Edgar Allan Poe's Tales of Mystery and Madness

by Edgar Allan Poe, Gris Grimly (Illustrator)

Overview

A sweet little cat drives a man to insanity and murder....

The grim death known as the plague roams a masquerade ball dressed in red....

A dwarf seeks his final revenge on his captors....

A sister calls to her beloved twin from beyond the grave....

Prepare yourself. You are about to enter a world where you will be shocked, terrified, and, though you'll be too scared to admit it at first, secretly thrilled. Here are four tales -- The Black Cat, The Masque of the Red Death, Hop-Frog, and The Fall of the House of Usher -- by the master of the macabre, Edgar Allan Poe. The original tales have been ever so slightly dismembered -- but, of course, Poe understood dismemberment very well. And he would shriek in ghoulish delight at Gris Grimly's gruesomely delectable illustrations that adorn every page. So prepare yourself. And keep the lights on.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781442441019
Publisher:	Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	08/30/2011
Sold by:	SIMON & SCHUSTER
Format:	eBook
Pages:	144
File size:	40 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	9 - 12 Years

About the Author

Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849) was an American writer, poet, and critic.  Best known for his macabre prose work, including the short story “The Tell-Tale Heart,” his writing has influenced literature in the United States and around the world.
Mr. Gris Grimly is as mysterious as Poe himself. What is known is that his own particular brand of creative brilliance was first seen in many books, including Monster Museum, The Cockatrice Boys, Pinocchio, Creature Carnival, Boris and Bella, and Gris Grimly's Wicked Nursery Rhymes. Then he found himself under the spell of Edgar Allan Poe, and, for years and years, was compelled to give a visual representation of Mr. Poe's ghoulish genius. This book is the result of his mania.

Table of Contents

Contents

The Black Cat

The Masque of the Red Death

Hop-Frog

The Fall of the House of Usher

Editorial Reviews

Gris Grimly applies his wicked pen to four of Edgar Allan Poe's Tales of Mystery and Madness: "The Black Cat," "The Masque of the Red Death," "Hop-Frog" and "The Fall of the House of Usher." The morbid and fearsome text makes an ideal match for Grimly's gothic aesthetic. His artwork runs the gamut from a comic book-like progression of the search for the black cat to a medical textbook-style visual analysis of Roderick Usher. (Sept.) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Publishers Weekly

No one writes of the macabre in a more chilling vein than Edgar Allan Poe. These four selections, slightly abridged, include "The Black Cat," "The Masque of the Red Death," "Hop Frog," and, essential Poe, the "Fall of the House of Usher." Each story may be abbreviated in length, but each retains the essential intricate language, the chilling details, and the grotesque plots so terrifyingly penned by Poe. What sets this book apart from other Poe collections is its accessibility to those in middle school and its ghoulish and cadaverous illustration. The aptly named Gris Grimly renders these in pen and ink with watercolor. His style is reminiscent of Edward Gorey and he makes use of borders, and marginal drawings as well as full page illustrations to not only break up the ponderous text but to create the visual nightmares suggested by Poe's words. This is a fine introduction to the master of the gruesome. Better get several copies. This one won't be a shelf-sitter. 2004, Atheneum, Ages 12 to 14.
—Beverley Fahey

Children's Literature

Grimly again entertains with his wicked pen in this slightly abridged collection, enlivening some of Poe's most fearsome stories such as The Black Cat, The Masque of the Red Death, Hop-Frog, and The Fall of the House of Usher. The spidery ink drawings showcase Poe's characters with heavy-lidded eyes and brows, angular chins, pointy foreheads, and knobby knees. The one-eyed black cat in the opening story appears crazed, sinister, and ferocious at times. A new generation of readers will come to appreciate Poe's macabre work through the book's accessible format. The illustrations are frightening yet comical-and sometimes downright silly-enough to keep nightmares at bay. The font used to tell the tales will also entice younger readers, with dialogue that appears to be handwritten at times or just set in an alternative typeface. Screams can be seen howling across the background of a page, comic-book style. Overall this collection is delightful. Grimly's artwork is well suited to Poe and the abridgement works smoothly. VOYA CODES: 4Q 4P M J (Better than most, marred only by occasional lapses; Broad general YA appeal; Middle School, defined as grades 6 to 8; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9). 2004, Atheneum/S & S, 144p., Ages 11 to 15.
—Cynthia Grady

VOYA

Gr 6 Up-Grimly's deliciously malevolent illustrations are the perfect complement to Poe's macabre stories. Four of the writer's most popular tales are presented in an abridged format: "The Black Cat," "The Masque of the Red Death," "Hop-Frog," and "The Fall of the House of Usher." The watercolor and pen-and-ink artwork is populated with deftly drawn cartoon humans, animals, and other beings, many with grotesque or sinister expressions. The pictures cover, crisscross, or circle the margins of the pages and are often contained in ornate art-deco frames along with small blocks of text. Libraries needing an additional copy of Poe's writings should consider this one.-Susan Scheps, Shaker Heights Public Library, OH Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

School Library Journal

Roger Corman Filmmaker, The Little Shop of Horrors The macabre beauty and sly wit of Gris Grimly's illustrated edition of some of Poe's best-loved tales are destined to capture the imagination of a generation new to the master of terror, as well as delight longtime admirers of Poe, who will find much to relish in this haunting interpretation.

Bernie Wrightson horror legend [Gris Grimly] captures the spirit of Poe in a fresh and classic way. Poe never looked so good.

From the Publisher