Like it’s title, the book is comprised of four of Edgar Allen Poe’s poems of death and Dementia, such as The Tell-Tale Heart and The Oblong box. Like many of Edgar Allen Poe’s poems, this book drags the reader into contemplating the darker aspects of life, such as loneliness and anxiety to the point of illness. An example would be when the narrator in page 23 thinks, “Was it possible they heard not? Almighty God! – No, no! They heard! – They suspected! – They knew! – They were making a mockery of my horror!” Edgar Allen Poe’s poems and the illustrations may be overwhelmingly dark for most children, but I think that students should learn to face their fears instead of letting their fears take control of them. Therefore, I would recommend this book to all who dare to venture through its pages. I also could not help but stop to appreciate the dexterity behind every word of each poem. They are written with such great thought and care for the tale they are telling. For instance, on page 104, it states, “We suffered much and made a narrow escape, but fortune befriended us, as well as out mates in the longboat. We landed more dead than alive…” ( )

I stumbled across this while browsing the Young Adult section of my local library, and while I'm still working on the first volume of the free, public domain [b:Works of Edgar Allen Poe|10562869|The Works of Edgar Allen Poe Volume One|Edgar Allan Poe|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1302424323s/10562869.jpg|15469714] on my kindle, I thought this would be a fun way to enjoy some of Poe's other tales.

This book includes abridged versions of 4 stories: "The Tell-Tale Heart", "The System of Dr. Tarr and Professor Fether", "The Oblong Box", and "The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar". I had only read the first previously (and it was a long time ago), so I can't really comment as to how these abridged versions hold up to the originals. Each page is fully illustrated with beautiful, macabre full-color artwork by Gris Grimly that complements the text wonderfully. On some pages, various scenes are depicted in frames like a graphic novel, whereas others are large two-page spreads with just a few lines of text, like a more traditional children's picture book. It's definitely an enjoyable way to spend an hour or so.

I understand that there is a companion volume to this, so I'll be checking that one out as well. ( )

http://www.bookgeeks.co.uk/2009/10/09/jennies-review-edgar-allan-poes-tales-of-d... ( )