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)

Great except for the formatting

4 stars - It was really good.

First, here is the table of contents because this audiobook doesn’t come with one. All the stories just run into each other so you need this table of contents if you want to find a specific story/poem. Also thanks Tom (another reviewer on Audible) for providing this list.

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

Also, some of these stories are abridged. I know for sure The Fall of House of Usher is missing sections and paragraphs. I don’t know for sure about the other stories but I assume they are also missing some parts.

This is a pretty good collection of stories and poems from Poe. I like almost all of these so it was great to relisten to them, especially with Vincent Price and Basil Rathbone as the narrators. Of these versions I think my favorite was The Pit and the Pendulum with Price as the narrator. He really brought out the horror of that story and made it feel very spooky.

Overall, this was an enjoyable collection even with the formatting problems. I read Poe’s stories every year around this time and I really enjoyed the horror and emotion captured in this audio collection.

Poe and Price--the Perfect Couple

This is a case of perfect reader meeting a perfect text. If you like Poe, even if you have different recordings of his work, get this one! You'll appreciate the chilling and macabre TONE that the readers add to Poe's already creepy stories. My favorite: Imp of the Perverse.

Fabulous

Poe is an incredible poet, a creative author and morbidly obsessed with death and the dying. I was horrified the first time I ever heard these stories and poems, but as I listen to them now, I can so better appreciate the beauty of their architecture, and the melodious sound of the prose. Don’t take that to mean they are happy little melodies, because Poe did not do happy.

I listened to these things read by Vincent Price and Basil Rathbone, both of whom are masters of the genre. Wow, it was an amazing experience. No one puts words together quite like Poe, and the readers brought every bit of drama out of the written word.

What could be better.

Every Halloween while I’m giving out candy, I listen to this. Vincent Price and Basil Rathbone are wonderful as the narrators for Poe’s stories. If you enjoy reading his stories/poems then you should Give it a try!!

Great narration. Atrocious formatting.

Price and Rathbone are perfect narrators for Poe. Format is terrible. No story or chapter titles. Some abridged sections. Much thanks to Tom for his review. He gives a much appreciated table of contents.

Greatest audio ever

This is one of the best audio collections including the voice of Vincent price who starts in movie based on poe's writings

great!

absolutely amazing price and poe are great 2gether! gave me chills the whole way through!!!

Poe's best-known poems and tales, nicely performed

Though I admire Vincent Price, I was pleased that Basil Rathbone performs most of the works in this audiobook-- he was a magician! Well worth a listen, whether you are familiar with Poe or not.

Great Performances, Missing Titles

Everything about these performances of these stories are amazing, but they do not give the titles of the story they are about to read before they start. If it wasn't for the change in actors, it would have been a little difficult to distinguish where one story ends and another starts.

Awesome performances from Vincent Price and Basil.

I've read these stories and poems when I was younger. And still enjoy Edgar Allen Poe's works. I have all of his books. Everyone who likes Poe, when be thrilled with this audible book.