The Portable Edgar Allan Poe (Penguin Classics)

The Portable Poe is worth buying simply because it contains a selection of Poe's letters. This latest edition fills in the some holes left by omissions in the previous version, by including such stories as The Imp of the Perverse, The Oblong Box, The System of Tarr and Fether, and Some Words with a Mummy; these stories for me anyway make it more comprehensive. Of course for a Poe fan I am sure some beloved stories are not included, but one can read this volume and have a pretty comprehensive view of Poe. On a minor note, I personally preferred the arrangement of the previous edition in terms of putting the letters first as opposed to last. Why this is? I cannot really say. The expansion of the Observations section is nice as well. Overall if you own a previous edition, no real need to buy this newest one, if you don't own the older one, get this one.

I was already a huge fan of Edgar Allan Poe from high school and just reading his stories on my free time that I wanted a book with my favorites stories in it and I'm glad to say this book has them. Penguin does it again gathering the best of the best. I recommend getting this book if you're starting to get into Poe or want to get into his work. And for the already Poe fans, this book comes with his best short stories, his poems and letters he wrote so you do get a great amount for a great price.

A good vade mecum!

Edgar Allan Poe, EAP, Eggy... this is the edition that you can read comfortably anywhere. (I love the big collections, of course, but they're not comfortable to read whilst reclined.) Just the right amount of Poe, some of his advice on the craft is very insightful and worth the price of admission alone. Don't overlook this one; it's Poe, it's thoroughly portable, the work he produced was light years ahead of its time. Spooky, you need this.

I've read about a dozen pieces so far for a gut-gripping course I'm enjoying. My favorite tale of enjoyable shivers (frisson?) was when I finished The Black Cat at midnight and then turned to the light by my bed and thought, you mean I have to turn it out after finishing that story?!? I may be in my 50s but that packed a wallop. He's as good or better than you may remember. The two detective stories I've read a pretty good but a bit long and labored. And I just started the critical articles with The Short Story (appropriately three pages long) and it was very good. He made his interesting point about as succinctly as could be done. The biographical intro is interesting because the editor (and my teacher) are convinced that he wasn't the complete, miserable wretch that his literary executor made him out to be. He appeared to have trouble with shooting himself in his perverse foot, though. And, in my opinion, he could be a bit of a drama queen in his letters but a ghastly wretch? Well, maybe he wasn't as far gone as was supposed for a long time. (And that apparently is a story in itself.) He's still another "don't miss" author that I've rediscovered. Thank you, Mr. Poe...sleeplessness, notwithstanding.

i've liked poe since jr high. to me, psychological horror is scariest-- especially since we've been visually bloodied and gored to death by hollywood. there's something about being mentally engrossed in a book and being led into the darkened recesses of the unimaginable. be sure to read the cask of the amontillado (my favorite) and the masque of the red death. turn the lights down, leave a closet door opened (just a crack :p) and read in complete quiet!

A nice compendium of Poe's writings. I only wished it included The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket.

I liked the cover and how nice it was. It was reliable and just like the pictures.

Très bon état. Rien à dire !

I have other Edgar Allen Poe books. I keep this one in my bedside drawer table if I can't sleep one night and need to read. Also, I like this size of book because you can carry it around anywhere. I have read only one story from it but it also contains his poems and alot of information about him that my other books about him don't have.

Absolute must buy for fans of Poe and gothic literature in general. All the favourites are here in a portable, great to hold, creepy feast of a book. Penguin never let you down and they've delivered a great compendium of EAP's greatest tales of horror and the macabre in this book, and at a great price to boot. Also features a great selection of his dark and beautiful poems. A must buy for fans of the tortured soul writings of Edgar Allan Poe! 5 stars, no hesitation.

Good. Excited to read Poe