Customer Reviews

Edgar Allan Poe: Poetry and Tales (Library of America)

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If you want the real Poe, the Library of America version of Poe's Poetry and Tales is the best bargain going. This volume should give either a lover of Poe or a serious scholar a handy volume of the Poe canon. I am not going to extol the virtues of Edgar Allan Poe. He was one of our most important national authors and an innovator of forms and genres. Master of the macabre, inventor of the detective story, explicator of the psychotic soul-Poe was the father of psychological horror literature as well as an accomplished satirist, critic and poet. If you want all of the poems and tales all in one place, go buy this book. Apparently the two volume Borzoi Poe (Knopf) edited by Arthur Hobson Quinn and Edward H. O'Neill is out of print. That was certainly a respectable edition of the poems and stories, and it included, the marvelous metaphysical Eureka as well as all the tales and poems and a respectable cross-section of the criticism in a handsome two-volume edition. The Modern Library and Doubleday complete Poe's are good enough to read for pleasure. But if you want a version of Poe that can be used as a reading text as well as a scholarly resource (meaning serious stuff) then this Library of America volume is just the thing for you. It is edited by Patrick Quinn, a highly respected Poe scholar, and its texts are good-and you get all of them. It's certainly a bargain when compared to the Thomas Ollive Mabbott/Burton Pollin variorum edition, a multi-volume extravaganza. And most of us don't need all that detail anyway. This is a nice volume because it encapsulates the canon of the fiction and poetry-clean and compact. Here you get all the poems and tales (short stories) as well as The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym, the timely Poe version of Lewis and Clark called The Journal of Julius Rodman, the cosmological extravaganza/ metaphysical tour de force that Poe called Eureka. This is all of Poe that you might want to read. And the texts are all derived from the real authoritative readers' texts defined by the best Poe scholars. There is a second volume in the series that contains criticism that brings it all back home.

There's no point whatsoever in reviewing the work of Poe. As you know, or soon will know, it is the work of genius & above reproach, particularly from a mere mortal Amazon reviewer like myself.

So instead I am reviewing this collection of his works specifically. Safe to say there a hundreds of books out there containing his work, many of which are misleadingly titled 'the complete...' or 'the definitive...'. Nonsense. None of these books have been anywhere near complete. On top of that, few, if any, are attractively presented or pieced together with some logical thought process evident.

This thick, hefty (but not large-sized) 1984 Library of America edition tips the scales at over 1500 pages(!) and has all of his mesmerising short stories, all of his fascinating poems, and his other sought after works which other reviewers here detail more closely. Better yet, for once they are in chronological order, which gives the reader the opportunity to follow Poe's own development.

Yes, it is expensive, but this is an absolute essential for your library, and assuming you bring up your children to love reading, will be in your family for many generations. This is not an expensive book, this is an investment for you and your family that will give you decades of pleasure (150 years after his death and we're still reading Poe!)

THIS my friends, is the absolute and comprehensive collection of the works of Poe, contained within a beautiful and fittingly gothic-styled hardback. Don't sell yourself short and look for a cheaper & inferior book, snap up one of the remaining copys of this book, it will outlive you...

There are few american authors as good as Edgar Allen Poe. From the grotesque to the sublime his poetry is among the most enjoyable ever written. His tales continue to excite both young and old alike. One of the things that I enjoy most about Poe is that many of his tales are designed not only for suspense but also to challenge the intellect of the reader. This edition of Poe is one of the finest available. It is made to Library standards and is the version of choice for all who want to enjoy Poe's writings over a lifetime. In addition to the books superior binding and quality it includes the works not commonly found among other so called complete editons. They include: The unparalled Adventure of One Hans Pfall, The Journal of Julius Rodmen, and Eureka:Aprose poem. The book also includes a complete index of titles and of first lines, and notes on the text. For anyone looking for a definative edition on Poe I couldn't make a stronger recommendation.

I've always had a liking for Edgar Allan Poe, with his tales of horror, mystery and suspense, done in the atmospheric prose of a master writer. Since I live close enough, I've even made some trips to his gravesite, a place that is always surrounded by a sense of sadness.

Poe was a tormented genius who died young, under mysterious circumstances, and at the time of his death he wasn't deservingly popular. Certainly his work was not cute romances for the masses -- he explored the darkness of the human heart, love, satire, and the earliest whodunnit stories. And "Complete Stories and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe" brings together all of his poetry and writings in one book.

Poe's fiction writings include short stories and novellas, which tend to be rather weird -- a treasure-hunt and a golden insect, a ship caught in a whirlpool, a hypnotized man talks about the universe, and stories of despair, madness, and occasionally beauty. There is also his trilogy of Monsieur C. Auguste Dupin stories, which were the first to feature a brilliant detective solving an impossible crime.

Most people know about "The Raven" (which even has the Baltimore Ravens named after it) but Poe actually wrote a lot of poetry, most of which readers never heard of. Sometimes dark, or whimsical, or even both. "By a route obscure and lonely/Haunted by ill angels only/Where an Eidolon, named NIGHT/On a black throne reigns upright..."

And, of course, the horror. This is what Poe is best known for, including such well-known stories as "The Fall Of The House Of Usher." But there are also lesser-known gems -- tales of a plague invading a party, being buried alive, a portrait that siphoned the life out of its subject, and a nightly visit to an Italian crypt leading to madness.

Don't read "Complete Stories and Poems" all at once. It's too intense. It's better to soak it in a little at a time, so that you can get a better feel for the different kinds of writing that Poe did, and how he excelled at pretty much everything he put down on paper. Most great writers can't boast of that much.

Poe's writing is what makes even his least story or poem come alive -- he brought a gothic, misty vibrancy to his stories, and could make his quiet dialogue seem utterly chilling (" "I have no name in the regions which I inhabit. I was mortal, but am fiend..."). It's not hard to see why he was an influence on authors such as Fyodor Dostoevsky, Oscar Wilde, Arthur Conan Doyle and Franz Kafka.

The Library of America edition is a lovely collection of Poe's work -- the paper is thin and of high quality, the binding is very strong, and great care has been made for this copy. It's expensive, but it's ideal for the serious, frequent Poe reader.

"Complete Stories and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe" is a must-have for anyone with an appreciation for great literature and beautiful, dark writing.

The books of the Library of America are among the very best and most beautiful editions I know of. The paper is acid-free material, it won't yellow and get all brittley any time soon, and you can lay that book open on a table and it won't close itself. It is a great object and I won't even discuss Poe's work here, though tons could be said, of course.

This is a hardcover book with a neat dusjacket; it also has one of these thin ribbons to mark your page. It's pure awesomeness I tell you! Anyone who enjoys Poe would do well to get this edition, it's the best out there and it contains all of Poe's fiction, including some never-published-before material.

The Raven and Annabel Lee: These two poems were my favorites of the Poe Collection and the reason was clear - I'm an impossible romanticist. These two beautiful, sensitive poems resonate with soul-wrenching passion, grief, agony. They play with the mind, they pass the word games around between the subject and the reader; they are designed to be read many times over, searching for one more clue as to their depth of meaning - truly the signature of the master craftsman - the defining moment between talent and genius.

Poe did have that genius, and his imagination took him one step beyond - the emotions of the mind betraying any promise of healing that an aching heart struggled to achieve; the dark, dismal abyss opening beneath, wholly possessing it's victim.

The Raven: Symbolism at it's finest, the "black bird of despair" perches ominously above the door of his psyche, tenaciously haunting every corner of his lonely room; striking down any emerging dim hope of recovery with one firm and final wordstroke, "Nevermore".

He tries valiantly to make sense of it and gain control; he thinks he finally has it, and he cries -
"Desolate, yet all undaunted,
on this desert land enchanted
-on this home by horror haunted
- tell me truly, I implore -
is there - is there balm in Gilead? (**to make the wounded whole)
Tell me, tell me, I implore!"

The Raven fixes him with an unfeeling eye and squashes his glimmer of light once and for all - "it's not going to happen. She is gone, and you will not forget." (Nevermore)

*******

Annabel Lee - much along the same lines as the Raven, it denotes a lover pining for his beautiful lost love, Annabel Lee - her voice is softly alive in the sound of the sea, the beloved face forever passing through the recesses of his mind, ever present, preventing healthier thoughts from prevailing against the power of his mourning. His desire to find her again is all-consuming; his longing bordering on the verge of insanity.

These two poems, open to intense interpretation by each individual reader, were likely born of a personal observation somewhere in his life or in the life of someone close to him, will be the literary objective of the heartseekers theme papers forever.

Well, as I said. I was always somehow taken by the idea of the absolutely unattainable; the impossible tale of sorrow and of faded love.

Edgar Alan Poe is responsible for so many things in the world of literature. It was he who laid down the first guidelines for the short story. The detective story traces its lineage to him. And mystery and horror story fans can thank Edgar Alan Poe for popularizing these forms of literature. Now, on to the quality of his work.
What is so captivating about the literature he wrote? It is his descriptive power--his ability to make commonplace items ominous, or inanimate objects personal, or terrifying scenes real. His writing has a nightmarish tone that absorbs the reader into the horror. And yet it is not because he uses overtly graphic violence (although violence and torture do find its way into many of his stories), but because he draws you into the mind of the character described in the story, until your heart literally pounds against your chest, and your lungs struggle for breath. In The Pit and the Pendulum, you feel as if you really are a prisoner of the Inquisition, waiting for death. After reading his stories, you will find that you do not need a movie filled with horrible blood and gore to make you terrified. These stories are terrifying! And then there are his poems. Amazing! Melodic meters, pleasing rhymes, and eerie themes. Their rhythm stays in your head, haunting your thoughts

Well, as you can see, I am a big fan of Edgar Alan Poe. Anyone who enjoys reading, and has not read any of his works, is missing out on some enormous entertainment. Just read one of his stories or poems, and you will probably fall into the same snare I have fallen in, constantly looking for more from this pioneering author.

Ryan Robledo
Author of the Aelnathan:

This is by far the best collection of Poe's poetry and tales available. The book is of medium size, and is not cumbersome as other Poe collections tend to be. The font is large and incredibly readable, unlike most other collections which tend to have very small print. It is printed on quality paper, with a ribbon bookmark. On a more superficial note, the black cover with the cursive lettering, which is the style of all LOA books, is most suitable for a Poe collection. Overall if you are looking for a complete Poe collection, and especially if you are a big Poe fan, I can recommend no other collection; don't waste your money on the other ones, get this one.

My Niece will be thrilled to recieve this book for Christmas! The Book is quality and very well made and the contents will surely make her happy!

Book was in even better shape than advertised; service was prompt and hassle-free.