Poe (1809-1849), famed for his macabre fiction ("The Tell-Tale Heart") and poetry ("The Raven"), has also been called "the first important American critic." The Levines (retired from the U. of
Kansas), authors/coauthors of other works on Poe, compile and provide insightful explanatory notes on variant texts of Poe's witty, often conflicting statements on theories of writing and
criticism, and American literary achievements. They also situate his critical pieces appearing in periodicals in the context of the new role of 'magazinist.' This collection was originally
planned to be part of Burton Pollin's continuing edition of The Collected Writings of Edgar Allen Poe. Annotation 穢2009 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
