want to collect some Edgar Allen Poe on your bookshelf, definitely add this piece to it. This was a wonderful introduction to the works of Poe, and I cannot wait to begin to read more of them!
I'm not going to review each story in this individually so you can read those below:
My review for The Tell-Tale Heart can be found here [5 / 5]
My review for The Cask of Amontillado can be found here [3 / 5]
My review for The Masque of the Red Death can be found here [4 / 5]
My review for The Fall of the House of Usher can be found here [2 / 5]
My review for The Murders in the Rue Morgue can be found here [5 / 5]
My review for The Purloined Letter can be found here [4 / 5]
My review for The Pit and the Pendulum can be found here [5 / 5]
I found this for free on the Kindle Store, and as someone who has always appreciated the gothic side of writing, I decided that I needed to read the King of Gothic Literature and grabbed it quickly. I finally settled down to read it and was lost in a world of total wonder.
First of all, the reason this is rated sort of low, was because of my dislike for the story of The Fall of the House of Usher. If it hadn't been for this book, I'm sure my review would have been much, much higher. On the other hand, though, there was a lot about this that I really, really enjoyed. The stories were dark, they were gripping, some of them were really out there and I just didn't see them coming at all, and it was a total surprise.
Secondly, I have to say, if you want to collect some of Poe's works, then this may very well be one of the best to start with. There's a lot in there that covers his crime works, his horror works, and some of it can even be seen as comedic (yes, I'm talking to you, The Murders in the Rue Morgue). If you want to collect some Edgar Allen Poe on your bookshelf, definitely add this piece to it. This was a wonderful introduction to the works of Poe, and I cannot wait to begin to read more of them!
May 1, 2023
A collection of the "best of," in my humble opinion, of Edgar Allan Poe's gothic short stories. From the unreliable narrator of "The Tell-Tale Heart" to the intense sensationalism of "The Pit and the Pendulum," these are awesome, terrifying tales (to steal a phrase) that made me excited to read more gothic stories. For a kindle freebie, this was a priceless investment.
Artwork from https://www.deviantart.com/alejkito/a...
Artwork from https://www.deviantart.com/alejkito/a...
January 12, 2016
Due to Goodreads not allowing for half stars, I rounded this up from 3.5 stars to 4.
I am very happy with this book though I am not as enamored with all of the tales that it contained. I am participating in the Dead Writers Society challenge related to literary birthdays.
The Tell-Tale Heart-(5 stars)
What can you really say about an unnamed narrator who is obviously insane though he lays out reasons why he is not while exposing himself as a murderer to the police. I think this is one of the reasons why this story is so unsettling. You have the narrator in a matter of fact way lay out the reasons why he is killing the "old man" and you realize this person has to be a lodger in his home. To read how he systematically dismembers the body and hides it under the floorboards is cringe inducing.
The Cask of Amontillado-(4.5 stars)
A question for the ages will surely be what the heck did Fortunado do that caused him to be chained and walled up by Montresor. Poor Fortunado driven by his own greed to taste the Amontillado finds himself chained and walled up in a number of hours. Frankly if Fortunado had been a little less drunk, he may have realized there was a warning by Montresor for what was to come when they were discussing the latter's family coat of arms (thank goodness for my dictionary since I had no idea what the saying meant).
The Masque of the Red Death- (3.5 stars)
This one was a random story that I still have never really gotten. I thought it was so strange that Prince Prince Prospero's says to himself well there is a Red Death killing everyone, let's party. Also who decides to decorates seven rooms and makes one of them super evil? The description of the seventh room was very creepy and I thought very well done. In the end, the elite got what was coming to them and the Red Death reigned supreme.
The Murders in the Rue Morgue-(2.5 stars)
Definitely one of my least favorite of the short stories. This thing goes on way too long. C. Auguste Dupin is supposedly the literary predecessor to Sherlock Holmes many say. I say that Sherlock was never this aggravating when solving a crime. The first 10 pages of this story I seriously started to nod off. There was way too many extraneous details in this one. And then when we get to the gruesome murders, ugh. My poor stomach. The solution was 100 percent ridiculous by the way.
The Purloined Letter- (2.5 stars)
Another C. Auguste Dupin story that seriously just meanders before he finally tells the unnamed narrator/sidekick how he figured out where the purloined letter was and how he managed to obtain it. At one point I even said to myself, who cares where the letter is, just let the story end.
The Pit and the Pendulum- (3 stars)
I know that I should be feeling much more disturbed by this story, instead I felt like it was at least 20 pages too long. An unnamed narrator is taken by the Spanish Inquisition and instead of being asked any questions seems to be in an experiment to see what he will do when faced with death by pendulum or death by pit. Taken up the last portion of the book, the story just keeps going and going and going. Let us not even get into why in the world would the Spanish Inquisition have something like this set up.
To sum, I only really loved two stories, tolerated two, and felt okay about the two.
I am very happy with this book though I am not as enamored with all of the tales that it contained. I am participating in the Dead Writers Society challenge related to literary birthdays.
The Tell-Tale Heart-(5 stars)
What can you really say about an unnamed narrator who is obviously insane though he lays out reasons why he is not while exposing himself as a murderer to the police. I think this is one of the reasons why this story is so unsettling. You have the narrator in a matter of fact way lay out the reasons why he is killing the "old man" and you realize this person has to be a lodger in his home. To read how he systematically dismembers the body and hides it under the floorboards is cringe inducing.
The Cask of Amontillado-(4.5 stars)
A question for the ages will surely be what the heck did Fortunado do that caused him to be chained and walled up by Montresor. Poor Fortunado driven by his own greed to taste the Amontillado finds himself chained and walled up in a number of hours. Frankly if Fortunado had been a little less drunk, he may have realized there was a warning by Montresor for what was to come when they were discussing the latter's family coat of arms (thank goodness for my dictionary since I had no idea what the saying meant).
The Masque of the Red Death- (3.5 stars)
This one was a random story that I still have never really gotten. I thought it was so strange that Prince Prince Prospero's says to himself well there is a Red Death killing everyone, let's party. Also who decides to decorates seven rooms and makes one of them super evil? The description of the seventh room was very creepy and I thought very well done. In the end, the elite got what was coming to them and the Red Death reigned supreme.
The Murders in the Rue Morgue-(2.5 stars)
Definitely one of my least favorite of the short stories. This thing goes on way too long. C. Auguste Dupin is supposedly the literary predecessor to Sherlock Holmes many say. I say that Sherlock was never this aggravating when solving a crime. The first 10 pages of this story I seriously started to nod off. There was way too many extraneous details in this one. And then when we get to the gruesome murders, ugh. My poor stomach. The solution was 100 percent ridiculous by the way.
The Purloined Letter- (2.5 stars)
Another C. Auguste Dupin story that seriously just meanders before he finally tells the unnamed narrator/sidekick how he figured out where the purloined letter was and how he managed to obtain it. At one point I even said to myself, who cares where the letter is, just let the story end.
The Pit and the Pendulum- (3 stars)
I know that I should be feeling much more disturbed by this story, instead I felt like it was at least 20 pages too long. An unnamed narrator is taken by the Spanish Inquisition and instead of being asked any questions seems to be in an experiment to see what he will do when faced with death by pendulum or death by pit. Taken up the last portion of the book, the story just keeps going and going and going. Let us not even get into why in the world would the Spanish Inquisition have something like this set up.
To sum, I only really loved two stories, tolerated two, and felt okay about the two.
January 9, 2015
After reading “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe, I see why Poe is considered such a great writer. He doesn't use blood and gore to scare you. He produces the same feeling in you as when you notice a stranger walking behind you on a dark street. A bad feeling down in your gut that you just can’t shake. That is true fear, and that’s what Poe conveys in his writing.
The poem is was told from the point of view Montresor, who felt he’d been done a thousand injuries by a man named Fortunato, a connoisseur of wine. After being dealt these thousand injuries, Montresor bided his time over the years to become friends with Fortunato and exact his revenge. He didn’t believe it should be simple punishment. “I must not only punish, but punish with with impunity.”. On the night of the carnival, when Fortunato was drunk from all the partying, Montresor lured Fortunato into his wine vaults to inspect a bottle of Amontillado, which he had supposedly gotten for a steal at the carnival. After giving Fortunato more wine and leading him into the depths of his vaults, the chains him to a chair and seals him in a caravan. The perfect crime, and the ultimate punishment.
The main character is Montresor. He is a very cunning and vengeful and has been done wrong in the poem. The other character is Fortunato. He is very knowledgeable, but he his also very arrogant, which was his down.
Poe does not give any significant description of the setting. From what I can tell, the poem is set in Renaissance Italy. There is a big carnival going on during the story.
Overall, I very much enjoyed this poem. It showed human emotion in a very real and raw way. I give it four out of five stars. I recommend it to middle schoolers and up. I don’t believe a elementary schooler would be able to see the true meaning and finesse of this poem.
The poem is was told from the point of view Montresor, who felt he’d been done a thousand injuries by a man named Fortunato, a connoisseur of wine. After being dealt these thousand injuries, Montresor bided his time over the years to become friends with Fortunato and exact his revenge. He didn’t believe it should be simple punishment. “I must not only punish, but punish with with impunity.”. On the night of the carnival, when Fortunato was drunk from all the partying, Montresor lured Fortunato into his wine vaults to inspect a bottle of Amontillado, which he had supposedly gotten for a steal at the carnival. After giving Fortunato more wine and leading him into the depths of his vaults, the chains him to a chair and seals him in a caravan. The perfect crime, and the ultimate punishment.
The main character is Montresor. He is a very cunning and vengeful and has been done wrong in the poem. The other character is Fortunato. He is very knowledgeable, but he his also very arrogant, which was his down.
Poe does not give any significant description of the setting. From what I can tell, the poem is set in Renaissance Italy. There is a big carnival going on during the story.
Overall, I very much enjoyed this poem. It showed human emotion in a very real and raw way. I give it four out of five stars. I recommend it to middle schoolers and up. I don’t believe a elementary schooler would be able to see the true meaning and finesse of this poem.
May 7, 2015
I got this on my iPad kindle app for free. It's safe to say I was very happy with that!!
November 26, 2017
Read a long time ago. One of my favourite tale books. It will remain a classic forever!
October 9, 2019
ach story was more disturbing then the one before it.
September 30, 2025
Rounding up to 4 stars. The title of this collection is a bit of a misnomer. It mostly includes scary stories but The Murders in the Rue Morgue and The Purloined Letter were out of place (even if entertaining) and not terrifying.
Of course my favorites were scary ones (The Cask of Amontillado, The Masque of the Red Death, and The Pit and the Pendulum). I did skip The Fall of the House of Usher since I read it less than a year ago. I'm sorry for whoever I offend by saying this, but The Tale -Tell Heart is way overhyped in my opinion.
Of course my favorites were scary ones (The Cask of Amontillado, The Masque of the Red Death, and The Pit and the Pendulum). I did skip The Fall of the House of Usher since I read it less than a year ago. I'm sorry for whoever I offend by saying this, but The Tale -Tell Heart is way overhyped in my opinion.
May 21, 2020
A classic.
A collection of classic stories, good in themselves but brilliant in their prophetic value as ancestors to more than one genre.
A collection of classic stories, good in themselves but brilliant in their prophetic value as ancestors to more than one genre.
May 22, 2025
I’m not smart enough to understand what he’s talking about most of the time but 4 stars for being able to put me to sleep in an instant
December 28, 2018
Three and a half stars for this one. While there are utterly brilliant short stories in here that deserve five stars, there are also some boring, mundane tales that I struggled to read through. It is clear why the Pit and the Pendulum and the Telltale Heart live on, but there were more than a few where I was tempted to skip ahead out of sheer boredom. The balance of excellent to less than stellar was in favour of the lower end of the scale. Probably worth reading so you can see the scope of Edgar Allen Poe's story telling.
February 26, 2024
Fantastic short stories.
The Tell-Tale Heart: I’m telling you I love reading from an unreliable/mad narrator
The Cask of Amontillado: PSA don’t hangout with an amateur mason in your catacombs
The Masque of the Red Death: This one felt the most removed from time. Without any detailed descriptions, I could absolutely picture ostentatious clothing and the lavish rooms in a modern sense.The rich and the influential gathering in mockery of a plague without knowing they were waiting for death
The Fall of House Usher: Chilling setting
The Murders in the Rue Morgue: Love Dupin. I guessed the twist about halfway in, but assumed it was a much smaller monkey/ape lol
The Purloined Letter: Again, Dupin. I’m actually surprised by the method of relaying this story. After Dupin explains his reasoning and ability to solve the case by understanding his enemy, what makes him interested in revealing this to the narrator? Does he deem the narrator in a different intellect class as to not bother him in the future? The narrator often asks questions so it might be that Dupin is simply showing off or sharing with a friend. I just had a strange feeling like he shared a lot with the narrator when the case was super sensitive in both reward and contents of the letter
The Pit and the Pendulum: This story was my favorite in this compilation. Again, mad narrator. But the natural rhythm of the lines and pacing of the events really stands out to me. He truly makes you feel as if all is lost and suddenly the next thing drops. The writing is dripping with fear. I felt a ton of anxiousness just reading the thing lol
The Tell-Tale Heart: I’m telling you I love reading from an unreliable/mad narrator
The Cask of Amontillado: PSA don’t hangout with an amateur mason in your catacombs
The Masque of the Red Death: This one felt the most removed from time. Without any detailed descriptions, I could absolutely picture ostentatious clothing and the lavish rooms in a modern sense.The rich and the influential gathering in mockery of a plague without knowing they were waiting for death
The Fall of House Usher: Chilling setting
The Murders in the Rue Morgue: Love Dupin. I guessed the twist about halfway in, but assumed it was a much smaller monkey/ape lol
The Purloined Letter: Again, Dupin. I’m actually surprised by the method of relaying this story. After Dupin explains his reasoning and ability to solve the case by understanding his enemy, what makes him interested in revealing this to the narrator? Does he deem the narrator in a different intellect class as to not bother him in the future? The narrator often asks questions so it might be that Dupin is simply showing off or sharing with a friend. I just had a strange feeling like he shared a lot with the narrator when the case was super sensitive in both reward and contents of the letter
The Pit and the Pendulum: This story was my favorite in this compilation. Again, mad narrator. But the natural rhythm of the lines and pacing of the events really stands out to me. He truly makes you feel as if all is lost and suddenly the next thing drops. The writing is dripping with fear. I felt a ton of anxiousness just reading the thing lol
June 26, 2022
THE TERRIFYING TALES BY EDGAR ALLAN POE is a collection of some of Poe's most well-known narratives, those stories that are iconic in the annals of literary history. I always find it odd to give a star rating to an author long dead. I suppose it does signify to publishers that the work is still appreciated by modern readers.
Everyone should read Poe. In doing so, you will encounter some of the most florid language produced by a writer in the English language. When I read these stories when I was young, I think I found the words used to be enhancements to my vocabulary… thought provoking… perhaps even erudite. Now, I find that same language overly complex and parsing it not really worth my time.
There are many editions of Poe's works in the public domain. They have been collected by major publishers, like this one by Simon & Schuster as well as those who now publish public domain collections by many authors. This begs the question why choose this edition? I appreciated the employment of footnotes that, for example, translated the French, in "The Murders in the Rue Morgue." You may also find the Notes at the end useful in understanding Poe and the history of the time.
Everyone should read Poe. In doing so, you will encounter some of the most florid language produced by a writer in the English language. When I read these stories when I was young, I think I found the words used to be enhancements to my vocabulary… thought provoking… perhaps even erudite. Now, I find that same language overly complex and parsing it not really worth my time.
There are many editions of Poe's works in the public domain. They have been collected by major publishers, like this one by Simon & Schuster as well as those who now publish public domain collections by many authors. This begs the question why choose this edition? I appreciated the employment of footnotes that, for example, translated the French, in "The Murders in the Rue Morgue." You may also find the Notes at the end useful in understanding Poe and the history of the time.
June 10, 2024
⭐️=3.43 | 🤬=1 | ⚔️=3.5 | 14+
summary: collection of Poe short stories
thoughts: we’ll just take the average of individual story ratings, I guess.
The Tell-Tale Heart 🫀: 4.75
- ate!!
The Cask of Amontillado 🍷: 3
- get this man a cough drop
The Masque of the Red Death 🎭: 4.25
- a spooky slay I fear
The Fall of the House of Usher 🏚️: 4.5
- yes exactly
The Murders in the Rue Morgue ⚰️: 2
- this is super boring 🫶
- making myself start over bc I have no idea what’s going on?? might find an audiobook version 😐
- I literally fell asleep reading this
The Purloined Letter ✉️: 2.5
- not C. Auguste Dupin again 😭 someone save me
- they’re not going anywhere??? literally just talking
- ughhhhh
The Pit and the Pendulum 🧑⚖️: 3
- what’s going on 😭
- huh
overall: hits and misses! the classic stories are classics for a reason, but the detective fiction just didn't hit for me. idk.
summary: collection of Poe short stories
thoughts: we’ll just take the average of individual story ratings, I guess.
The Tell-Tale Heart 🫀: 4.75
- ate!!
The Cask of Amontillado 🍷: 3
- get this man a cough drop
The Masque of the Red Death 🎭: 4.25
- a spooky slay I fear
The Fall of the House of Usher 🏚️: 4.5
- yes exactly
The Murders in the Rue Morgue ⚰️: 2
- this is super boring 🫶
- making myself start over bc I have no idea what’s going on?? might find an audiobook version 😐
- I literally fell asleep reading this
The Purloined Letter ✉️: 2.5
- not C. Auguste Dupin again 😭 someone save me
- they’re not going anywhere??? literally just talking
- ughhhhh
The Pit and the Pendulum 🧑⚖️: 3
- what’s going on 😭
- huh
overall: hits and misses! the classic stories are classics for a reason, but the detective fiction just didn't hit for me. idk.
September 12, 2022
I decided to dip my toes in some Edgar Allen Poe stories, extremely renowned for his short stories. This collection started off really strong for me with The Tell-Tale heart and I imagined it could've gotten 5 stars had it stayed as strong, but sadly nothing topped it and it was the shortest story. As the stories got longer, they also became a lot more formal and dragged on, but, without Tell-Tale's character intensity and suspense as you follow the dreadful thoughts of a man who's committed murder, to keep me invested. More descriptions of conversations and events occurring instead of just showing me said things, Murders in the Rue Morgue was especially a chore to get through, started off as a boring treatise (even though the author states it wasn't one lmao but it felt like it!) about different board and card games with relation to different types of analytical skills that would be displayed in this murder mystery, and it was simply a big brain and characterless story of a guy being astonished at the unbelievable deduction skills of his friend, he kept going on and on and on explaining the solution like a robot, and it didn't help that it was also the longest story. The Purloined letter was similar except that it was shorter and had more character interactions that had helped me from not closing my eyelids. Thankfully, though, it brought back in the end with the Pit and the Pendulum, which, like Tell-Tale Heart, follows the inner thoughts of a deeply troubled and frightened man, this one sentenced to death and contemplates his inevitable end, prose was at its best as well.
Ranking of the short stories:
1. The Tell-Tale Heart
2. The Pit and the Pendulum
3. The Cask of Amontillado
4. The Masque of the Red Death
5. The Purloined Letter
6. The Fall of the House of Usher
7. The Murders in the Rue Morgue
“And then there stole into my fancy, like a rich musical note, the thought of what sweet rest there must be in the grave. The thought came gently and stealthily, and it seemed long before it attained full appreciation; but just as my spirit came at length properly to feel and entertain it, the figures of the judges vanished, as if magically, from before me; the tall candles sank into nothingness; their flames went out utterly; the blackness of darkness supervened; all sensations appeared swallowed up in a mad rushing descent as of the soul into Hades. Then silence, and stillness, and night were the universe.”
Ranking of the short stories:
1. The Tell-Tale Heart
2. The Pit and the Pendulum
3. The Cask of Amontillado
4. The Masque of the Red Death
5. The Purloined Letter
6. The Fall of the House of Usher
7. The Murders in the Rue Morgue
January 16, 2016
I love Poe. It feels he weighed each word he was going to write. He knows what I would feel when I read a word. He knows what he wants me to feel when I read it. And he knows how to make me feel what he wants me to feel. In 1841, sitting in his room across the bust of Pallas, Poe was trying to shape my thoughts when I read his story in 2016. Trippy..
Poe, I read this sentence and I get what you're saying and I have this question about the situation described in that sentence. Oh, what are you saying Poe, you anticipated this exact same question from me and answered it in the very next sentence? In fact me coming up with that question is by your design to give me the satisfaction of a neatly answered question? Oh, Poe!!
There are six stories in this collection- The Tell-Tale Heart, The Cask of Amontillado, The Masque of the Red Death, The Fall of the House of Usher, The Murders in the Rue Morgue, The Purloined Letter, and The Pit and the Pendulum.
You are the murderer in the first two stories. A paranoid schizophrenic one in the first. A spectator to the mayhem caused by a plague in the third. A hypochondriac's friend in the fourth. An aide to a detective a la Watson (Poe did it before Doyle) in the fifth and sixth. A victim of the Spanish Inquisition in the last.
Each of the stories is from a different genre, even though they are all united in the theme of terror. Some of them are the first of their kind. And Poe might have been influenced from elsewhere in crafting in these stories, each story ended up becoming hugely influential in their respective genres- either creating an entire new genre, or supplying it with entire new tropes which would be copied for a dozen decades at least.
The stories are so heavily designed that they might end up feeling a bit mechanical but because there is not one unnecessary word in any of the stories, the trade-off is worth it.
Poe, I read this sentence and I get what you're saying and I have this question about the situation described in that sentence. Oh, what are you saying Poe, you anticipated this exact same question from me and answered it in the very next sentence? In fact me coming up with that question is by your design to give me the satisfaction of a neatly answered question? Oh, Poe!!
There are six stories in this collection- The Tell-Tale Heart, The Cask of Amontillado, The Masque of the Red Death, The Fall of the House of Usher, The Murders in the Rue Morgue, The Purloined Letter, and The Pit and the Pendulum.
You are the murderer in the first two stories. A paranoid schizophrenic one in the first. A spectator to the mayhem caused by a plague in the third. A hypochondriac's friend in the fourth. An aide to a detective a la Watson (Poe did it before Doyle) in the fifth and sixth. A victim of the Spanish Inquisition in the last.
Each of the stories is from a different genre, even though they are all united in the theme of terror. Some of them are the first of their kind. And Poe might have been influenced from elsewhere in crafting in these stories, each story ended up becoming hugely influential in their respective genres- either creating an entire new genre, or supplying it with entire new tropes which would be copied for a dozen decades at least.
The stories are so heavily designed that they might end up feeling a bit mechanical but because there is not one unnecessary word in any of the stories, the trade-off is worth it.
September 18, 2016
The stories are so escapist that you can finish the book in one day, like me. "The Tell-Tale Heart" is the best story I've ever read.
October 5, 2023
3.25 stars
This is a collection of some of Poe’s most popular short stories. While I love Poe’s work, there are a few that I don’t really love and sadly, two of them were included in this collection, but I do enjoy the rest.
The Tell-Tale Heart
5 stars - I loved it!
"I was never kinder to the old man than during the whole week before I killed him"
A case of a caretaker killing his older charge because he doesn't like the look of his blind eye. Ever since I originally read this story in middle school, it has always stuck with me because of how powerful the prose of this story was. It also is very human-like to kill someone because you don't like their appearance and then to deny madness.
The Case of Amontillado
4 stars - It was really good
This is a chilling tale of revenge. Every time I read this I am amazed at Poe's haunting description and how plausible his character's actions are. Also the opening line in this story is so captivating and just pulls you in.
The Masque of the Red Death
5 stars - I loved it!
This is a poignant and descriptive story about not being able to cheat death. I really enjoy the idea that the Red Death was a being who was pissed that the rich were able to evade its spread so they disguise themselves as a party goer and infect everyone. Also the description of this Red Death character sounds so gruesome. I love how Poe describes and creates such creepy scenes.
The Fall of the House of Usher
3 stars - I liked it
The House of Usher was a haunting story about two siblings who were mentally and physically ill. Every time I read this story I am amazed by the imagery that Poe conjures with his descriptions of this house, the storm, and the book. It's just a wonderful and haunting story of mental illness.
The Murders in the Rue Morgue
1.5 stars - It wasn’t for me
This is one of Poe’s stories that I actually don’t really like. This is one of Poe’s three detective stories and sadly for me It just seems to go on forever and lacks a lot of his really descriptive imagery that his short stories have. Yes it's an interesting murder but I think the way this was presented was boring and I actually ended up listening to this online because I find reading it really hard to get through.
The Purloined Letter
1.5 stars - It wasn’t for me
This is another detective story of Poe’s and sadly, I am again not a fan. I am just not a fan of his detective stories. This story sees the return of Detective Dupin and this time he uses his skills to find out who stole a letter. Like The Murders in the Rue Morgue, I found this pretty boring and didn’t really enjoy Dupin’s recounting of his thought process of finding the criminal. Also again, I listened to this one online because I cannot get through reading this story.
The Pit and the Pendulum
3 stars - I liked it
This is a story about a prisoner of the Spanish Inquisition who is describing his experiences being tortured. This has heavy emphasis on the senses and really describes the horror of the dark, the small space, the air from the pendulum, etc. While I enjoy this story for the descriptive horror that this individual is experiencing, I think I would have enjoyed it better if he hadn’t been rescued at the end. I feel like the rescue at the end pulled me from the horror of this torture and showed how historically inaccurate this story is. I do still like this story though.
This is a collection of some of Poe’s most popular short stories. While I love Poe’s work, there are a few that I don’t really love and sadly, two of them were included in this collection, but I do enjoy the rest.
The Tell-Tale Heart
5 stars - I loved it!
"I was never kinder to the old man than during the whole week before I killed him"
A case of a caretaker killing his older charge because he doesn't like the look of his blind eye. Ever since I originally read this story in middle school, it has always stuck with me because of how powerful the prose of this story was. It also is very human-like to kill someone because you don't like their appearance and then to deny madness.
The Case of Amontillado
4 stars - It was really good
This is a chilling tale of revenge. Every time I read this I am amazed at Poe's haunting description and how plausible his character's actions are. Also the opening line in this story is so captivating and just pulls you in.
The Masque of the Red Death
5 stars - I loved it!
This is a poignant and descriptive story about not being able to cheat death. I really enjoy the idea that the Red Death was a being who was pissed that the rich were able to evade its spread so they disguise themselves as a party goer and infect everyone. Also the description of this Red Death character sounds so gruesome. I love how Poe describes and creates such creepy scenes.
The Fall of the House of Usher
3 stars - I liked it
The House of Usher was a haunting story about two siblings who were mentally and physically ill. Every time I read this story I am amazed by the imagery that Poe conjures with his descriptions of this house, the storm, and the book. It's just a wonderful and haunting story of mental illness.
The Murders in the Rue Morgue
1.5 stars - It wasn’t for me
This is one of Poe’s stories that I actually don’t really like. This is one of Poe’s three detective stories and sadly for me It just seems to go on forever and lacks a lot of his really descriptive imagery that his short stories have. Yes it's an interesting murder but I think the way this was presented was boring and I actually ended up listening to this online because I find reading it really hard to get through.
The Purloined Letter
1.5 stars - It wasn’t for me
This is another detective story of Poe’s and sadly, I am again not a fan. I am just not a fan of his detective stories. This story sees the return of Detective Dupin and this time he uses his skills to find out who stole a letter. Like The Murders in the Rue Morgue, I found this pretty boring and didn’t really enjoy Dupin’s recounting of his thought process of finding the criminal. Also again, I listened to this one online because I cannot get through reading this story.
The Pit and the Pendulum
3 stars - I liked it
This is a story about a prisoner of the Spanish Inquisition who is describing his experiences being tortured. This has heavy emphasis on the senses and really describes the horror of the dark, the small space, the air from the pendulum, etc. While I enjoy this story for the descriptive horror that this individual is experiencing, I think I would have enjoyed it better if he hadn’t been rescued at the end. I feel like the rescue at the end pulled me from the horror of this torture and showed how historically inaccurate this story is. I do still like this story though.
March 30, 2017
Fantastisch hoe Edgar Allan Poe meteen een lugubere sfeer weet te schetsen. Aan opbouw doet ie over het algemeen niet, en de lezer wordt vaak op het eind van het verhaal even onwetend achtergelaten als in het begin van het verhaal. Een unieke stijl is het wel.
Hoe luguber ook, heel veel gegriezeld heb ik niet met deze verhalen omdat ik misschien toch wat vatbaarder ben voor wat meer echte opbouw van de sfeer - deze verhalen zijn daarvoor misschien gewoon simpelweg wat te kort.
Maar al bij al een aangename inleiding tot Edgar Allan Poe, ik lees zeker de rest (waaronder "The Raven"!) ook nog wel eens.
Voor mijn eigen archieven een opsomming van de verhalen in deze bundel, in volgorde van hoe hard ze mij bevallen zijn:
1. The Tell-Tale Heart (OK, dit was wel echt griezelen. Iemand die je 's nachts komt bespioneren en elke nacht een uur lang zijn hoofd rond je deur steekt terwijl je slaapt? Veel "onschuldig" enger moet het niet worden voor mij.)
2. The Cask of Amontillado
3 & 4. The Murders in the Rue Morgue & The Purloined Letter (geen griezelverhalen - op de wrede moord in het eerste verhaal na - maar detectiveverhalen, waar ik wel van genoten heb. Zeker het eerste had een vrij onverwachte ontknoping)
5. The Pit and the Pendulum
6. The Fall of the House of Usher
7. The Masque of the Red Death
Hoe luguber ook, heel veel gegriezeld heb ik niet met deze verhalen omdat ik misschien toch wat vatbaarder ben voor wat meer echte opbouw van de sfeer - deze verhalen zijn daarvoor misschien gewoon simpelweg wat te kort.
Maar al bij al een aangename inleiding tot Edgar Allan Poe, ik lees zeker de rest (waaronder "The Raven"!) ook nog wel eens.
Voor mijn eigen archieven een opsomming van de verhalen in deze bundel, in volgorde van hoe hard ze mij bevallen zijn:
1. The Tell-Tale Heart (OK, dit was wel echt griezelen. Iemand die je 's nachts komt bespioneren en elke nacht een uur lang zijn hoofd rond je deur steekt terwijl je slaapt? Veel "onschuldig" enger moet het niet worden voor mij.)
2. The Cask of Amontillado
3 & 4. The Murders in the Rue Morgue & The Purloined Letter (geen griezelverhalen - op de wrede moord in het eerste verhaal na - maar detectiveverhalen, waar ik wel van genoten heb. Zeker het eerste had een vrij onverwachte ontknoping)
5. The Pit and the Pendulum
6. The Fall of the House of Usher
7. The Masque of the Red Death
October 1, 2019
"I felt that I breathed an atmosphere of sorrow. An air of stern, deep, and irredeemable gloom hung over and pervaded all."
Worth reading if only to discuss with others who have read some Poe. As expected, haunting and stays with you long after.
For my own future reference:
Worth reading if only to discuss with others who have read some Poe. As expected, haunting and stays with you long after.
For my own future reference:
August 11, 2025
As a teenager I was absolutely obsessed with Edgar Allan Poe for some reason, and I had been gifted the following book Les contes macabres (an illustrated version of some of his tales in French). So I really wanted to re-read him in the original English.
I thoroughly enjoyed this. It's a selection of his most well-known stories. I made the acquaintance of Auguste Dupin, being a Sherlock Holmes fan, I must say I might like Dupin a bit more even. You definitely see the inspiration for the later Sherlock Holmes.
My favourite story is probably "The Pit and the Pendulum" or the "The Masque of the Red Death".
I thoroughly enjoyed this. It's a selection of his most well-known stories. I made the acquaintance of Auguste Dupin, being a Sherlock Holmes fan, I must say I might like Dupin a bit more even. You definitely see the inspiration for the later Sherlock Holmes.
My favourite story is probably "The Pit and the Pendulum" or the "The Masque of the Red Death".
November 3, 2023
This book contains several short stories from EAP.
(1) The Tell-Tale Heart: Great read. Always consider the repercussions of your actions. Guilt will get you!
(2) The Cask of Amontillado: I knew where this was going, but I really enjoyed the ending. Be careful who you piss off. Oh, the impending dread!
(3) The Masque of the Red Death: I read this directly after watching the corresponding episode on the Netflix show "The Fall of the House of Usher" and loved the parallels. Money can't always save you!
(4) The Fall of the House of Usher: I, surprisingly, wasn't a fan. Perhaps the underlying themes eluded me, but I was bored with this one.
(5) The Murders in the Rue Morgue: I love a good murder mystery. You'll never guess the killer!!
(6) The Purloined Letter: I disliked this one tremendously. What was the point?? The moral seemed elementary compared to Poe's other works.
(7) The Pit and the Pendulum: I cannot say enough about this one. This is by far my favorite. I could feel the despair of the narrator, as death was imminent. HIGHLY RECOMMEND.
Overall, this collection is a solid 🌟 🌟🌟🌟
(1) The Tell-Tale Heart: Great read. Always consider the repercussions of your actions. Guilt will get you!
(2) The Cask of Amontillado: I knew where this was going, but I really enjoyed the ending. Be careful who you piss off. Oh, the impending dread!
(3) The Masque of the Red Death: I read this directly after watching the corresponding episode on the Netflix show "The Fall of the House of Usher" and loved the parallels. Money can't always save you!
(4) The Fall of the House of Usher: I, surprisingly, wasn't a fan. Perhaps the underlying themes eluded me, but I was bored with this one.
(5) The Murders in the Rue Morgue: I love a good murder mystery. You'll never guess the killer!!
(6) The Purloined Letter: I disliked this one tremendously. What was the point?? The moral seemed elementary compared to Poe's other works.
(7) The Pit and the Pendulum: I cannot say enough about this one. This is by far my favorite. I could feel the despair of the narrator, as death was imminent. HIGHLY RECOMMEND.
Overall, this collection is a solid 🌟 🌟🌟🌟
July 9, 2019
Other than the somewhat archaic writing, which pleasingly heightened the immersion, this anthology of short stories and novellas by the grandfather of thrillers and detective stories doesn’t feel dated. It’s a bit jarring having both genres in one collection, but it’s a good way to get a taste of Poe.
I enjoyed discovering the origins of so many themes and plots which have been adapted and adopted by so many stories over the last 150 years. It was particularly interesting to see just how blatantly Sherlock Holmes was inspired by The Murders in the Rue Morgue.
I enjoyed discovering the origins of so many themes and plots which have been adapted and adopted by so many stories over the last 150 years. It was particularly interesting to see just how blatantly Sherlock Holmes was inspired by The Murders in the Rue Morgue.
August 6, 2021
I was bored and I wanted to read something, so I chose this, but I LOVE and always have loved The Tell-Tale Heart. It's basically about guilt. I never understood why people like The Raven.
The other stories are boring and some are hard to read.
That's all I can think of
The other stories are boring and some are hard to read.
That's all I can think of
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 20, 2024
A collection of fantastic stories with beautiful prose.
This one was a reread for me and I enjoyed it even more the second time, as you can tell by my rating.
I really have to explore more of his work!
This one was a reread for me and I enjoyed it even more the second time, as you can tell by my rating.
I really have to explore more of his work!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 197 reviews