His results, brought about by the very soul and essence of method, have, in truth, the whole air of intuition. He is fond of enigmas, of conundrums, of hieroglyphics exhibiting in his solutions of each a degree of acumen which appears to the ordinary apprehension preternatural. He derives pleasure from even the most trivial occupations bringing his talent into play. As the strong man exults in his physical ability, delighting in such exercises as call his muscles into action, so glories the analyst in that moral activity which disentangles. We know of them, among other things, that they are always to their possessor, when inordinately possessed, a source of the liveliest enjoyment. We appreciate them only in their effects. The mental features discoursed of as the analytical, are, in themselves, but little susceptible of analysis. What song the Syrens sang, or what name Achilles assumed when he hid himself among women, although puzzling questions, are not beyond all conjecture. THE COMPLETE SHORT STORIES OF EDGAR ALLAN POE These stories are sure to arrest and transport the reader to the unique world of Edgar Allan Poe. Poe was firmly established in the Gothic movement of the time and further was a father of 'dark romanticism' which explored the psychology of torment and death. His mysterious death remains a source of myth. Poe's life is perhaps as fabled and shrouded in mystery as his stories. Many acknowledge Poe's tales as prototypes for the later development of the horror, mystery, and science fiction genres. Here, in Volume I of II, is contained 'The Murders in the Rue Morgue', 'The Black Cat', 'The Tell-Tale Heart', and 'Ligeria', among many others.

His morose explorations of human depravity render his tales exceptionally captivating. Hugely influential to the short story genre, Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849) remains a lion of American letters.

The characters and images that Edgar Allan Poe has gifted us are plentiful. 'TRUE! nervous, very, very dreadfully nervous I had been and am but why will you say that I am mad?' And so begins 'The Tell-Tale Heart', that compressed tale of Gothic composition.

The complete stories of edgar allan poe