Author Description

In his brief and troubled life, Edgar Allan Poe (1809–49) was as haunted by tragedy and loss as he was plagued by poverty, illness, and alcoholism. Poe's personal misfortunes doubtless influenced the dark romanticism of his work. Obsessed with death, decay, and madness, he created compelling narratives of characters trapped in perverse situations. The profound influence of his stories and poetry extends not only to world literature but also to the visual arts. This outstanding collection, selected and edited by Jeff A. Menges, features scores of memorable moments from Poe's writings, recaptured in gripping images of eerie beauty by the author's most acclaimed interpreters. More than 100 illustrations, reproduced in brilliant color and crisp black-and-white, include hard-to-find images from private collections as well as those from sought-after rare editions. Poe Illustrated features scenes from such popular tales as "The Pit and the Pendulum," "The Fall of the House of Usher," "The Gold-Bug," "The Black Cat," and "The Cask of Amontillado," as well as "The Bells" and other poems. Spanning a fifty-year period, they range from Édouard Manet's 1875 etchings for a French edition of "The Raven" to the 1935 illustrations by Arthur Rackham for "The Tell-Tale Heart" and other stories. Additional contributors include Arthur E. Becher, W. Heath Robinson, Byam Shaw, and Harry Clarke, among others. The editor provides an informative overview, as well as brief introductions to each of the artists, and captions for their images.