Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849), American poet, a master of the horror
tale, credited with practically inventing the detective story.
Edgar Allan Poe was born on January 19, 1809 in Boston, Massachusetts, to
parents who were itinerant actors. His father David Poe Jr. died probably in
1810 and his mother Elizabeth Hopkins Poe in 1811. Edgar was taken into the home
of a Richmond merchant John Allan and brought up partly in England (1815-20),
where he attended Manor School at Stoke Newington. Never legally adopted, Poe
took Allan's name for his middle name.
In 1836 Poe married his 13-year-old cousin Virginia Clemm. She burst a blood
vessel in 1842, and remained a virtual invalid until her death from tuberculosis
five years later. After the death of his wife, Poe began to lose his struggle
with drinking and drugs. He addressed the famous poem "Annabel Lee" (1849) to
her.
Poe's first collection, Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque, appeared in
1840. It contained one of his most famous works, "The Fall of the House of
Usher." During the early 1840s Poe's best-selling work was The Conchologist's
First Book (1839). The dark poem of lost love, "The Raven," brought Poe
national fame, when it appeared in 1845. The Murders in the Rue Morgue(1841)
and The Purloined Letter are among Poe's most famous detective stories.
Poe was also one of the most prolific literary journalists in American history.
Poe suffered from bouts of depression and madness, and he attempted suicide in
1848. In September the following year he disappeared for three days after a
drink at a birthday party and on his way to visit his new fiancée in Richmond.
He turned up in a delirious condition in Baltimore gutter and died on October 7,
1849.
This pathfinder is created as my final project for SLIS 440: Introduction to Information Resources at Clark Atlanta University, taught by Dr. Debra Slone. This pathfinder is intended as a resource for secondary and post-secondary students, as well as those interested in learning more about Edgar Allan Poe. These resources can be found at the Cobb County Main Library.
The following subject headings may be used when searching for books and other materials related to
Edgar Allan Poe. They are most useful for searching online catalogs, but they can also be used in searching indexes and abstracts as well as the World Wide Web.
 | Poe, Edgar Allan, 1809-1849| Poe, Edgar Allan, 1809-1849--Criticism and Interpretation | American
fiction--19th century | American poetry-- History and criticism | Literature--Addresses, essays, lectures | |
Sometimes it is difficult to find relevant information through the online catalog. So, you may opt to browse the shelves that contain materials on the Edgar Allan Poe. The following range of call numbers represent the areas where these materials are located:
| Z8699| PN1997 | PS88 | PN1136 | PS263 | |
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Bibliographies are an excellent starting point when trying to find good books and prominent authors in a certain field. The following sources provide such information on Edgar Allan Poe.
Biographical
Tamerlane and Other Poems, 1827 (poems); Al Aaraaf, Tamarlane, and Minor Poems, 1829 (poems); Poems: Second Edition, 1831 (poems); "Ms Found in a Bottle," 1835; Politan - A Tragedy, 1835 (play); The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket, 1838 (novel); Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque. 2 vols., 1840 (stories); The Prose Romances, 1843 (stories); Tales, 1845 (stories); The Raven and Other Poems, 1845 (poems); Eureka: An Essay on the Material and Spiritual Universe, 1848 (criticism).
Burtons' gentleman's magazine and American monthly review (later title Graham's illustrated magazine). Philadelphia: G. R. Graham, 1840-1856. LAC: v.19 (1841)-v.33 (1848). LAC#31030-31037.
Collected works of Edgar Allan Poe. 3 vols. Ed. Thomas Ollive Mabbott. Cambridge: Harvard UP, 1969. PS2600 .F69
The complete poems and stories of Edgar Allan Poe, with selections from his critical writings. 2 vols. Ed. Arthur Hobson Quinn. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1978. PS2601 .Q5
Essays and reviews. New York: Viking Press, 1984. PS2619 .A1
The fall of the house of Usher. Ed. Eric W. Carlson. Columbus, Ohio: Merrill, 1971. PS2614 .A1
Letters. Ed. John Ward Ostrom. 2 vols. New York: Gordian Press, 1966. PS2631 .A33
Literary criticism of Edgar Allan Poe. Ed. Robert L. Hough. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1965. PS2619 .A1
Marginalia. Ed. John Carl Miller. Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 1981. PS2622 .M3
The narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym. Boston: D. R. Godine, 1973. PS2618 .N3
The unknown Poe: an anthology of fugitive writings by Edgar Allan Poe, with appreciations by Charles Baudelaire, Stephane Mallarme, Paul Valery, J.K. Huysmans & Andre Breton. ED. Raymond Foye. San Francisco: City Lights Books, 1980. PS2603 .F6
Critical
Alexander, Jean. Affidavits of Genius; Edgar A. Poe and the French Critics, 1847-1924. Port Washington, N.Y.: Kennikat P, 1971. PS2638
Abel, Darrel. Ruined Eden of the Present: Hawthorne, Melville, and Poe: Critical Essays in Honor of Darrel Abel. eds. G.R. Thompson and Virgil L. Lokke. West Lafayette, Ind.: Purdue UP, 1981. PS374.F26 R8
Alterton, Margaret. Origins of Poe's critical theory. NY: Russell & Russell, 1965. PS2638 .A5
Baudelaire, Charles. Baudelaire on Poe; critical papers. Eds. Lois and Francis E. Hyslop, Jr. State College, Pa., Bald Eagle Press, 1952. PS2631 .B3
Benton, Richard P. ed. New approaches to Poe; a symposium. Hartford, Transcendental Books, 1970. PS2638 .B4
Burduck, Michael L. Grim Phantasms: Fear in Poe's Short Fiction. NY: Garland Pub., 1992. PS2642 .F43 B87
Carlson, Eric W., ed. Critical Essays on Edgar A. Poe. Boston: G.K. Hall, 1987. PS2638 .C75
- - -, ed. The Fall of the House of Usher. Columbus, Ohio: Merrill, 1971. PS2614 .A1
- - -, ed. The Recognition of Edgar A. Poe; Selected Criticism since 1829. Ann Arbor: U of Michigan P, 1966. PS2638 .C34
- - -. ed. A companion to Poe studies. Westport, Conn. : Greenwood Press, 1996. PS2631 .C66
Chiari, Joseph. Symbolism from Poe to Mallarme; the growth of a myth. NY: Gordian Press, 1970. PQ2344.Z5 C516
Davidson, Edward H. Poe, a critical study. Cambridge: Harvard UP, 1957. PS2638 .D3
Halliburton, David. Edgar A. Poe; a Phenomenological View. Princeton: Princeton UP, 1973. PS2638 .H3
Hoffman, Daniel. Poe, Poe, Poe, Poe, Poe, Poe, Poe. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1972. PS2638 H57
Hough, Robert L, ed. Literary Criticism of Edgar A. Poe. Lincoln: U of Nebraska P, 1965. PS2619 .A1
Howarth, William L., ed. Twentieth Century Interpretations of Poe's Tales; A Collection of Critical Essays. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall 1971. PS2638 .H6
Jacobs, Robert D. Poe, journalist & critic. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State UP, [1969. PS2638 .J3
Kesterson, David B. ed. Critics on Poe. Coral Gables: U of Miami P, 1973. PS2638 .K44
Ketterer, David. The Rationale of Deception in Poe. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State UP, 1979. PS2638 .K45
Levin, Harry. The power of blackness: Hawthorne, Poe, Melville. NY: Knopf, 1964. PS1888 .L4
Levine, Stuart and Susan, ed. The Short Fiction of Edgar A. Poe. Indianapolis: Bobbs-Merrill, 1976. PS2612 A1
May, Charles E. Edgar A. Poe: A Study of the Short Fiction. Boston: Twayne, 1991. PS2642 .F43 M39
Miller, Perry. The Raven and the Whale; the War of Words and Wits in the Era of Poe and Melville. NY: Harcourt Brace, 1956. PS74 .M5
Pahl, Dennis. Architects of the Abyss: the Indeterminate Fictions of Poe, Hawthorne, and Melville. Columbia: U of Missouri P, 1989. PS377 .P34
Phillips, Elizabeth. Edgar A. Poe, an American Imagination. Port Washington, N.Y.: Kennikat P, 1979. PS2638 .P47
Pollin, Burton Ralph. Discoveries in Poe. Notre Dame: Notre Dame UP, 1970. PS2636 .P6
Regan, Robert, ed. Poe; a Collection of Critical Essays . Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, 1967. PS2631 .R38
Saliba, David R. A Psychology of Fear: the Nightmare Formula of Edgar A. Poe. Washington, D.C.: UP of America, 1980. PS2638 .S2
Silverman, Kenneth. ed. New Essays on Poe's Major Tales. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1993. PS2642 .F43 N48
Stovall, Floyd. Edgar Poe the poet; essays new and old on the man and his work. Charlottesville: UP of Virginia, 1969.
Thompson, Gary R. Poe's fiction, romantic irony in the Gothic tales. Madison: U of Wisconsin P, 1973. PS2638 .T5
Articles
Amper, Susan. "Untold Story: The Lying Narrator in `The Black Cat.'" Studies in Short Fiction 29.4 (Fall 1992) 475(11).
Badenhausen, Richard. "Fear and Trembling in Literature of the Fantastic: Edgar A. Poe's `The Black Cat.'" Studies in Short Fiction 29.4 (Fall 1992): 487(12).
Benton, Richard P. "Poe's `The Cask' and the `White Webwork Which Gleams.'" Studies in Short Fiction 28.2 (Sprg 1991): 183(12).
---. "Poe's 'The Cask of Amontillado': Its Cultural and Historical Backgrounds. Poe studies 29.1 (Jun 1996): 19-27.
Brown, Arthur A. "Literature and the Impossibility of Death: Poe's 'Berenice'." Nineteenth-century literature 50.4 (Mar 1996): 448-464.
Chandran, K. Narayana. "Poe's Use of Macbeth in `The Masque of the Red Death.'" Papers on Language & Literature 29.2 (Sprg 1993): ,236(5).
Cleman, John. "Irresistible Impulses: Edgar A. Poe and the Insanity Defense." American Literature 63.4 (Dec 1991): 623(18).
Doyle, Jacqueline. "(Dis)Figuring Woman: Edgar A. Poe's `Bernice'." Poe Studies 26.1-2 (Jun 1993): 13-22.
Dudley, David R. "Dead or Alive: The Booby-Trapped Narrator of Poe's `Masque of the Red Death.'" Studies in Short Fiction 30.2 (Sprg 1993): ,169(5).
Elbert, Monika. "Poe's Gothic Mother and the Incubation of Language." Poe studies 26.1/2 (Jun 1993): 22-41.
Freeland, Natalka. "'One of an Infinite Series of Mistakes': Mystery, Influence, and Edgar Allan Poe." Atq : the american transcendental quarterly 10.2 (Jun 1996): 123-141.
Gitelman, Lisa. "Arthur Gordon Pym and the Novel Narrative of Edgar A. Poe." Nineteenth-Century Literature 47.3 (Dec 1992): 349-361.
Hansen, Thomas S. "Poe's `German' Source for `The Fall of the House of Usher': The Arno Schmidt Connection." Southern Humanities Review 26.2 (Sprg 1992): 101(12).
Hanson, Philip. "Horror and Ethnic Identity in `The Jewbird' (Bernard Malamud). Studies in Short Fiction 30.3 (Sumr 1993): 359(8).
Hoeveler, Diane L. "The Hidden God and the Abjected Woman in `The Fall of the House of Usher.'" Studies in Short Fiction. (Sumr 1992): 385(11).
Kot, Paula. "Painful Erasures: Excising the Wild Eye from 'The Oval Portrait'." Poe studies 28.1/2 (Jun 1995): 1-7.
Malloy, Jeanne M. "Apocalyptic Imagery and the Fragmentation of the Psyche: `The Pit and the Pendulum.'" Nineteenth-Century Literature 46.1 (Jun 1991): 82(14).
May, Leila S. "`Sympathies of a Scarcely Intelligible Nature': The Brother-Sister Bond in Poe's `Fall of the House of Usher.'" Studies in Short Fiction 30.3 (Sumr 1993): 387(10).
Mayer, Ruth. "Neither Life Nor Death: Poe's Aesthetic Transfiguration of Popular Notions of Death." Poe studies 29.1 (Jun 1996): 1-9.
McEntee, Grace. "Remembering Ligeia." Studies in American Fiction 20.1 (Sprg 1992): 75(9).
Nelson, Dana D. "The Haunting of White Manhood: Poe, Fraternal Ritual, and Polygenesis." American literature 69.3 ( Sep 1997): 515-547.
Pike, Judith E. "Poe and the Revenge of the Exquisite Corpse." Studies in american fiction 26.2 (Fall 1998): 171-93.
Sands, Kathleen. "The Mythic Initiation of `Arthur Gordon Pym.'" Poe Studies 7:1 (June 1974).
Schweizer, Harold. "Nothing and Narrative `Twilighting' in `The Purloined Letter.'" Literature and Psychology 37.4 (Wint 1991): 63(7).
Shi, Yaohua. "The Enigmatic Ligeia: `Ligeia.'" Studies in Short Fiction 28.4 (Fall 1991): 485(12).
Stern, Julia. "Double Talk: The Rhetoric of the Whisper in Poe's 'William Wilson'." Esq : a journal of the american renaissance 40.3 (1994): 185-219.
Ware, Tracy. "`A Descent into the Maelstrom': The Status of Scientific Rhetoric in a Perverse Romance." Studies in Short Fiction 29.1 (Wntr 1992): 77(8).
Whalen, Terence. "Edgar A. Poe and the Horrid Laws of Political Economy." American Quarterly 44.3 (Sep 1992): 381-417.
Worley, Sam. "The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym and the Ideology of Slavery." Esq : a journal of the american renaissance 40.3 (1994): 219-251.
Zimmerman, Brett. "`Moral Insanity' or Paranoid Schizophrenia: Poe's `The Tell-Tale Heart.'" Mosaic 25.2 (Sprg 1992): 39(10).
There are a multitude of sites on the web devoted to Edgar Allan Poe. The following are some of the best web sources for information about the topic. They represent a wide variety of possible research interests. Many of the sites provide links to other related sites that may be useful to you in your topic development and research.
