The Poe Encyclopedia

(Hardback)

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Description

Best known for his mysterious and imaginative short fiction, such as "The Fall of the House of Usher" and "The Cask of Amontillado" as well as hauntingly sonorous poems such as "The Raven", Edgar Allan Poe has secured a lasting place in the American literary canon. He was one of the first American authors to be given serious attention in Europe, and his works popularized the Gothic, the short story and detective fiction in America. Poe's works are frequently studied in schools and colleges, but he also retains his appeal as one of America's most demanding popular authors. His works reflect his vast and sometimes arcane erudition, his probing insights into the workings of the mind, his theories of literature and aesthetics, and his interest in science and the supernatural. Through 1900 alphabetically arranged entries, this reference book provides complete and current coverage of Poe's life and work. Some entries treat Poe's known reading and his responses to literary contemporaries and international literary figures. Others comment on the impact of various writers and literary traditions on Poe's imagination. Still others address Poe's views on subjects ranging from Shakespeare to mesmerism to phrenology. Each entry is supplemented by a bibliographical note which gives the basis for the entry and suggests sources for further investigation. Each entry for Poe's fiction and poetry contains a critical synopsis, and a bibliography list the most important critical and biographical studies of Poe.

Reviews

[T]he Poe Encyclopedia can be useful for the student...-Romanticism On the Net
Everything you ever wanted to know about Edgar Allan Poe and more is now to be found in The Poe Encyclopedia. Every reference and allusion imaginable to Poe's life and workds has been tirelessly tracked down and clearly compiled by these dedicated scholars....What The Poe Encyclopedia add up to is not only balanced and insightful but full of references and asides that only lifelong critics and bibliophiles of Poe could be expected to offer readers.-Allegheny Magazine (Fall/Winter 1997)
The authors' claims that their encyclopedia will 'appeal to many types of users' (casual readers, students, and scholars) and that is is 'the first reference book of its type' are fulfilled. The contents include a scholarly reference, a detailed chronology of Poe's life and writings, a bibliography of primary and secondary sources, and three indexes to titles, themes, and characters.... Highly recommended for reference collections in American literature.-Choice
"The Poe Encyclopedia can be useful for the student..."-Romanticism On the Net
"[T]he Poe Encyclopedia can be useful for the student..."-Romanticism On the Net
"The authors' claims that their encyclopedia will 'appeal to many types of users' (casual readers, students, and scholars) and that is is 'the first reference book of its type' are fulfilled. The contents include a scholarly reference, a detailed chronology of Poe's life and writings, a bibliography of primary and secondary sources, and three indexes to titles, themes, and characters.... Highly recommended for reference collections in American literature."-Choice
"Everything you ever wanted to know about Edgar Allan Poe and more is now to be found in The Poe Encyclopedia. Every reference and allusion imaginable to Poe's life and workds has been tirelessly tracked down and clearly compiled by these dedicated scholars....What The Poe Encyclopedia add up to is not only balanced and insightful but full of references and asides that only lifelong critics and bibliophiles of Poe could be expected to offer readers."-Allegheny Magazine (Fall/Winter 1997)

Author Bio

FREDERICK S. FRANK is Professor Emeritus of English at Allegheny College. He has published articles in journals such as Bulletin of Bibliography, American Transcendental Quarterly, and Extrapolation. His books include Through the Pale Door: A Guide to and Through the American Gothic (Greenwood, 1990). ANTHONY MAGISTRALE is Professor of English at the University of Vermont. His publications include The Dark Descent: Essays Defining Stephen King's Horrorscape (Greenwood, 1992).