The Essential Edgar Allan Poe (selections)

Edgar Allan Poe

The Essential Edgar Allan Poe

Read by Kerry Shale, John Chancer, and William Roberts

selections

Released to coincide with the two-hundredth anniversary of the author’s birth in January 1809, this selection of well-loved chilling tales from the master of the supernatural is a perfect Christmas gift. The short stories include The Murders in the Rue Morgue, The Pit and the Pendulum, The Tell-Tale Heart, The Masque of the Red Death, and The Fall of the House of Usher. This release also features additional poetry by Poe and a new biography especially written for Naxos AudioBooks by Roy McMillan.

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6 CDs | Running Time: 7h 33m | ISBN: 978–962–634–921–2 | Cat. no.: NA692112 | RRP: £19.99RRP:£19.99 GBPSRP: US $ 34.98RRP:£19.99 GBP

ldquo; Suitably macabre ”

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INCLUDED IN The Essential Edgar Allan Poe

Tamerlane
Dreams
Spirits of the Dead
A Dream
The Lake
The bowers whereat, in dreams I see
Fairy-Land
To Helen
Israfel
Lenore
Sonnet: To Zante
The Haunted Palace
Sonnet: Silence
The Conqueror Worm
Dream-Land
Eulalie
The Raven
(Not long ago, the writer of these lines …)
Ulalume: A Ballad
The Bells
A Dream Within a Dream
For Annie
To My Mother
Annabel Lee

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REVIEW

This collection of 8 short stories, 23 poems, and a short biography of Poe is narrated by three readers: John Chancer, William Roberts, and Kerry Shale. Shale begins with “The Murders in the Rue Morgue.” He employs a high-pitched French accent to represent Dupin and affects a surprised, somewhat immature tone for the narrator. Some of Poe’s endless descriptions bog down the pacing. Listeners may want to head right to “The Pit and the Pendulum,” read by Roberts, who is a master of the verbal adrenaline rush. His tones lower as the pendulum descends and speed up to match the petrified shrieks. Shale recites the poetry selections; cue up to “Lenore” and zip over to “The Raven” to experience a perfect audible pairing of love lost and unmitigated grief. Chancer provides a simple yet engaging reading of Poe’s biography. Suitably macabre mood music marks transitions between the selections. The celebration of Poe’s 200th birthday brings renewed interest in the author’s works.

Kaite Mediatore Stover, Booklist

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