Great Tales and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe

This compact volume brings together a powerful selection of stories and poems by Edgar Allan Poe, curated by the National Endowment for the Arts for its Big Read program.

The collection features eleven stories and seven poems, including some of Poe’s most chilling and enduring works. Among them are The Tell-Tale Heart, The Fall of the House of Usher, The Cask of Amontillado, and The Pit and the Pendulum, stories that exemplify his mastery of suspense and psychological horror. The poetic selections include the haunting The Raven, along with The Bells and Annabel Lee, each showcasing his musical language and emotional intensity.

Poe’s role as a pioneer of detective fiction is also highlighted through The Purloined Letter, The Mystery of Marie Rogêt, and The Murders in the Rue Morgue, which demonstrate his innovative approach to logic, deduction, and narrative structure.

Rounding out the volume is his influential essay The Philosophy of Composition, where Poe reveals his theory of writing and offers a rare glimpse into his creative process, using The Raven as a model for how a poem can be carefully and deliberately constructed.