January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849
On this day in 1809 in Boston, MA, short story writer, poet, essayist, father of detective stories, a fixture of the gothic genre- Edgar Allan Poe was born. A gifted student yet troubled youth, he briefly attended both the University of Virginia and West Point. As an adult, he sustained himself by submitting poetry and short stories to magazines while living for periods in Boston, Baltimore, Richmond, and Philadelphia. Despite his early death in 1849 at the age of 40, Poe made significant contributions to American literature.
Looking for Digital Library Resources?
Ebooks
- Edgar Allan Poe and the Masses : The Political Economy of Literature in Antebellum America by Terence Whalen
- Edgar Allan Poe, Eureka, and Scientific Imagination by David N. Stamos
- Edgar Allan Poe : Beyond Gothicism by James M. Hutchisson
- Borges’s Poe : The Influence and Reinvention of Edgar Allan Poe in Spanish America by Emron Esplin
- The Time-transcending Poetry of Edgar Allan Poe : An Explanation of the Mechanics of His Poetic Speech by Sławomir Studniarz
Journals
- American Literature
- Studies In Short Fiction
- Library Journal
- School Library Journal
- Southern Literary Journal
Databases
- MLA International Bibliography
- Gale Literature Resource Center
- Humanities International Index
- Gale in Context: Biography
- Complementary Index
Tips for Browsing the Stacks
Almost everything about Poe will be sectioned under classifications PN for general literature or PS for American literature. Specifically, PN6099 -6120.95 for poetry and fiction. He will also be included in PS991-(3390) for authors of the 19th century.
In Need of Some Primary Sources?
- Take a trip into the city to see the Colonel Richard A. Gimbel collection of Edgar Allan Poe materials at the Free Library of Philadelphia.
- Explore the Edgar Allan Poe Collection from the Harry Ransom center at UT Austin
- View the Edgar Allan Poe Collection from Enoch Pratt Free Library
Current Resources
- Visit the Edgar Allan Poe museum in Baltimore, MD. Also in Philadelphia, see one of the houses he and his wife lived in.
- Learn more from the digital project by the University of Virginia, From Out That Shadow: the Life and Legacy of Edgar Allan Poe.
- Take a walk on the Poe Audio Tour and visit Poe Cottage in the Bronx
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