I had been passing alone, on horseback, through a singularly dreary tract of country; and at length found myself, as the shades of the evening drew on, within view of the melancholy House of Usher.At the request of his good friend Roderick Usher, a visitor travels to the House of Usher where Roderick and his sister Madeline live. From the time the traveler first steps foot onto the Usher property, a mysterious and foreboding presence fills the air. Almost as if the house itself is alive.Born in 1809, Edgar Allan Poe was an American writer and poet best known for his tales of mystery and macabre. His short stories have long been entrenched in American pop culture, and he is regarded as one of the greatest inspirations to the modern horror and mystery genres. His fictional C. Auguste Dupin stories, all included in this collection, are widely considered the first modern detective story, and these stories would become a foundational influence to Arthur Conan Doyle's famous detective Sherlock Holmes. Poe's notable works include The Fall of the House of Usher (1839), The Tell-Tale Heart (1843), The Black Cat (1843), and The Raven (1845), among many others. He died in 1849.The following 13 tales and 13 poems are included: TalesThe Fall of the House of UsherThe Tell-Tale Heartthe Black CatThe Cask of AmontilladoThe Pit and the PendulumThe Masque of the Red DeathThe Oval PortraitThe premature burialA Descent into the MaelströmLigeiaThe C. Auguste Dupin MysteriesThe Murders in the Rue MorgueThe Mystery of Marie RogêtThe Purloined LetterPoemsThe RavenAnnabel LeeAloneA Dream Within a DreamDream-LandEldoradoThe SleeperLenore The City in the SeaTo HelenThe BellsThe Valley of UnrestTo One in Paradise