The Fall of the House of Usher and Other Writings: Edgar Allan Poe (Penguin Classics) Paperback – 27 Mar. 2003

Excellent read.

An unusual read. Some view the work as brilliant. I purchased the book as part of a City Lit course, Borderlines of Madness.

It took me a while to get round to reading Poe, but a recent spate of reading Victorian Gothic horror drew attention to the fact that Poe was a gap in my reading. If truth be told, I'm also a little dismissive of American authors, who I feel often lack the depth of British writers.Not so in Poe's case. His short stories are superb. He has an uncanny ability to create a sense of dark, brooding grotesquery in the space of a few sentences. The best stories for me in this collection are 'The Pit and the Pendulum', 'The Fall of the House of Usher', 'The Murders in the Rue Morgue' and 'The Purloined Letter'. Added to which, this edition also contains some of his poetry as well as essays, reviews and other collected writings, making it a great introduction to a great writer. Best read with the light on!

The title novel is desperately disappointing – it is not at all interesting, is far too short, and the whole story is described by the blurb and foreword. By itself, it’s worth one star. But the final story, The Pit and the Pendulum, is fabulous – it’s gripping, imaginative and wonderfully told, even accounting for the dated language. The middle stories are quite average and forgettable, but I’m giving a combined three stars based solely on the final story.

Looks so pretty. Really pleased with this book. Haven't read it yet.

This book is so so beautiful. The painted edges are stunning.

I bought this book for my holiday read. It contains a variety of Poe's work and as the print is small the book is quite easily carried in hand luggage - yes, so is a kindle but I wouldnot carry one of them down to the pool and have a swim while I left it on the side.

I had never read Poe prior to this, but I definitely will be in the future; his words are beautiful and some quotes very memorable.Though it is a short story I understand why it has been a big influence; Poe creates a theatrical drama in his poetry.