The Gold-Bug and Other Tales

Recognized today as the undisputed master of the American Gothic horror story, Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849) revealed his genius in tales of death, terror, evil and perversity. Highly skilled in achieving a calculated psychological effect, Poe created chilling fictional nightmares permeated by mysterious forces, grotesque creatures and improbable hallucinations. Poe`s immense powers as a storyteller are at their peak in this anthology containing nine of his best-known short stories. Among them are `The Murders in the Rue Morgue`, a gripping 19th-century detective story that provided a model for future mystery writers; `The Fall of the House of Usher` and `The Masque of the Red Death,` pervaded with eerie thoughts, impulses and fears; `The Tell-Tale Heart` and `The Cask of Amontillado,` masterpieces of wickedness and crime; `The Pit and the Pendulum,` with its agonizing specter of imminent and horrifying death; and `The Gold-Bug,` a fascinating detective story that combines....