THE ESSENTIAL EDGAR ALLAN POE

Released in celebration of the 200th anniversary of Poe's birth, this marvelous recording has all the bells and whistles. Tasteful musical transitions set off three gifted narrators. The language is archaic, as when the hero of "The Murders in the Rue Morgue" boasts that most men "wore windows in their bosoms," but enthusiastic narrations lure us into black places in the heart that seem not to have altered significantly since Poe’s time. The package ends with a brief biography. Poe's actual life was almost as frightful as his imaginative one. These are not happy stories, but it is heartening that a man fascinated with the prospect of "The Premature Burial" (1844) should still enthrall us today. B.H.C. © AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine [Published: JANUARY 2009]