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Tales of Terror from Edgar Allan Poe
Six of Poe’s most macabre tales are presented in this powerfully illustrated edition that comes with an unabridged CD narration of four of the shorter tales. The classic tales included on the 75 minute CD and read by Edward Blake are “The Masque of the Red Death,” “The Black Cat,” “The Tell-Tale Heart,” and “The Cask of Amontillado.” The two longer tales in the collection are the heart-stopping “The Pit and the Pendulum” and the chilling “The Fall of the House of Usher.” In addition to his striking woodcut-type illustrations, Michael McCurdy has written fascinating headnotes about the origin of each tale and an introduction about Poe.
96 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1845
About the author
Edgar Allan Poe
10.6k books29.6k 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...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
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August 17, 2023Listened to an audiobook. Same story as Lovecraft. Can’t really rate this because it’s a collection of stories. Lovecraft stories center around mystery, magic, aliens, monsters, and other being fro out of this world.
EAP stories focus more on dark parts of human nature.
EAP stories focus more on dark parts of human nature.
December 18, 2022
Po ir brīnišķīgs un pārlaicīgs
November 1, 2024
Burying people and animals while still alive; the 1800s were a scary time. Even though these Poe's short stories are tales, they are based on true stories of the era. If you like short stories, classic or horror, give this collection of tales a try. Perfect reading for spooky season (the month of October or autumn).
December 3, 2023
Revisiting Poe.
October 3, 2023
It was nice to read some more work of Edgar, I have read the Cask of Amontillado at college so it was fun to read more stories of Poe.
I think the Cask is still my favourite, it has good suspense and it's not on the nose, you need to read between the lines as well.
I think the Cask is still my favourite, it has good suspense and it's not on the nose, you need to read between the lines as well.
Did Not Finish
July 1, 2026Básicamente porque se lo he dejado a una amiga
January 17, 2022
I'm not sure I understood the purpose of each tale, but some of them were really interesting while others were just there. Still, it was a quick and interesting read.
October 27, 2021
I believe there would have been terrifying at the time of release, but they mostly bored me. I did enjoy the mystical combined with the macabre settings he created and the stories themselves felt like they should have been performed in a small theater or told around a campfire.
The tell-tale heart was shorter than I'd remembered, yet it still had more resolution than most. I do not understand Poe's seeming obsession with orangutans. I don't hate it, but I don't understand it.
The audio wasn't great (quality kept shifting and music was too loud), which was distracting and made the while thing less enjoyable.
The tell-tale heart was shorter than I'd remembered, yet it still had more resolution than most. I do not understand Poe's seeming obsession with orangutans. I don't hate it, but I don't understand it.
The audio wasn't great (quality kept shifting and music was too loud), which was distracting and made the while thing less enjoyable.
September 18, 2023
This was a good collection of stories. Many I don’t recall ever reading before. The one story I remember from childhood THE TELL-TALE HEART seemed shorter than I remembered, but still creepy and gruesome.
It took a while to get into the “Olde English” aspect of the writing, but the stories are there and gruesome as ever. I also liked that MICHAEL MCCURDY also wrote an introductory paragraph to give you the context in which the story was written. McCurdy also supplied great illustrations to each story. Nice work.
But in the end you can tell why Poe is so highly regarded in horror. His stories are just that—horrific.
It took a while to get into the “Olde English” aspect of the writing, but the stories are there and gruesome as ever. I also liked that MICHAEL MCCURDY also wrote an introductory paragraph to give you the context in which the story was written. McCurdy also supplied great illustrations to each story. Nice work.
But in the end you can tell why Poe is so highly regarded in horror. His stories are just that—horrific.
February 20, 2023
(Reviewing the edition, not Poe per se.) This is a nice collection of Poe stories. The book has a nice feel to it in every way. But the art did not work well for me. Normally a sucker for woodcuts, I found McCurdy’s to have an amateurish feel. But because the illustrations have a folksy air, I might recommend this edition to younger readers who might appreciate a bit of pictorial help with Poe without being scared off by grislier art. Think of this book as Poe for children.
September 30, 2021
I thought "Tales of Terror from Edgar Allan Poe" was an amazing series of short stories. His use of terror and suspense, infused with imagery and horror keeps the reader unsettled yet interested. I would recommend this book.
February 2, 2024
Decent and quick read for short gothic tales before you go to sleep. Not my favorite of this genre. Each story gives the same sensation and doesn’t seem dramatically different from the next. Still searching other gothic authors and books like the Monk - loved that.
January 28, 2022
My rating is more of a three and a half stars.
March 1, 2022
I always love Poe and this is no different.
October 28, 2022
Surprised "The Raven" wasn't included.
November 7, 2022
Poe is a master. However, The Black Cat is the one of his stories I can't recommend because of the animal mutilation theme.
August 16, 2024
never gets old
August 10, 2021
"The Pit and the Pendulum" (4 stars) is a very strong entry here. But "The Masque of the Red Death" is lacking in narrative, "The Cask of Amontillado" has odd motives, and "Cat", "Tell-Tale Heart" and "Usher" depend too much on supernatural elements rather than real, believable horror. But McCurdy's illustrations are worth a look.
August 23, 2026
Personally, not a Poe fan. The guy is messed up
January 17, 2019
Dalam riwayat singkat yg ditulis Bang Anton Kurnia dalam buku Ensiklopedia Sastra Dunia, Edgar Allan Poe adl penulis banyak kisah misteri dan detektif. Tulisan2nya dianggap menjadi dasar bagi cerita detektif modern. Poe sangat berbakat, bahkan disebutkan hanya segelintir penulis yg mampu mendekati pencapaian Poe dlm hal kekuatan dramatis dan intensitas emosional.
Ketika dijelaskan bahwa Poe adl penulis pertama yg menyebutkan cerpen seharusnya membangun sebuah efek tunggal, serta meyakini bahwa pembaca seharusnya bisa menuntaskan sebuah cerpen sekali duduk, saya teringat Budi Darma. Beliau jg menjelaskan sedikit ttg itu dlm "Potret Cerpen Kita" (Cerpen Pilihan Kompas 1993 : Pelajaran Mengarang, hlm. 157). Poe pun dianggap org pertama yg menciptakan 'ilmu' cerpen melalui perumusan aturan2nya.
Riwayat yg menarik. Begitulah saya jadi ingin berkenalan dg karya Poe. Buku ini hanya berisi 3 judul, terbagi dlm 96 halaman. Diadaptasi oleh Les Martin, yg juga seorang penulis kisah misteri. Martin pun mengadaptasi bbrp kisah klasik lainnya, seperti Oliver Twist & The Time Machine.
Ada semacam perbedaan rasa ketika membaca karya penulis Indonesia, dg penulis luar. Hampir semuanya berbeda, mulai dr setting (tentu), karakter/penokohan, alur, gagasan, imajinasi, dll.
Dalam buku ini, Poe mengembangkan ide yg sesungguhnya sederhana, tetapi kekuatan alur, dan cara Poe membuat deskripsi mmg menarik. Misal dlm Gentong Anggur Amontillado, Poe mampu menyisipkan dendam dlm jiwa manusia, tumbuh mjd latar belakang keinginan membunuh. Dan, apa yg lebih mengerikan daripada membunuh dg perasaan puas & bahagia?
Dlm Lubang Sumur & Bandul, Poe mendeskripsikan rasa pengap, tertekan, takut, dr seorang tahanan yg 'dipenjarakan' dlm ruang tanpa cahaya. Terbayang?
Juga, dlm judul Topeng Maut Merah. Kengerian akibat wabah yg bisa menjangkiti setiap tubuh, dg deskripsi darah segar keluar dr seluruh pori2. Wew! Meski sudah menerka alur dan endingnya, bayangan itu tetap saja cukup mengerikan.
Ya, mmg ini bukan kisah horor ttg hantu dan interaksinya dg alam manusia. Tapi jg bukan bacaan yg cocok utk sebelum tidur.
Ketika dijelaskan bahwa Poe adl penulis pertama yg menyebutkan cerpen seharusnya membangun sebuah efek tunggal, serta meyakini bahwa pembaca seharusnya bisa menuntaskan sebuah cerpen sekali duduk, saya teringat Budi Darma. Beliau jg menjelaskan sedikit ttg itu dlm "Potret Cerpen Kita" (Cerpen Pilihan Kompas 1993 : Pelajaran Mengarang, hlm. 157). Poe pun dianggap org pertama yg menciptakan 'ilmu' cerpen melalui perumusan aturan2nya.
Riwayat yg menarik. Begitulah saya jadi ingin berkenalan dg karya Poe. Buku ini hanya berisi 3 judul, terbagi dlm 96 halaman. Diadaptasi oleh Les Martin, yg juga seorang penulis kisah misteri. Martin pun mengadaptasi bbrp kisah klasik lainnya, seperti Oliver Twist & The Time Machine.
Ada semacam perbedaan rasa ketika membaca karya penulis Indonesia, dg penulis luar. Hampir semuanya berbeda, mulai dr setting (tentu), karakter/penokohan, alur, gagasan, imajinasi, dll.
Dalam buku ini, Poe mengembangkan ide yg sesungguhnya sederhana, tetapi kekuatan alur, dan cara Poe membuat deskripsi mmg menarik. Misal dlm Gentong Anggur Amontillado, Poe mampu menyisipkan dendam dlm jiwa manusia, tumbuh mjd latar belakang keinginan membunuh. Dan, apa yg lebih mengerikan daripada membunuh dg perasaan puas & bahagia?
Dlm Lubang Sumur & Bandul, Poe mendeskripsikan rasa pengap, tertekan, takut, dr seorang tahanan yg 'dipenjarakan' dlm ruang tanpa cahaya. Terbayang?
Juga, dlm judul Topeng Maut Merah. Kengerian akibat wabah yg bisa menjangkiti setiap tubuh, dg deskripsi darah segar keluar dr seluruh pori2. Wew! Meski sudah menerka alur dan endingnya, bayangan itu tetap saja cukup mengerikan.
Ya, mmg ini bukan kisah horor ttg hantu dan interaksinya dg alam manusia. Tapi jg bukan bacaan yg cocok utk sebelum tidur.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 17, 2008
I must admit I'm not reading this. Just got it because I want to listen to the CD in my car. There are 4 tales on the CD that I am enjoying. Poe and October go together.
The 4 stories on CD - The Masque of the Red Death, The Black Cat, The Tell-Tale Heart an The Cask of Amontillado. The book has 2 other stories, an introduction to Poe and each story, and beautiful black and white illustrations by Michael McCurdy. One amazing thing to me is that he was writing about murders and torture in the early to mid 1800's, when all I've read out of that era have to do with propriety and manners. Poe is by far the most interesting I've read of that era!
The 4 stories on CD - The Masque of the Red Death, The Black Cat, The Tell-Tale Heart an The Cask of Amontillado. The book has 2 other stories, an introduction to Poe and each story, and beautiful black and white illustrations by Michael McCurdy. One amazing thing to me is that he was writing about murders and torture in the early to mid 1800's, when all I've read out of that era have to do with propriety and manners. Poe is by far the most interesting I've read of that era!
October 31, 2015
This is a good book for Halloween time! It's hard to rate, though, because there are multiple stories. Some of them really creeped me out, but some left me a bit bored, so I figured a rating somewhere in the middle was probably best!
October 7, 2020
This is a pretty good collection of Poe's creepy short stories. It has the ones that everyone knows (Fall of the House of Usher, Pit and the Pendulum, Tell-Tale Heart), but also quite a few that fall under the radar.
May 14, 2007
Scarry and I can talk teens into reading it! I like this one cuz it has a CD in the back, sometimes I think Poe makes more sense when I hear it.
November 6, 2009
Someone suggested that I read for Poe for Halloween. It was suitably scary!
August 29, 2010
It was not like what I expected.I must say it is scary.
October 22, 2010
Rosario is read this one.
January 16, 2014
This is a awesome book! I love Edgar Allen Poe
March 29, 2014
CD included...31133511463418
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 22, 2018
Creepy and wonderful, just like I knew they would be. I'd love to read a full anthology soon!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews