National Network for Equitable Library Service

Stories include: The Raven; Hop-Frog; The Black Cat; The Cask of Amontillado; The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar; The Fall of the House of Usher; The Gold-Bug; The Masque of the Red Death; The Murders in the Rue Morgue; The Purloined Letter; The Pit and the Pendulum; and The Tell-Tale Heart.

First published in a 1842 literary annual The Gift: A Christmas and New Year's Present for 1843, The Pit and the Pendulum takes place during the Spanish Inquisition and follows the plight of a prisoner in a cell that has a pit and a pendulum. Unlike many of Poe's short stories, The Pit and the Pendulum does not rely on any supernatural elements to inspire fear but instead uses the narrator's heightened sensory experiences to do so.

First published in a 1842 edition of Graham's Lady's and Gentleman's Magazine, The Masque of the Red Death tells the story of Prince Prospero as he tries to avoid a plague by confining himself and his nobles to a masquerade in an abbey. Often considered a gothic allegory, the story reflects on not only life and death but also the illusion of control.

First published in a 1839 edition of Burton's Gentleman's Magazine, The Fall of the House of Usher is the story of the declining physical and psychological health of the residents of the House of Usher-and the way in which the house itself reflects that. Gothic in theme and style, the story is an exemplar of Poe's philosophy of composition, which dictates that literary works should be short, methodological, and have a unity of effect wherein all the elements of the story are related and relevant.

First published in a 1846 edition of Godey's Lady's Book, The Cask of Amontillado is widely considered to be one of the most perfect short stories ever written. Told by the unreliable narrator Montresor-a man who sought vengeance against his acquaintance for an insult that the reader is not privy to-the story details how Montresor accomplished his revenge.

First published in a 1843 edition of The Saturday Evening Post, The Black Cat tells the story of a man and his increasingly antagonistic relationship with his cat. Akin to The Tell-Tale Heart and The Cask of Amontillado, The Black Cat investigates the psychological effects of guilt as well as the potentially destructive and violent consequences of alcoholism.

New York City, 1978. Joey Peacock has spent the last forty years as an adolescent vampire, feeding by night and sleeping by day in the macabre labyrinth beneath the city. But when they appear, whatever they are, the undead of Manhattan are not as safe as they once were, nor are the rest of us.

It's wartime, and the Carver family decides to leave the capital where they live and move to a small coastal village where they've recently bought a home. But from the minute they cross the threshold, strange things begin to happen. In that mysterious house there still lurks the spirit of Jacob, the previous owner's son, who died by drowning.

Inch by inch, day by day, Scott Carey is getting smaller. Scott must struggle to survive in a world that seems to be growing ever larger and more perilous--until he faces the ultimate limits of fear and existence.

J’avançai, regardant la créature se remettre debout tout en lâchant un grognement sourd et menaçant. J’allongeai mes deux bras et, par ma volonté, forçai l’apparition de mes armes dans mes paumes ouvertes. Les khépesh jumeaux apparurent comme par magie, avec un éclair de lumière scintillante. Les lames argentées et courbées brillèrent vivement. Je jetai un coup d’oeil à Will. Je pouvais maintenant voir les tatouages noirs et complexes sortir de sous son pull, serpentant le long de son bras droit jusque sur ses jointures.