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Edgar Allan Poe

(1809 - 1849)

The Murders in the Rue Morgue

Often cited as the first detective story. The genre arrives pretty much fully formed: a brilliant detective, the bumbing police officer and

70 min read · Rating: PG-13 · Read story

The Black Cat

An apparently gentle man becomes increasingly less so as he sinks deeper into an obsession with a mysterious black cat.

20 min read · Rating: R · Read story

The Oval Portrait

Seeking shelter for the night, a wounded man breaks into a bizarre, abandoned chateau decorated by an unusually large number of paintings.

6 min read · Rating: G · Read story

The Purloined Letter

A potentially explosive letter has been stolen. The police know who has it - but where he has it remains a mystery.

36 min read · Rating: PG · Read story

The Fall of the House of Usher

The original gothic tale of madness, death and the atmospheric possibilities of an old house.

36 min read · Rating: R · Read story

A Descent into the Maelstrom

A man sets out to uncover the secrets of the strange natural phenomenon that is the Maelstrom vortex.

36 min read · Rating: R · Read story

The Tell Tale Heart

So you think he's mad? Nervous? True! - but you should see how wisely he carries out his plan.

11 min read · Rating: R · Read story

The Premature Burial

A short history of and a personal tale concerning the phenomenon of being buried alive.

28 min read · Rating: PG-13 · Read story

Manuscript Found in a Bottle

While on a voyage to a remote archipelago, the narrator is overcome by a premonition of evil. But the ship's captain pays no attention.

21 min read · Rating: G · Read story

Ligeia

The narrator describes what he remembers of his beautiful, intelligent wife, Ligeia.

31 min read · Rating: R · Read story

The Masque of the Red Death

As a hideous pestilence sweeps his lands, Prince Prospero seals himself in his castle and prepares a fabulous party.

12 min read · Rating: R · Read story

The Cask of Amontillado

A man takes his enemy to taste a rare wine - which he happens to keep at the far end of a vast, damp cellar.

12 min read · Rating: R · Read story