poetry

Thinking of buying "Tales of Mystery and Imagination"? Don't. Edgar Allan Poe still ranks as one of America's premiere literary figures. Unfortunately, many of the books you will find on your local bookshelf contain less than Poe's complete works. Or worse, revised and abridged versions of his writings.

In "The Complete Tales and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe" you will be treated to Poe's creative genius in full measure. You can go beyond the Murders in the Rue Morgue and delve into the Mystery of Marie Roget. The Black Cat is here along with The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym. Everything you expect from Edgar Allan Poe is here; the horror, the suspense, the macabre.... But beyond this lies Poe's humor, deductive logic, and desciptive prose. You owe it to yourself to buy this book. If you have not taken the time to read everything Poe has to offer, do so now. It will be one of the best reading experiences you will ever have.

This edition of Poe's literary output is the latest incarnation of the original 'Complete Tales & Poems' which cam out in 1938 by by Vintage Press. It has thus served several generations of students and Poe lovers. It's longevity is proof of it's basic quality and integrity. For the record, it also includes Poe's two essays, 'The Poetic Principal' and 'The Rationale of Verse.'
If you want a 'complete in one volume' approach. This is it.

Truth be told, there are a few technical drawbacks to this edition. The first is size. A thousand pages is a lot to deal with. I always feel clumsy reading it. The other big drawback is print size. I am well into the time of life when tiny print is getting difficult to read. Nor do I like narrow margins.

But really, I don't think one can argue about the sheer quantity of good literature for a reasonable price. It can be read, marked up, dragged around and have coffee spilled on it without ever making its owner feel the least bit guilty. Most of the Poe readers of the world will just love this book. Me, I'm a bit wierd. I would rather have a nice leather bound set of the complete works, rather than just the fiction and poetry, a bit slimmer to hand and easier to read. Considering that that would cost over 20 times the price of this paperback I intend to remain satisfied with this even if it kills me.

I bought a copy of this Vintage edition, with exactly the same cover art, new in 1975 - folks that's 29 years ago. It's a massive compendium of virtually all, if not all, of anything that Poe wrote of literary consequence, including short stories (a/k/a the "tales"), poetry, and his only novel (*The Narrative of A. Gordon Pym*). Although Poe's work in this edition is not organized in exactly the most scholarly order, and, yes, is a tad short on literary criticism -- who cares? If you're looking for criticism, biography or interpretation, there are dozens of books about Poe to satisfy that need. But if you're looking for a comprehensive "one-stop" source of Poe's works at a great price, this is it.

I have acquired and tossed hundreds of books in the past 29 years, but I have hung onto this volume. The inclusion of the complete *Narrative of A. Gordon Pym* alone is worth the price of the book. In addition to the more commonly anthologized stories like "The Murders in the Rue Morgue," "The Pit and the Pendulum," "The Black Cat," "The Tell-tale Heart," and "The Cask of Amontillado," you'll find lesser known gems like the nightmarish "William Wilson," one of the best "doppelganger" stories ever written. If you've never read Poe before, his style is distinctly 19th century and may pose an impediment to some readers. Old fashioned or not, he remains the master of this genre. This particular edition offers all the proof you'll ever need and many hours of reading pleasure.