Tales of Terror and Detection

By Edgar Allan Poe

Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849) holds a unique place in American literature. Famous as a poet, he also penned short stories that are masterpieces of terror and suspense, infused with the horror and dread he knew from his feverish dreams and persistent fears of death. Fortunately for lovers of mystery, Poe was attracted by logic and analysis as well as fantasy. Fascinated by the narrative possibilities of tracking the perpetrator of a crime, he invented the modern detective story.
This superb collection of five stories reveals Poe's virtuoso gifts for both crime fiction and the macabre. Two of his most famous tales, The Mystery of Marie Roget and The Purloined Letter, recount the exploits of C. Auguste Dupin, the first important fictional detective. William Wilson is a chilling tale of crime and evil. The two remaining stories, MS. Found in a Bottle and The Oblong Box, subtly but relentlessly convey a sense of unease, then dread, then outright terror.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0486287440
• ISBN13: 9780486287447
• Release Date: October 1995
• Publisher: Dover Publications
• Length: 96 Pages
• Weight: 0.20 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 5.2" x 8.3"
• Age Range: 11 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 6 and higher

Customer Reviews

convenient and well-priced (supliment advised)

This little Dover edition is cheap and fits easily into any bag, which makes it good bus stop reading. There is, however, a disadvantage to this portable Poe; namely, it's not all there. The collection excludes the story for which Poe is credited for having begun the detective genre itself: "The Murders in the Rue Morgue" introduces the characters of Dupin and our narrator, and prepares the scene for the detective figure to fill the gap of reasoning that the overly-methodical Parisian police have left. It sets the tone for the increased emphasis on analysis in "Marie Rogêt" and the humorous rivalry between police and detective in "The Purloined Letter." That being said, the other stories fit well together; "The Oblong Box" has one foot in the detective genre and the other in that species of psychological drama that we see in "William Wilson." Wilson and his doppelganger compliment the double corpse question in "Marie Rogêt," and the parallel worlds and coincidences, which make the mystery of Marie Rogêt more fascinating, lend an uncanny quality to "MS Found in a Bottle," with the discovery of Mercator's map. If these stories show us anything about Poe, it is his ability to bring a story to a logical conclusion that still leaves an eerie taste in the reader's mouth.

Another winner from the library of Poe...

As always Edgar Allan Poe has created a masterpiece with this work, just as he has done with all his others. He makes haunting, chilling, and tingling stories come to life like nightmares during the daytime. He was a true master of suspense and storytelling and this work is no exception. If you enjoyed any of his others, like The Tell-tale Heart or The Raven, then you'll be sure to enjoy these tales of terror and detection.

Classic short stories

Edgar allen poe is one of the greatest short story writers I have ever had the pleasure to read. His stories are varied and extremely intelligent. And at the cheap price this collection of stories are a must buy. I give it an extra star just for the price.