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Selected Tales and Poems
Edgar Allan Poe: Selected Poems and Tales/Deluxe (family classic library, 4)
FROM THE PUBLISHER:
For more than a century-and-a-half, Edgar Allan Poe's poems and tales have thrilled readers with chilling accounts of matters mysterious and macabre. Their somber poetry and rich moods of menace and melancholy have conjured some of the most haunting images in American literature: the accusing echo of the tell-tale heart, the beloved but doomed Annabel Lee, the gloom-shrouded House of Usher, the maddening tortures of the pit and pendulum, the eerie and enigmatic Raven.
Dramatic and irreversible, Poe's work invites us to match our darkest imaginings to his vision of the world colored by grief and madness and haunted by specters of guilt and death. This illustrated edition captures Poe's best-known works in all their shadowy splendor through the incomparable art of Mark Summers. His striking full-page color illustrations and ghostly black-and-white pencil sketches reveal the skull beneath the skin of Poe's obsessed and mournful characters and subtly express their heart of emotional darkness that gives them life and purpose.
The book also features and introduction by best-selling fantasist and graphic novelist Neil Gaiman, who discusses his personal relationship with Poe's writing and its enduring impact. "Poe", he writes, "for all his short life and unfulfilled potential, remains as much read today, his finest stories as successful, as readable, as contemporary as anyone can desire." This new edition of Poe's unforgettable writing is a colorful and imaginative tribute to this most contemporary of classic writers.
FROM THE PUBLISHER:
For more than a century-and-a-half, Edgar Allan Poe's poems and tales have thrilled readers with chilling accounts of matters mysterious and macabre. Their somber poetry and rich moods of menace and melancholy have conjured some of the most haunting images in American literature: the accusing echo of the tell-tale heart, the beloved but doomed Annabel Lee, the gloom-shrouded House of Usher, the maddening tortures of the pit and pendulum, the eerie and enigmatic Raven.
Dramatic and irreversible, Poe's work invites us to match our darkest imaginings to his vision of the world colored by grief and madness and haunted by specters of guilt and death. This illustrated edition captures Poe's best-known works in all their shadowy splendor through the incomparable art of Mark Summers. His striking full-page color illustrations and ghostly black-and-white pencil sketches reveal the skull beneath the skin of Poe's obsessed and mournful characters and subtly express their heart of emotional darkness that gives them life and purpose.
The book also features and introduction by best-selling fantasist and graphic novelist Neil Gaiman, who discusses his personal relationship with Poe's writing and its enduring impact. "Poe", he writes, "for all his short life and unfulfilled potential, remains as much read today, his finest stories as successful, as readable, as contemporary as anyone can desire." This new edition of Poe's unforgettable writing is a colorful and imaginative tribute to this most contemporary of classic writers.
Hardcover
Published January 1, 2001
11 people are currently reading
229 people want to read
About the author
Daniel Defoe
5,686 books1,996 followersDaniel Defoe was an English novelist, journalist, merchant, pamphleteer and spy. He is most famous for his novel Robinson Crusoe, published in 1719, which is claimed to be second only to the Bible in its number of translations. He has been seen as one of the earliest proponents of the English novel, and helped to popularise the form in Britain with others such as Aphra Behn and Samuel Richardson. Defoe wrote many political tracts, was often in trouble with the authorities, and spent a period in prison. Intellectuals and political leaders paid attention to his fresh ideas and sometimes consulted him.
Defoe was a prolific and versatile writer, producing more than three hundred works—books, pamphlets, and journals—on diverse topics, including politics, crime, religion, marriage, psychology and the supernatural. He was also a pioneer of business journalism and economic journalism.
Defoe was a prolific and versatile writer, producing more than three hundred works—books, pamphlets, and journals—on diverse topics, including politics, crime, religion, marriage, psychology and the supernatural. He was also a pioneer of business journalism and economic journalism.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
July 12, 2019
I have this gorgeous hardcover copy with beautiful drawings & paintings accompanying the book. These images and the story of the classic The Raven were the highlight of this collection. There were quite a few of the stories I found dull and struggled to get through. I was overall disappointed that my first deep entry into Poe’s world was underwhelming and I can’t help but feel like he’s another one of those authors tons of people who haven’t read him talk big about, but haven’t actually read his work. Maybe even that his work is great in theory, but not in the execution? To be fair I recognize his influence on writers for the last 150 years but his poetic style just really didn’t flow with me.
November 1, 2024
So much to love in this anthology, from classics like “The Raven” and “The Fall of the House of Usher,” to lesser-known works that gave new richness and depth to my understanding of Poe’s writing. You simply can’t go wrong this time of year with these quintessentially gothic tales and poems.
That said, some of Poe’s work is agonizingly dry and boring — i.e., the only thing I thought about “The Murder of Marie Roget” was that I’ll never get back the time I spent reading it. At its best, Poe’s writing is deliciously dark and ethereally beautiful; but at its worst, it’s maddeningly overwrought and exhaustingly dense. In the future, I’ll stick with my favorite works and ignore the rest.
That said, some of Poe’s work is agonizingly dry and boring — i.e., the only thing I thought about “The Murder of Marie Roget” was that I’ll never get back the time I spent reading it. At its best, Poe’s writing is deliciously dark and ethereally beautiful; but at its worst, it’s maddeningly overwrought and exhaustingly dense. In the future, I’ll stick with my favorite works and ignore the rest.
July 8, 2021
Accessibly and satisfyingly spooky - for an auld geezer. Fun tales with a smattering of eye-catching illustrations. Poe died relatively young so, alas, never had time to grow out of his emo phase.
December 22, 2020
At last! I managed to finish this. As I expected, I stan. Poe is one of the few classic authors I genuinely enjoy 👌🏼
October 10, 2016
It is often hard to find a good book that has mystery, joy, and fright all in one, but this book has it all. The book is Selected Poems and Tales by Edgar Allen Poe. Each of the 224 pages has a different tone, whether it be scary, happy, sad, and many more. "Ah, broken is the golden bowl! the spirit flown forever! Let the bell toll!-a saintly soul floats on...." One thing that I think is crucial to have in a good book are the details. I think that Poe did a great job creating the settings with his details."Now you may think that I drew back-but no. His room was as black as pitch with the thick darkness, (for the shutters were close fastened, through fear of robbers)...."
I give this book three stars and I would recommend it to anyone with a strong liking towards poetry and interesting stories. One of the reasons I only gave it three stars was because I couldn't quite understand some of the 1839 vocabulary. Other than that Poe's dark tales and poems were fascinating.
I give this book three stars and I would recommend it to anyone with a strong liking towards poetry and interesting stories. One of the reasons I only gave it three stars was because I couldn't quite understand some of the 1839 vocabulary. Other than that Poe's dark tales and poems were fascinating.
October 19, 2012
The illustrations for this volume are worth the price you may pay. Mark Summers has some striking pieces occupying full pages; my husband and I first encountered these illustrations when they were featured in a museum exhibit focusing on various artists' renditions of Poe stories and poetry. (By the way, Neil Gaiman wrote the introduction to the anthology as well!)
April 10, 2020
A recommended Edgar Allan Poe collection, hardback, with Neil Gaiman giving the introduction and captivating artwork by Mark Summers. Some of my favorite Poe stories collected here are Murders on the Rue Morgue, A Descent into the Maelstorm, Masque of the Red Death, The Black Cat and The Pit and the Pendulum. Poe is the master at hauling you inside the minds of his characters and narrators, often minds that are on the verge of madness or already there. Some find him ponderous but I read and re-read his sentences and paragraphs for the shapes he creates, and I feel he almost never wastes a word.
November 8, 2022
A long fan of Poe, I enjoyed the selected poems and stories in this volume. Unfortunately, my copy has a glitch. About 6 pages of the poems are repeated - From City in the Sea through Annabel Lee - leaving out the end of Annabel Lee, all of Lenore, The Raven, Ulalume, and the first half of The Bells. Good thing I have a copy of The Complete Works of Edgar Allen Poe. I did, however, enjoy the illustrations which may look like intricate woodcuts, but are actually scratch board.
May 19, 2022
This is a compilation of all of Edgar Allen Poe's finest works.
April 10, 2023
#iamanedgarallenhoe
January 28, 2025
I admire Edgar Allen Poe as a writer. He's a master of storytelling and accurate portrayal of emotions and feeling. This book of his works most definitely showed his expertise.
November 5, 2025
A pleasure to read this fine collection. What a unique mind Poe had. And an odd life…
February 3, 2017
Kylie Brooks
A-B5
Book Review #5
Pages: 224
Selected Tales and Poems
Edgar Allan Poe
This book has more than just one story. Plus, there are poems and tales, not just one story.
Edgars theme in his book, was mostly about fantasy. He tried to be as creative, and as entertaining as possible. There isn’t just one main character, there are multiple characters in each story. Same goes with the theme, the theme is different, but in a way that the rest of the stories are still the same theme. All the poems and tales are mostly fantasy.
In each story, there are different characters. Each character is unique in their own way, like Mr. William Legrand, he used to be rich. Or like Jupiter, Jupiter doesn’t know how to speak properly. Everything he says is probably pronounced wrong. These two characters are from chapter one “The Gold-Bug”.
In the poems and tales, Edgar kind of makes his stories dark. Only a little bit though. The titles of each chapter are a little dark, but not all of them. In chapter one, Jupiter is used almost like a cellphone. Mr. William Legrand used him to send messages to people. Those are some symbols in the book.
The tales and poems have taken place in the olden days. Because in a lot of tales, they are usually walking to their destinations, or using people to send messages. Feelings that are set for these characters are either gloomy or happy. The setting makes things more interesting because it is a world of fantasy. These tales and poems are not real, and they are made up, so anything can happen.
There are a lot of stories in this book, so I will talk about “The Gold-Bug”. In this story there are not that much plot twists, but there are some. Like when it was just a normal day, when Jupiter came and told him what Mr. William Legrand said. You wouldn’t expect anybody in this story to start traveling. You would probably think that something bad is going to happen, not an adventure.
An unusual point of view, is with every poem and tale. All of the tales and poems are kind of on the dark side. Not a lot, but a little dark. His writing is a little more deep in his poems. Like in some of the poems, you wouldn’t expect him to say some things. Really the kind of story, or what he is saying in some things are a little unusual.
In some of the tales and stories, there is some sarcasm. Like in “The Gold-Bug”, Jupiter has a little sarcasm in him. In other tales and poems, there is a little bit of sarcasm. In “The Conqueror Worm”, it has some sarcasm. The title you would think it is really odd and could be really funny. Which it kind of is. Some stories don’t have sarcasm, and some do.
Some stories are formal, and some are informal. Some are funny, some are just serious. But, there is some that have a little of both. In some stories, you can see that he was trying to make his stories playful or funny. Some have adventures. It seems like he let his creativity flow. All stories have all different types of adventure. They are not all the same.
A-B5
Book Review #5
Pages: 224
Selected Tales and Poems
Edgar Allan Poe
This book has more than just one story. Plus, there are poems and tales, not just one story.
Edgars theme in his book, was mostly about fantasy. He tried to be as creative, and as entertaining as possible. There isn’t just one main character, there are multiple characters in each story. Same goes with the theme, the theme is different, but in a way that the rest of the stories are still the same theme. All the poems and tales are mostly fantasy.
In each story, there are different characters. Each character is unique in their own way, like Mr. William Legrand, he used to be rich. Or like Jupiter, Jupiter doesn’t know how to speak properly. Everything he says is probably pronounced wrong. These two characters are from chapter one “The Gold-Bug”.
In the poems and tales, Edgar kind of makes his stories dark. Only a little bit though. The titles of each chapter are a little dark, but not all of them. In chapter one, Jupiter is used almost like a cellphone. Mr. William Legrand used him to send messages to people. Those are some symbols in the book.
The tales and poems have taken place in the olden days. Because in a lot of tales, they are usually walking to their destinations, or using people to send messages. Feelings that are set for these characters are either gloomy or happy. The setting makes things more interesting because it is a world of fantasy. These tales and poems are not real, and they are made up, so anything can happen.
There are a lot of stories in this book, so I will talk about “The Gold-Bug”. In this story there are not that much plot twists, but there are some. Like when it was just a normal day, when Jupiter came and told him what Mr. William Legrand said. You wouldn’t expect anybody in this story to start traveling. You would probably think that something bad is going to happen, not an adventure.
An unusual point of view, is with every poem and tale. All of the tales and poems are kind of on the dark side. Not a lot, but a little dark. His writing is a little more deep in his poems. Like in some of the poems, you wouldn’t expect him to say some things. Really the kind of story, or what he is saying in some things are a little unusual.
In some of the tales and stories, there is some sarcasm. Like in “The Gold-Bug”, Jupiter has a little sarcasm in him. In other tales and poems, there is a little bit of sarcasm. In “The Conqueror Worm”, it has some sarcasm. The title you would think it is really odd and could be really funny. Which it kind of is. Some stories don’t have sarcasm, and some do.
Some stories are formal, and some are informal. Some are funny, some are just serious. But, there is some that have a little of both. In some stories, you can see that he was trying to make his stories playful or funny. Some have adventures. It seems like he let his creativity flow. All stories have all different types of adventure. They are not all the same.
December 21, 2022
Dan got me the LitJoy special edition of the collected works of Edgar Allan Poe and I reread it to create a whole dungeons and dragons campaign based on the stories and poems. Poe is so great at describing settings and rooms that I had more than enough material for anything I could have ever needed for D&D. Poe is still one of my favorite authors and it was a fun deep dive back into his world of monsters, horror and the sinister nature of mankind. I loved that Poe mixed it up with short stories and poems.
August 10, 2014
Poe’s writing is hit and miss, and this book is a great example of that – it just wasn’t much fun to read it, and even if I gave it my full concentration I often found that I’d read an entire story without really understanding or appreciating what was going on.
That said, there are a couple of great stories contained here, including The Tell-Tale Heart, which is arguably his most notorious piece of fiction and the work that he’s most well-known for after The Raven, the poem with its immortal refrain of “Quoth the Raven ‘Nevermore.’” I liked The Murders in the Rue Morgue as well, perhaps because it included a fictional detective and I’m a keen reader of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Agatha Christie.
Overall, though, I just find it hard to enjoy Poe’s rambling prose, and the fact that his work was written almost 200 years ago doesn’t help – if you think Dickens is occasionally hard to understand, then you need to go ahead and try this, if only to see how wrong you are. Some people relish a challenge though, and if you’re one of those people then you should go ahead but proceed with caution, and prepare to throw a couple of weekends at it to get it finished.
In fact, that’s probably one of the reasons why I didn’t enjoy reading it – it’s far too long, at over four hundred pages with miniscule print that strains your eyes when you stare at it, and I eventually gave up on trying to read it on the bus to and from work. In the end, I chipped away at it slowly but surely on the weekends, occasionally sacrificing an hour of my life to read another twenty pages.
Some people are really in to Edgar Allan Poe, and you might be one of them – if so, and if you haven’t read this collection, then it can’t hurt to give it a go. My words of caution are aimed more at the casual reader, because if I struggled to make it to the end, when I read around 100 books every year, then they’re going to struggle too. In many ways it’s worth it, because some of the stories are pretty good, but just bear in mind the huge time drain that it will become.
That said, there are a couple of great stories contained here, including The Tell-Tale Heart, which is arguably his most notorious piece of fiction and the work that he’s most well-known for after The Raven, the poem with its immortal refrain of “Quoth the Raven ‘Nevermore.’” I liked The Murders in the Rue Morgue as well, perhaps because it included a fictional detective and I’m a keen reader of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Agatha Christie.
Overall, though, I just find it hard to enjoy Poe’s rambling prose, and the fact that his work was written almost 200 years ago doesn’t help – if you think Dickens is occasionally hard to understand, then you need to go ahead and try this, if only to see how wrong you are. Some people relish a challenge though, and if you’re one of those people then you should go ahead but proceed with caution, and prepare to throw a couple of weekends at it to get it finished.
In fact, that’s probably one of the reasons why I didn’t enjoy reading it – it’s far too long, at over four hundred pages with miniscule print that strains your eyes when you stare at it, and I eventually gave up on trying to read it on the bus to and from work. In the end, I chipped away at it slowly but surely on the weekends, occasionally sacrificing an hour of my life to read another twenty pages.
Some people are really in to Edgar Allan Poe, and you might be one of them – if so, and if you haven’t read this collection, then it can’t hurt to give it a go. My words of caution are aimed more at the casual reader, because if I struggled to make it to the end, when I read around 100 books every year, then they’re going to struggle too. In many ways it’s worth it, because some of the stories are pretty good, but just bear in mind the huge time drain that it will become.
October 25, 2018
5.0 out of 5- very good poems and good story tales
By Kerianna Mclin on October 16, 2018
Very good book, there were a lot of words that has inspired Mr. Poe poems. When he writes his poems, he writes how he feels inside. That’s what is so great about this book I read. I remember the first time I started learning about him and his poems, it was 8th grade year of middle school in my reading class. My teacher taught us how he feels when it comes to his poetry. His poetry is so dark and romantic. Edgar Allen Poe is my #1 favorite poet, he has a very dark and romantic tone. I remember my first poem of his that I read. The poem is called The Raven. The poem is about a man sitting alone in his reading room, then he saw a raven staring at him and he thought it was cursed but he got scared. The Raven was evil. This poem had nothing but a dark tone to it. When I read the poem it almost scared me because I didn’t know what it was about but when I learned a little more about the poem, I got a lot comfortable and the poem got a lot more romantic. Even though the book has a lot of poems, the book also has story tales. His story tales also has a dark and romantic tone in each of his story tales. One of his Edgar Allen Poe story tales that I enjoyed is called The Black Cat, it’s a dark romantic story tale that he wrote. It’s about comparing a woman to a black cat. It’s a good story tale. They even made a short film about The Black Cat. I would recommend this book because you can learn often about Edgar Allen Poe just by reading his poems and tales. Even though Edgar Allen Poe has a very dark tone in his poems and tales, he also has a little soft romantic side in him as well. So, read the book you will enjoy as much as I did.
By Kerianna Mclin on October 16, 2018
Very good book, there were a lot of words that has inspired Mr. Poe poems. When he writes his poems, he writes how he feels inside. That’s what is so great about this book I read. I remember the first time I started learning about him and his poems, it was 8th grade year of middle school in my reading class. My teacher taught us how he feels when it comes to his poetry. His poetry is so dark and romantic. Edgar Allen Poe is my #1 favorite poet, he has a very dark and romantic tone. I remember my first poem of his that I read. The poem is called The Raven. The poem is about a man sitting alone in his reading room, then he saw a raven staring at him and he thought it was cursed but he got scared. The Raven was evil. This poem had nothing but a dark tone to it. When I read the poem it almost scared me because I didn’t know what it was about but when I learned a little more about the poem, I got a lot comfortable and the poem got a lot more romantic. Even though the book has a lot of poems, the book also has story tales. His story tales also has a dark and romantic tone in each of his story tales. One of his Edgar Allen Poe story tales that I enjoyed is called The Black Cat, it’s a dark romantic story tale that he wrote. It’s about comparing a woman to a black cat. It’s a good story tale. They even made a short film about The Black Cat. I would recommend this book because you can learn often about Edgar Allen Poe just by reading his poems and tales. Even though Edgar Allen Poe has a very dark tone in his poems and tales, he also has a little soft romantic side in him as well. So, read the book you will enjoy as much as I did.
December 28, 2017
I love all things Poe. I would say I’m obsessed. I love this beautifully illustrated version of Poe’s stories. Neil Gaiman’s introduction, Some Strangeness in the Proportion: The Exquisite Beauties of Edgar Allan Poe, is a gorgeous Essay about one of the most amazing authors and poets. I can’t wait to share some of the stories and narrative poems with my classes this coming semester. While the book includes the classics (“Annabel Lee,” “The Raven,” “The Bells,” “The Fall of the House of Usher,” “The Tell-Tale Heart,” “The Cask of Amontillado”), I’m hoping to spend more time on “Tamerlane,” “El Dorado,” “Ulalume,” “The Masque of the Red Death,” “Berenice,” “Ligeia,” and “The Murders in the Rue Morgue”. Beautifully written so many years ago and beautifully illustrated today.
December 30, 2018
This is a lovely edition with an introduction by Neil Gaiman. I was honestly hoping for more illustrations, so that was a bit of a letdown. Not that I am relying on illustrations to enhance my enjoyment of the work, however when you invest in a large-scale hardcover edition, I would expect more.
I had no idea that "The Telltale Heart" was so short. I was familiar with the story, as most are, but I was quite surprised when I finally read it. After reading this volume, I feel I am more drawn to Edgar Allen Poe's poetry and short stories than I am to the longer tales.
I had no idea that "The Telltale Heart" was so short. I was familiar with the story, as most are, but I was quite surprised when I finally read it. After reading this volume, I feel I am more drawn to Edgar Allen Poe's poetry and short stories than I am to the longer tales.
February 28, 2015
I grew up with my father telling me Edgar Allen Poe stories at the foot of my bed. I bought this book years ago. When I read it, it reminds me of my childhood.
Poe is in a class all by himself. His tales and poems make you think and feel, which has become something of a lost art in modern writing.
Don't discount this book for teens. The darkness will appeal to them and the tales, as always, have a sense of redemption.
Poe is in a class all by himself. His tales and poems make you think and feel, which has become something of a lost art in modern writing.
Don't discount this book for teens. The darkness will appeal to them and the tales, as always, have a sense of redemption.
November 14, 2015
I'm not a poe afficionado but wanted to read some of his writing- I found it hard to read these at first just getting into his style but he really grew on me. probably easier to take it slowly unless you're already a poe fan, but some real gems in here and he is truly fantastic at setting a scene in a very few pages.
January 4, 2018
I love Poe. His writing at first glance looks like nonsensical rambling, but when you read, the language is just very complex. His stories are so vividly detailed and the stories gives you a sense of beautiful uncomfortably. Poe is probably the best author of all time.
April 24, 2007
Great!!
May 31, 2007
Not this particular version, and not every tale yet, but close.
February 4, 2008
I've got to get my own volume of Poe. This one's lovely to read, but it's so old I'm afraid of damaging the pages.
February 19, 2008
My mom gave me this book when I was in high school with the quotion on the inside: "for when you're feeling down..."
i love this book!
i love this book!
May 11, 2009
He told the tales that were too scary for everyone else. I love it!
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January 14, 2011None
January 14, 2010
I read the poems, but not the stories. I enjoyed the creepy poems though.
June 6, 2014
Some creepy, some weird, some absolutely brilliant.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews