The Purloined Letter

This early work by Edgar Allan Poe was originally published in 1845. Born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1809, Poe became an orphan at a very early age. After being taken in by a couple in Richmond, he spent a brief spell in the United Kingdom before returning to enrol at the University of Virginia. Poe struggled for many years to make a living as a writer and frequently had to move city to stay in employment as a critic. Even for his greatest success, 'The Raven', he only received $9 and, although becoming a household name, his financial position remained far from stable. Poe died in 1849, aged just 40, yet his legacy is a formidable one: He is seen today as one of the greatest practitioners of Gothic and detective fiction that ever lived, and popular culture is replete with references to him. Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900's and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions.