What is the best Edgar Allen Poe book to buy?

[...]

Not to quibble, but it IS Edgar ALL*A*N Poe...

This is a matter which could be debated at length.
If you are simply interested in reading Poe, then
all you have to do is compare content indexes of
various volumes in bookstores and libraries and
choose the book with largest number of stories
and/or poems and articles if you are interested
in those also -- and any serious Poe reader will
tell you that you can't really appreciate the
genius of Poe without reading his non-fiction
as well as his fiction and poetry.

One nice volume which isn't too difficult to
locate is the Barnes and Noble THE COMPLETE
TALES AND POEMS OF EDGAR ALLAN POE. However,
despite its impressive size (over 1000 pages),
it leaves out some key non-fiction pieces,
such as "The Philosophy of Furniture."
While some of our collectors may put down
this edition as a "damnable SKIVER" (a cheap
leather volume created to look like an
expensive leather edition such as one
published by Easton Press), I think the
Barnes' version is well worth the
moderate price, though I prefer an honest
cloth edition to a skiver any day.

As for illustrated editions of Poe, they are
numerous and often done by the very best artists.
Even so, anyone seriously interested in the
illustrators of Poe needs to begin with Harry
Clarke, one of the greatest and most thrilling.
The Franklin Mystery library published an
outstanding edition of Poe's TALES OF MYSTERY
AND IMAGINATION, illustrated by Clarke.
The result is a beautiful and terrifying
volume but if you just want a reading copy,
the above-mentioned Barnes' edition contains
far more Poe material and is considerably
less expensive.

By the way, on the subject of Poe illustrators,
Dover puts out an awe-inspiring (and wonderfully
inexpensive) paperback edition of Poe's
"The Raven," illustrated by Gustave Dore.

It should be added that in no way am I trying
to suggest I have seen all the illustrated
Poes worthy of viewing. A few years back
someone put out a nice illustrated book
titled "The Illustrators of Alice." What
I myself would like to see is "The
Illustrators of Poe" and also the
illustrat.ors of H. G Wells...But I
am beginning to ramble...

wrote in message
ups.com...

I am beginning to ramble...



A_bear@ inthewoods.net wrote in message
ups.com...

I am beginning to ****...

The Raven Edition, Complete Works.

Annabelle Lee Does Dallas

wrote in message
ups.com...
[...]

Not to quibble, but it IS Edgar ALL*A*N Poe...

This is a matter which could be debated at length.
If you are simply interested in reading Poe, then
all you have to do is compare content indexes of
various volumes in bookstores and libraries and
choose the book with largest number of stories
and/or poems and articles if you are interested
in those also -- and any serious Poe reader will
tell you that you can't really appreciate the
genius of Poe without reading his non-fiction
as well as his fiction and poetry.

One nice volume which isn't too difficult to
locate is the Barnes and Noble THE COMPLETE
TALES AND POEMS OF EDGAR ALLAN POE. However,
despite its impressive size (over 1000 pages),
it leaves out some key non-fiction pieces,
such as "The Philosophy of Furniture."
While some of our collectors may put down
this edition as a "damnable SKIVER" (a cheap
leather volume created to look like an
expensive leather edition such as one
published by Easton Press), I think the
Barnes' version is well worth the
moderate price, though I prefer an honest
cloth edition to a skiver any day.

As for illustrated editions of Poe, they are
numerous and often done by the very best artists.
Even so, anyone seriously interested in the
illustrators of Poe needs to begin with Harry
Clarke, one of the greatest and most thrilling.
The Franklin Mystery library published an
outstanding edition of Poe's TALES OF MYSTERY
AND IMAGINATION, illustrated by Clarke.
The result is a beautiful and terrifying
volume but if you just want a reading copy,
the above-mentioned Barnes' edition contains
far more Poe material and is considerably
less expensive.

By the way, on the subject of Poe illustrators,
Dover puts out an awe-inspiring (and wonderfully
inexpensive) paperback edition of Poe's
"The Raven," illustrated by Gustave Dore.

It should be added that in no way am I trying
to suggest I have seen all the illustrated
Poes worthy of viewing. A few years back
someone put out a nice illustrated book
titled "The Illustrators of Alice." What
I myself would like to see is "The
Illustrators of Poe" and also the
illustrat.ors of H. G Wells...But I
am beginning to ramble...