Edgar Allan Poe : Essays and Reviews : Theory of Poetry / Reviews of British and Continental Authors / Reviews of American Authors and American Literature / Magazines and Criticism / The Literary & Social Scene / Articles and Marginalia (Library of America) [Hardcover]

Edgar Allan Poe (Author), G. R. Thompson (Editor)

Editorial Reviews

Review

A splendid new ed]@²¯n. -- Richard Wilbur, The New York Times Book Review

Poe's criticism has never been made fully available until now. -- Harold Bloom, The New York Review of Books

Product Description

The most complete collection of Poe's critical writings ever published, revealing his wit, uncompromising candor, and breadth of knowledge. Contains all his major writings on poetry, fiction, and the duties of a critic, along with his reviews of writers both known and unknown, and finally, his articles on a wealth of subjects, including South Sea exploration, geography, music, drama, cryptography, ancient languages, and modern critics.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 1544 pages
• Publisher: Library of America; 6th Printing edition (August 15, 1984)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0940450194
• ISBN-13: 978-0940450196
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.3 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #171,085 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book is essential for any serious study of poe., November 16, 1998

By	[e-mail] (Washington D.C.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Edgar Allan Poe : Essays and Reviews : Theory of Poetry / Reviews of British and Continental Authors / Reviews of American Authors and American Literature / Magazines and Criticism / The Literary & Social Scene / Articles and Marginalia (Library of America) (Hardcover)

I highly recommend this book! It is Poe in his own words. This book is a brilliant answer to many off-the-wall interpretations of his theories and life. This book is essential to any serious study of Poe, and certainly for any journalist or writer who wants to read a master at work! Poe was not just a fiction writer. He was the first artist as critic in America's history. This book will allow you to see Poe as a man.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Once owned, it is indispensable, September 18, 2009

By	Daniel Benson (Atlanta) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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This review is from: Edgar Allan Poe : Essays and Reviews : Theory of Poetry / Reviews of British and Continental Authors / Reviews of American Authors and American Literature / Magazines and Criticism / The Literary & Social Scene / Articles and Marginalia (Library of America) (Hardcover)

I'll confess that I am only about 200 pages into this very lengthy book (but have skipped ahead occasionally to find his reviews of favorite authors), but I can say without hesitation that those pages alone have been worth the price. And with every paragraph I actually wish the book were longer. Anyone who truly appreciates the depth and soul of Poe's fiction and poetry, and the tragic life behind their creation, could not help but relish the man's words on any subject. Poe biographies are fine, but nothing can touch his own voice. His reviews of well-known writers like Hawthorne, Coleridge and Longfellow, among so many others, are gems of knowledge, humor and biting honesty that may surprise those who have as yet only been held in cherished suspense by his fiction. And his critiques of lesser known authors will probably serve to make a curious reader search out their work, even when he brutalizes it, as he often does! This book is a huge body of Poe's non-fiction, and the writing proves captivating, irreverently witty and beyond impressive in its scholarship. Above all, it shows the man as undeniably brilliant, brilliant, brilliant.