About book The Works Of Edgar Allan Poe, Vol 1 (2006)
Comments on these Volumes overall:I haven't figured out how the editor is organizing Poe's works among the 5 volumes in this series. It seems clear that Poe was prodigious enough to require 5 volumes, but wouldn't they be better presented in chronological order? As it is, it is possible they are grouped by theme, with this volume being the scientifically based stories, but I will have to review the contents of the succeeding volumes to determine the truth of this, and whether it is an effective method of ordering. And at the least, why aren't the stories in this volume presented chronologically?Review of this Volume:I am rating Volume One 3 stars. I can see why there are so many "best of" Poe books, as not all of his pieces are classics, and the deviations interrupt the mood a bit. There are a few 4 star works here, but they are offset by the 2 star content. As many of these stories are scientifically based, this Volume suffers a bit from obsolescence: we no longer can suspend our belief that a balloon ride to the moon is possible, and the idea of a balloon with passengers crossing the Atlantic is no longer a cause for (much) awe. I still enjoyed reading it, if purely to discover that Poe was also a science fiction writer!I have written detailed reviews of each part of this Volume, which will also appear as reviews on the individual story pages here at Goodreads.This Volume contains the following prefaces: Appreciation - 3 starsA passable quick biography, but mainly makes me more interested in the fine details. Also not as well written as a Poe story! Edgar Allen Poe - 2 starsThere are one or two interesting points here, but they could have been relayed in two sentences. This author just likes hearing themselves talk, and make allegories. Death of Edgar A. Poe - 4 starsA beautiful and earnest rebuttal to criticisms of Poe's character upon the time of his death.This Volume contains the following stories: The Unparalleled Adventures of One Hans Pfaal/Notes to Hans Pfaal - 3 starsOriginal Publication June, 1835An amazing experience to read this because I had no idea Poe wrote science fiction, or hoaxes, or social commentary. As a story, though, it dragged a bit in details, and the notes were even more tedious. The Gold Bug - 3 starsOriginal Publication June, 1843Again, I had no idea Poe wrote stories like this, it reminded me of Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes. An interesting combination of analysis, ratiocination, and adventure. One star taken off because of the mocking portrayal of the African American servant. Four Beasts in One: The Homo-Cameleopard - 4 starsOriginal Publication March, 1836He does such an amazing job instilling a sense of wonder on these scenes, arrgh, I was so upset when it was over! I wanted to find out what happens at the Hippodrome! The Murders in the Rue Morgue - 4 starsOriginal Publication April, 1841Translation of final sentence: I can't believe he ended the tale with an untranslated French quote! Perhaps his readers were more familiar with French and with La Nouvelle Heloise than I am. I used BableFish.com to get the English for those who are curious: "to deny what is and explain only what is not"The analysis vs ingenuity preface was way too wordy. The main story was captivating, though - I am always enthralled by the analysis of these Sherlock-type detectives. (Or should I now say Dupin-type, since I see now that he predated Holmes by 45 years!) It seems like a simple solution, but then I realize I never would have thought of it, it only seems simple in hindsight! Those are the best mysteries. The Mystery of Marie Roget - 2 starsOriginal Publication November 1842 - February, 1843Okay, I don't really know how to rate this. It was a completely different experience from Murders in the Rue Morgue because Dupin basically decided to not let the narrator speak and just talk endlessly about his deductions without even pausing for a trip to the loo. It was almost unreadable. And then when it gets to the very end, suddenly the editors decided not to leave the part in where he solves it, "for reasons which we shall not specify". WTF??They did leave in his epilogue, but as a final affront it is founded on a gross misstatement about the facts of probability. He had to explain how it is possible that Dupin is solving a case unbelievably similar to an actual case in New York, even though it's all a ruse in order for Poe to try to solve the actual case with this hoax publication. But he didn't need to blaspheme mathematics to do it!The fact that Poe/Dupin's analysis turned out to be correct on a number of points, according to later confessions by witnesses in New York, has got to be worth at least one extra star, but really, if you are calling this a short story then it should really be written as a short story and not just a letter to the editor with quotes around it and preceded by "Dupin said". The Balloon Hoax - 3 starsOriginal Publication April, 1844This is actually a very well done fictional account of a balloon expedition across the Atlantic Ocean. It suffers as a story only because of its success as a hoax - it is so realistic and scientifically detailed that it becomes somewhat boring, any excitement is based on the notion that this might have actually happened, in a time when such a feat had not yet been accomplished. It's interesting, though, to think of Poe creating such a fuss in his day over this "news". Ms. Found In A Bottle - 3 starsOriginal Publication October, 1833This has quite a bit of horror imagery in it, but ultimately I was not invested in the character and the purpose of the other boat was unclear - is it a harbinger of doom, an apparition, or simply the demonstration of a worse scenario? I think the ending would be more effective in the time it was written, as it preys on the fear of the unknown; in our current day and age, however, we know all about what's at the Earth's poles, so it diluted the horror with a sense of the outlandish. The Oval Portrait - 3 starsOriginal Publication April, 1842This should have been 4 stars, but I had problems with the execution. He really packs in the atmosphere in very few words here, but that is the thing, it ends so abruptly I couldn't help feeling there were a few too few words. It would have been better if he had connected back to the original room and conveyed how the image would continue to haunt him or something. Or even if he had written the painter's story as the whole piece, instead of leaving it as a footnote in a book.
This first volume has two stories that show Poe's potential to become master of macabre later in his career, The Oval Portrait and MS. In a Bottle. The set a cool and creepy tone even if they don't deliver the oomph of some of his later work. Also included are the stories The Murders in the Rue Morgue and The Murder of Marie Roget. These are both excellent detective stories, only surpassed by Sherlock Holmes tales. And I think the only reason Holmes is better is because Arthur Conan Doyle had enough space to do some real and interesting character development while Poe stuck to the facts of the mystery primarily. But the answer to the riddle of how the murders were committed are extremely intriguing. The rest of the volume deals chiefly with balloon adventures. Those I would not recommend to anyone except the most die hard of Poe fans. It's due to the ballooning that this only gets four instead of five stars.
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In this first of five volumes we get a brief glimpse of Edgar Allan Poe in a biography at the beginning of the volume, followed by a text concerning his death, The artist Vincent Van Gogh applied paint to canvas as Edgar Allan Poe applied pen to paper, both brilliant in their own right, both a genius in their chosen medium of expression: both misunderstood and unappreciated until after their deaths at very young ages, We will never know what they could have accomplished had they lived to old age. On reading the text on his death the person who wrote it included Poe's notice in the news paper, unflattering to say the least., On reading this first volume of his work and life, what I feel is this man had a beautiful soul but being of a melancholy nature was misunderstood and rebuffed socially, The work included in this volume are some of his short stories, In the first "The unparalleled adventures of one Hans Pfaal" we are taken on at what first appears to be a sci-fi story,but with characters by the names of Rub-a-dub and Sauerkraut you can't help but enjoy this brilliant quest. "The Gold Bug"...ever heard the expression "bitten by the gold bug" or "out on a limb"...equally enjoyable, next Poe takes us an adventure in "Four Beasts in One-The Homo-Cameleopard" picture a future age in earth's history, hopefully we never come to this sort of government but none the less very well written; "The Murders in the Rue Morgue",,is there anyone besides me who would think the setting would be a morgue? This one and "The Mystery of Marie Roget" both feature the same protagonists, a pair of gentleman who will remind you of Sherlock Holmes and Dr, Watson in the way they analyze crime scenes and make deductions, Might this have inspired other writers? "The Balloon-Hoax" is very believable and reeks of Jules Verne and his story written years later in "Around the World in Eighty Days". "MS. Found in a Bottle" is a manuscript written by a fellow who is on a voyage that doesn't fare well, "The Oval Portrait" is paranormal no doubt and I find Oscar Wilde's "A Picture of Dorian Gray" peeking out of the frame on this one, So whether this works truly did inspire other writer's, or just a coincidence they are a wonderful collection of short stories and very enjoyable, On a final note Van Gogh and Poe may not have achieved their due during their life times but after all is said and done, the critics are lost to time and the world can reflect and enjoy the works of these two amazing beautiful souls.
—Diana Long
When I download this for free, I was really excited to delve into some of Poe's lesser known stories. I thought I would discover hidden gems. What I'm discovering is that the stories I was exposed to back in school, and the ones included in carefully curated "best of" compilations are really is valuable work. What in this volume feels like hack writing that hasn't been edited at all. Knowing Edgar, it's also easy to feel that the stories were written under the influence of copious amounts of alcohol and morphine. Maybe I'll enjoy volume 2 more.
—Cydni Perkins
I'm reading the story of Pfaall. I had no idea that Poe had written science fiction about a trip to the moon. Amazing.***Finished Pfaall, which turns out to be an amusing story, as well as, according to the Spouse, proto-scifi. Started the Gold Bug, and was pretty much appalled by the slave's dialect. Set outside Charleston, the white characters of course don't have any dialect. Yeesh. But then I put it down for the night and didn't read again for the rest of the weekend. I blame the heat. Even with air conditioning, apparently I am good for nothing but watching TV and being cranky at excessive temperatures.
—Kaethe
