The undisputed master of terror and mystery, Edgar Allan Poe was a unique inventor in fiction.

In 'The Fall of the House of Usher' and 'The Black Cat' he wrote the first and best tales of terror; with 'The Murders in the Rue Morgue' and his fictional detective M. Dupin he invented the detective story; and tales such as 'MS. Found in a Bottle' and 'Von Kempelen and His Discovery' pioneered modern science-fiction.

As readers will discover, Poe possessed an unrivalled capacity to create atmosphere and suspense, and to probe the dark depths of the human psyche. All the stories in this volume push back the boundaries, making the improbable possible, the familiar terrifying and strange.

Contents:

9 • Introduction (Selected Tales) • essay by John Curtis

19 • The Duc de L'Omelette • [Tales of the Folio Club] • (1832) • shortstory by Edgar Allan Poe (variant of The Duke de L'Omelette)

23 • MS. Found in a Bottle • [Tales of the Folio Club] • (1833) • shortstory by Edgar Allan Poe

35 • The Assignation • [Tales of the Folio Club] • (1834) • shortstory by Edgar Allan Poe (variant of The Visionary)

48 • Ligeia • (1838) • shortstory by Edgar Allan Poe

65 • How to Write a Blackwood Article • (1838) • shortstory by Edgar Allan Poe (variant of The Psyche Zenobia)

76 • The Fall of the House of Usher • (1839) • shortstory by Edgar Allan Poe

96 • William Wilson • (1839) • novelette by Edgar Allan Poe (variant of William Wilson: A Tale)

118 • The Murders in the Rue Morgue • [Chevalier Dupin] • (1841) • novelette by Edgar Allan Poe

154 • A Descent into the Maelström • (1841) • shortstory by Edgar Allan Poe

172 • The Island of the Fay • (1841) • shortstory by Edgar Allan Poe

178 • The Colloquy of Monos and Una • (1841) • shortstory by Edgar Allan Poe

188 • The Oval Portrait • (1842) • shortstory by Edgar Allan Poe

192 • The Masque of the Red Death • (1842) • shortstory by Edgar Allan Poe (variant of The Mask of the Red Death)

199 • The Mystery of Marie Rogêt • [Chevalier Dupin] • (1842) • novella by Edgar Allan Poe

251 • The Pit and the Pendulum • (1842) • shortstory by Edgar Allan Poe

267 • The Tell-Tale Heart • (1843) • shortstory by Edgar Allan Poe

273 • The Gold-Bug • (1843) • novelette by Edgar Allan Poe

311 • The Black Cat • (1843) • shortstory by Edgar Allan Poe

322 • The Premature Burial • (1844) • shortstory by Edgar Allan Poe

337 • The Purloined Letter • [Chevalier Dupin] • (1844) • novelette by Edgar Allan Poe

357 • The Imp of the Perverse • (1845) • shortstory by Edgar Allan Poe

364 • The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar • (1845) • shortstory by Edgar Allan Poe

374 • The Cask of Amontillado • [Fortunado] • (1846) • shortstory by Edgar Allan Poe

382 • The Domain of Arnheim • (1842) • shortstory by Edgar Allan Poe (variant of The Landscape-Garden)

399 • Von Kempelen and His Discovery • (1849) • shortstory by Edgar Allan Poe