Complete Stories and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe

Rating:
Summary: Excellence
Review: Poe is, without a doubt, one of the greatest writers ever to have lived. This book is excellent, and worth absolutely every second spent reading it. My personal Poe favorites: The Haunted Palace, The Masque of the Red Death, The Cask of Amontillado, Eldorado, and, of course, The Raven.

Rating:
Summary: Brilliant!
Review: Wonderful book! Poe is absolutely brilliant. I saw some of his manuscripts at the Morgan Library in Manhattan a few months ago. If you have the chance to visit the Morgan, GO!!! I got chills when I viewed Poe's actual handwriting. He would paste papers one on top of the other and then write---these works were almost 6 feet long! Indeed, an odd man, a man that I would have LOVED to have met. Go ahead and buy it, his work is priceless.

Rating:
Summary: IIlimitable Dominion of American Literature
Review: Having never written a full novel, Poe is sometimes forgotten when the great fiction writers of American history are listed. The power of Poe's dark vision, though, is virtually unprecedented in world literature. The manifestation of such deep, intuitive symbols and archetypes, ones of such clarity, prophesy and terror that even his incredible craftsmanship in language becomes transparant, is a gift given to only the most blessed and tormented of writers. To read a story like the Masque of the Red Death is to be flung into an allegorical morality play which fits perfectly into the modern context. Poe's stories and poems travel through time and rap ceaselessy on the window of your conscious thoughts. An ominous pall of expectation and retribution permeates all of his work. To pick up Poe is really never to put it down.

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Summary: Poe is one of the great minds of our century
Review: This collection only serves to prove this point. From the complex insanity of his main characters to the deep love and emotion expressed in his poetry, this collection will cause any reader to think about humanity and his or her place in it. The loss, the suffering, the pain shown in these works is at times disturbing, at times shocking, at times humorous, but whatever the case Poe presents the feeling with clarity and with his trademark detail-filled, involved yet efficient sentances. Myself being only a senior in High School, you might not take it seriously, but I highly recommed this collection to anyone interested in real short story telling and personal, yet entertaining poetry.

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Summary: An odd book of poems for the lonely hearts of the world.
Review: Recently I read a book of poems by Edgar Allan Poe, with illustrations by Edmund Dulac. It contains thirty one works by Edgar, everything from sonnets of love to personal deplictions and morbid descripive poems. Such selections as "The Raven", "Lenore", "Annabel Lee", "To Helen", and my favorite poem "Alone" are included in "Poems Of Edgar Allan Poe". The illustrations by Dulac are placed throughout the book to visualize a thought expressed in the different poems, As well this makes the book come together well. Edgar's poetry was enjoyed to my fullest extent. Within the poetry I can see his abstract look at the world, especailly in the poem "Alone" were a sympathetic nature arises in me from understanding exacly what he poetically writes. With Poe's descriptions of being an odd child during his youth, I framilairize with him and understand his sadness. If you like odd poetry give Edgar's work a try, you may find a strange connection of your own.

Rating:
Summary: Brilliant!
Review: Although best noted for his short stories, Poe was a masterful poet. He only penned 54 poems and most people know "The Raven" and "Annabel Lee" which are masterpieces. If you haven't read any of his poetry, read "Spirits of the Dead" and "To Helen", (I saw thee once -). Out of Poe's sorrow and sadness came a genius unmatched.

Rating:
Summary: This book should rate 10 out of 5
Review: I just recently read some of Poe's short stories and poems. I am memorizing The Raven. If you haven't read The Raven, The Tell-Tale Heart or any of his other stories--I suggest you do. I am only 13 and I love this book!

Rating:
Summary: As pleasing in so many ways as a book can get.
Review: Poe's tales of mystery and horror are, of course, legendary, but the reader will find so much more in this book as well. The classics, such as "The Cask of Amontillado", etc. still shine and enthrall as much as they ever have, but his humor, which manages to combine simplicity with sophistication, is also exhibited in tales such as "The Sphinx". Because this book is so all-inclusive, it can shed much light on the lives of those who are not fully aware of Poe's poetry. Does it follow strictly traditional and pedagogical systems of meter, etc.? Perhaps not. But Poe has taken the commonplace, even somewhat trite term "rhythm", and turned it into something absolutely magical. Again, this is most evident and accessible in the classics such as "Annabel Lee" and "The Raven", but here it can be found, and definitely should not be ignored, in lesser known gems such as "The Haunted Palace" and "To -----" ("I heed not that my earthly lot..."). When read quietly and at the right pace, his poetry is thought-provoking to say the least; when read aloud, it is almost mystical in its beauty. Committed to memory, it will surely earn one kudos and perhaps even a slight, contemplative awe when recited in the right company. (Giving full credit to the author, of course). Despite Poe's tragic life, he is truly an American treasure. This book exemplifies that through its simple content and short biography, without any constraining and often tiresome commentary. It presents itself to the reader as if to say, "read with your heart. Be frightened, be amused, be enchanted; but hopefully, and most of all, just enjoy."

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Summary: Fell a thrill of a century
Review: Have you ever read Edgar Allan Poe ? If no, this book deserve a place in your shelf. If yes, do not miss this chance to read his stories. First of all, remember that his own reality was like a nightmare, with a woman murdered, poverty and sadness ... His soul belonged to the silence of the night and his stories create a world where a wall could be the end of a life, where a monster jumps from roof to roof, or, even, beautiful teeth could mean a nail in your coffin ... Do not miss this one, Paulo Sunao Shintate Jr.

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Summary: Poetic and popular- A Poe for all reasons
Review: I have always preferred the poetry of Poe to the stories. The music of Poe is undeniable - and his memorable lines remain rhythmically in mind. " The glory that was Greece,and the grandeur that was Rome " " Said the Raven, "Nevermore" And then too "In her home by the sea, Annnabel Lee".
But the great innovator in literature, inventor of the modern mystery tale, the tale of ratiocination, the psychological thriller, is Poe the storyteller.
But unlike many readers I am not a particular fan of fictional horror, feeling that life itself supplies enough of this particular quality. So I can remember even in grade - school not really taking to the "Fall of the House of Usher" or "The Tell- Tale Heart" because being at the time a very scared person who had a lot of fear in his world, I did not want fictional fear to augment what I already had.
I also did not like the vague mystery, the sense of looming threat and non- understanding which seemed to me to come with these stories. But of course one particular reader's emotional predilections do not define what a writer truly is. For many these tales of mystery and horror are Literature at its most interesting and fulfilling.
For me Poe's fiction had a weirdness about it which too could be connected with this strange step-son's biography. The expulsion and formal failure at school, the strange love for the child- bride, the haunting sense of loss in love. And then too the dissolution and drunkenness , the wasting away.
To my mind Poe is not on the level of the greatest American writers but lingers a bit below threatening them. All that is warm, tender, humane and normal seems somehow outside the universe of Poe. To make an unfair comparison. Tolstoy too was driven by his demons and at times verged on a kind of madness. But he gives us a world in love and feeling and beauty that Poe does not come close to knowing.
Nonetheless Poe is a genius of literary creation, and his works richly reward the reader in their magnetic and fascinating beauty -