Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849) is a brilliant American poet, prose writer, editor, and literary critic. Poe was born in Boston and was the middle child in a family of traveling actors. His father left the family early, and his mother soon after died of tuberculosis. The boy was taken in by a childless couple, John and Frances Allan. The foster family tried to provide him with a good education: Poe studied with private tutors, attended school, and at the age of seventeen entered the University of Virginia, where he studied languages and literature. However, he left school and enlisted in the army — he was not there long and soon became entirely absorbed in literary activities. Throughout his life, Poe often faced financial difficulties as he sought to earn a living solely through his literary work. For some time, he worked at the Richmond magazine Southern Literary Messenger, where he served as an editor and earned a reputation as a ruthless literary critic. Nevertheless, Poe never achieved stable income: bouts of depression and alcohol problems prevented him from holding a job for long. Poe repeatedly published his works in various magazines: his innovative literary solutions often bewildered the public. In 1847, the poet's wife passed away. Grief weakened Poe and undermined his health. He left this life just two years later under mysterious circumstances: the writer was found delirious in one of the taverns in Baltimore and died in a hospital a few days later for unknown reasons.
Edgar Poe, whose works were not highly valued by his contemporaries during his lifetime, became the first American poet renowned worldwide. He made an immeasurable contribution to the development of so-called gothic literature, anticipated decadent literature, and became the progenitor of detective stories. The work of Edgar Poe resonated with many renowned writers, such as Charles Baudelaire, H.P. Lovecraft, Arthur Conan Doyle, Alexander Blok, and Valery Bryusov. This edition presents the complete collection of poems and verses by the great writer. Among them is his most famous poem — "The Raven" (1845), presented in several translations, and Poe's very last poem — "Annabel Lee" (1849), which was presumably written in memory of the poet's wife.
The collection is adorned with exquisite illustrations by William Heath Robinson (1872–1944). This British artist, animator, and book illustrator gained worldwide fame. He illustrated the tales of "One Thousand and One Nights" as well as the works of Hans Christian Andersen, William Shakespeare, and Charles Kingsley.
