Tales of Mystery and Imagination

Edgar Allen Poe (1809-1849) in many ways invented the modern detective story, not to mention several other mystery/horror sub-genres. Tales of Mystery and Imagination is his finest and most concentrated collection of stories. All the greats are here: “The Purloined Letter,” “The Murders in the Rue Morgue,” “The Tell-Tale Heart,” “The Fall of the House of Usher,” and fourteen more. While Poe’s stories can be too plot-heavy, more logic puzzles than fully-developed mysteries, they are ingeniously structured and often thrilling.