The Edgar Allan Poe Audio Collection

By: Edgar Allan Poe

Narrated by: Vincent Price, Basil Rathbone

Length: 5 hrs and 31 mins

Publisher's summary

Universally acclaimed as the maestro of horror and the morbid, Edgar Allan Poe's dark gift has for more than a century and a half set the standard for the genre. Here, 20 of Poe's most chilling stories and poems are performed by two of his most brilliant interpreters: Vincent Price and Basil Rathbone. Included are The Tell-Tale Heart, The Pit and the Pendulum, The Cask of Amontillado, The Fall of the House of Usher, Bells, The Gold Bug, and many more!

©2000 HarperCollins Publishers, Inc., All Rights Reserved. (P)2000 HarperCollins Publishers, Inc., All Rights Reserved.

Critic reviews

2000 Winner of Publishers Weekly Listen Up Award: Archival Reissue

"Superb renderings...[Vincent Price and Basil Rathbone] know this material well...and know how to make it chill the listener. It's a romp for them and a delight for us." (AudioFile)

Almost Perfect

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

This was well done! My only issue? NO TITLES. It goes from one poem to the next, one story to another, and not once do you know which poem/story you are listening to. Truly a shame.

What about Vincent Price and Basil Rathbone ’s performance did you like?

These performers are amazing. They bring Poe to life. Each story and poem breathed and rose in these lively performances. Bravo!

I had great expectations

I have never read much of Poe's work. I have heard from many how wonderful it is. I can say I am not a fan but I'm glad I discovered this. I don't feel like I'm missing out anymore.

Excellent to listen to, but not

The combination of voice with the macabre writings of Edgar Allan Poe are certainly a perfect combination; however, as previously noted, there are no titles prior to each narration. Also - and more importantly - for readers of Edgar Poe, this narration is NOT unabridged. Entire paragraphs are left out. It's still fantastic to listen to, but don't be deceived, it is an abridged version of many of the tales.

The Definitive Audio Poe Collection

Would you listen to The Edgar Allan Poe Audio Collection again? Why?

I would listen to this book again because it was very well performed and I've always found that listening to Poe better than reading the printed work.

What did you like best about this story?

My favorite story by Poe is "Fall of the House of Usher" and Rathbone does a great job bringing the stories to life.

What about Vincent Price and Basil Rathbone ’s performance did you like?

They read the stories at a rate of speed that made it possible for Poe's rather odd style and vocabulary to be better understood.

If you could take any character from The Edgar Allan Poe Audio Collection out to dinner, who would it be and why?

I would take the poor tormented soul from "The Raven" out to dinner to help him cope with the loss of fair Lenore.

Any additional comments?

The problem with this book is the lack of titles at the beginning of the stories and poems. The publisher should add a narrator to state the title of each segment so that the listener knows what story or poem is being performed--perhaps with some creepy background music to set the mood. The audio quality could also be improved.

Audible Limitation - No Index - No Reference

This is my favorite Poe collection performed by the Apex performers of their time. I listen in the dark and dream the dreams that Poe ignites in my mind.

My problem with Audible is that there is no Index, no way to find my favorites. Oh, where oh where is “The Cask Of Amontillado?” How can I find using only this Audible Book “The Tell-Tale Heart?”

So frustrating...

Chapters are random

Didn't like that the chapters didn't correspond to specific short stories. Also think it would be great if chapters could be titled, especially in short story collections. otherwise it was great.

Poe is the King of creepy!

I really enjoy creepy, dark stories. No one wrote them better than Poe. And the narration by Vincent Price and Basil Rathbone is masterful!

An excellent presentation of gothic tales

The great and true horror master Poe is presented in these tales with fine spine tingling delight.

Excellent performance, poor formatting.

As mentioned by other reviewers: a. Price and Rathbone provide a masterful performance here, and b. the formatting is bad enough to render the recording almost unusable, especially to those not already intimately familiar with the works of Poe. I have little to add by way of review, but I took the time to create a table of contents that I hope will be of assistance to other listeners.

1.) 0:10 - 2:03 To -----
2.) 2:03 - 3:10 Alone
3.) 3:15 - 6:23 The City in the Sea
4.) 6:28 - 31:20 Berenice
5.) 31:25 - 55:28 The Fall of the House of Usher *
6.) 55:30 - 1:44:27 Ligeia
7.) 1:44:30 - 1:46:49 excerpt from The Fall of the House of Usher
8.) 1:46:55 - 2:18:43 The Pit and the Pendulum
9.) 2:18:46 - 2:35:27 The Masque of the Red Death
10.) 2:35:33 - 2:49:37 The Tell-Tale Heart
11.) 2:49:40 - 3:45:27 The Gold Bug
12.) 3:45:30 - 4:12:19 The Black Cat
13.) 4:12:25 - 4:20:58 The Raven
14.) 4:21:03 - 4:38:00 The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar
15.) 4:38:01 - 4:54:07 The Cask of Amontillado
16.) 4:54:13 - 4:58:23 The Bells
17.) 4:58:28 - 5:00:35 Annabel Lee
18.) 5:00:40 - 5:01:19 Eldorado
19.) 5:01:25 - 5:16:00 The Imp of the Perverse
20.) 5:16:06 - 5:31:22 Morella

*Selection #5, "The Fall of the House of Usher" skips a section of verse (marked as I-VI in the text), along with approximately one page on either side of this section. The skip occurs at 40:57. Selection #7 is of the missing verse (I-VI), though without the other material excluded from #5. Selection #5 has additional abridgments - a paragraph here, a sentence or a word there. I have not found any further abridgments in the other selections; if you find any, please post the information in a review.

ok

Classic narration for sure. Unfortunately the audio needs to be cleaned up, and edited so the listener can skip from story to story. As it is, one must fast-forward to move past a poem or story.