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Stated First Edition. Red cloth boards, black cloth spine wrap, gilt spine titles, moderate shelf, corner wear. Pages near fine, clean; slight fox to exterior text block. Antiquarian bookplate inside cover, Marsh Rene Bennett. Plate depicts tree ripe w/fruit. Below plate is small ink stamp: "With compliments of Doubleday & Company Inc." Bind fine; hinges intact. Original dust wrapper, light shelf wear, rub; unclipped 4.95, protected in new clear sleeve. Front panel and spine feature classic '60's font titles. Jacket design by Milton Glaser features color illustration of E. A. P. head and small torso mounted atop sepia like butterfly in hues of brown, pink, and orange. Interestingly, back panel remains blank w/o text or image. An unusual anthology of short stories and poetry inspired by the genius and mystery that was Edgar Allan Poe. Here, is fiction about Poe, and poetry about Poe culminating in a Meeting between H. P. Lovecraft and Edgar Allan. In all of American literature Poe must be considered one of its most unique figures. His tales of the macabre and eerie have no equal. In modern science fiction he paved the way for Jules Verne. His poetry is a combination of beauty in language and weirdness in image. Because of these varied talents, it is not strange to find countless works written in the Poe-style or containing Poe as a central figure. Here, is the very best of those. Since the tragic life of Poe commands as much interest as his writing, the first selection in this book is a brief biography by the scholar, Thomas Ollive Mabbott. One of the most controversial pieces presented herein is 'The Atlantis' by Peter Prospero. Some consider this to have been written by Poe himself, but Poe authorities disclaim this as explained by editor Mr. Moskowitz in his fantastic revelatory introduction. Other tales included are 'My Adventure with Edgar Allan Poe' by Julian Hawthorne; 'The Man Who Collected Poe,' a chilling story by Robert Bloch; 'The Lighthouse,' an uncompleted tale by Poe and finished by Robert Block as he envisioned Poe would have concluded it. 'The Dark Brotherhood' by H. P. Lovecraft and August W. Derleth is a science fiction tour de force with Mr. Poe as the central figure. 'The Valley of Unrest' by Douglass Sherley is a strange combination of fact and fiction of Poe's early college days in Virginia. The poetry included is about Poe and certainly the most touching poem is one written by his wife, Virginia, shortly before her death. 'St. John's Churchyard' by R. H. Barlow. Each piece is prefaced and carefully notated by Mr. Moskowitz, making this collection one of both literary and historical value. Code K21 at page 244. Printed in the USA. 244 pages. Insured post. Size: 8vo - over 7¾ - 9¾" Tall.
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