Stories for Young People: Edgar Allan Poe - Hardcover

Edited by Andrew Delbanco, a much-honoured professor of humanities at Columbia University, whom Time magazine called "America's Best Social Critic." Illustrations by renowned artist Gerard Dubois.

Grade 6 Up—Poe's writing is as effectively horrific today as it was in the mid-1800s, and this volume features five relentless favorites: "The Fall of the House of Usher," "The Masque of the Red Death," "The Tell-Tale Heart," "The Cask of Amontillado," and "The Oval Portrait." The book offers a succinct analysis at the beginning of each story, making students' literary comprehension and emotional apprehension complete. Definitions or synonyms are provided for Poe's challenging vocabulary at the bottom of the pages of the tales; instructional use for vocabulary building is a natural. DuBois' paintings reflect a teetering place between the real and the nightmare-his technique combines folk art and Postimpressionism. "The Masque of the Red Death" is the story to revisit with today's teens. The brazen audacity of a prince who thinks that he can escape the insidious claim of infectious disease and plague is a creepy precursor to the mysteries of today's fight against these invisible attacks. This book is ripe with opportunities to discuss literature, art, science, and psychology.—Alison Follos, North Country School, Lake Placid, NY
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