The Raven

First published in 1845, The Raven, by Edgar Allan Poe, is read by Lee Purcell.

Scholars suspect that Lenore, who appears in several of Poe's works, is based on his first wife, Virginia Clemm. Virginia died at a young age of tuberculosis, a loss that haunted Poe as long as he lived.  

Over the span of his short life (40 years), Poe produced numerous imaginative stories, poems, macabre tales, and a novel, The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket, a book that has intrigued and influenced many subsequent writers. His story The Gold Bug ushered in the era of detective mystery stories. For more about his life, visit this page.