About the Author

Edgar Allan Poe (1809-49) was born in Boston, Massachusetts. Poe is well known for being an author, poet, editor and literary critic during the American Romantic Movement. He is generally considered the inventor of the detective fiction genre as well as being an important influence on early science fiction, and his works are famously filled with terror, mystery, death and haunting. The dark, mystifying characters from his tales have captured the public's imagination and reflect the struggling, poverty-stricken lifestyle he lived his whole life.

Judith John (glossary) is a writer and editor specializing in literature and history. She has worked as an editor on major educational projects, including English A: Literature for the Pearson International Baccalaureate series. Judith's major research interests include Romantic and Gothic literature, and Renaissance drama.