Edgar Allan Poe

Edgar thought of himself mostly as a poet, but by creating the modern horror, mystery, and detective story, he's arguably responsible for most of the - quote - "entertaiment" - unquote - we read or watch today. So it's all the more odd that his stories could be hard going even in his own time (Mark Twain found him unreadable). "The Cask of Amontillado" probably holds up the best.

For a Most Merry and Illustrated History of Edgar's Sad Life and Tragic Death, click here.

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