A popular spin-off from the Poetry for Young People series introduces children to America’s master of the spooky story: Edgar Allan Poe. Unabridged and fully illustrated, it’s the perfect collection to establish a life-long love of literature.
Edgar Allan Poe’s brooding tales of murder, madness, and revenge still grab today’s readers. Here are five of his finest, presented and fully annotated by Andrew Delbanco, a much-honored professor of humanities at Columbia University whom Time magazine called “America's Best Social Critic.” And throughout, chilling and evocative illustrations by renowned artist Gerard Dubois enhance the stories—among them a devilish, skull-like face to accompany “Masque of the Red Death” and an appropriately foreboding view of the House of Usher. The collection includes “The Tell-Tale Heart,” “The Cask of Amontillado,” and “The Oval Portrait”—and as always features an author biography, introductions to every story, and definitions of unfamiliar vocabulary.
Grade 6 Up—Poe's writing is as effectively horrific today as it was in the mid-1800s, and this volume features five relentless favorites: "The Fall of the House of Usher," "The Masque of the Red Death," "The Tell-Tale Heart," "The Cask of Amontillado," and "The Oval Portrait." The book offers a succinct analysis at the beginning of each story, making students' literary comprehension and emotional apprehension complete. Definitions or synonyms are provided for Poe's challenging vocabulary at the bottom of the pages of the tales; instructional use for vocabulary building is a natural. DuBois' paintings reflect a teetering place between the real and the nightmare-his technique combines folk art and Postimpressionism. "The Masque of the Red Death" is the story to revisit with today's teens. The brazen audacity of a prince who thinks that he can escape the insidious claim of infectious disease and plague is a creepy precursor to the mysteries of today's fight against these invisible attacks. This book is ripe with opportunities to discuss literature, art, science, and psychology.—Alison Follos, North Country School, Lake Placid, NY
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Introductory comments and appropriately atmospheric paintings enhance this handsomely packaged collection of five of Poe's unsettling short stories--"The Fall of the House of Usher," "The Masque of the Red Death," "The Tell-Tale Heart," "The Cask of Amontillado," and "The Oval Portrait." A biographical essay discussing Poe's pervasive themes and his significant influence on both sf and mystery writing opens the way to the tales, each of which is prefaced by a summary and questions for readers to ponder. As Poe's language is difficult even for practiced modern readers, the editor also provides glosses for unusual words and literary references within the narratives. The illustrations, featuring indistinct, thickly brushed figures placed against shadowed backgrounds, add effective notes of eeriness, terror, and dejection to this introduction to a great and troubled writer. Another well-appointed volume in the ongoing Stories for Young People series. John Peters
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