Ten tantalizing tales include "The Fall of the House of Usher," "William Wilson," "The Pit and the Pendulum," "The Cask of Amontillado," "The Purloined Letter," "The Murders in the Rue Morgue," more.

The father of the detective novel and an innovator in the genre of science fiction, Edgar Allan Poe (1809-49) made his living as America's first great literary critic. Today he is best remembered for his short stories and poems, haunting works of horror and mystery that remain popular around the world.