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A Mystery of Mysteries: The Death and Life of Edgar Allan Poe Audiobook
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A Mystery of Mysteries is a brilliant biography of Edgar Allan Poe that examines the renowned author’s life through the prism of his mysterious death and its many possible causes.
It is a moment shrouded in horror and mystery. Edgar Allan Poe died on October 7, 1849, at just forty, in a painful, utterly bizarre manner that would not have been out of place in one of his own tales of terror.
What was the cause of his untimely death, and what happened to him during the three missing days before he was found, delirious and “in great distress” on the streets of Baltimore, wearing ill-fitting clothes that were not his own?
Mystery and horror. Poe, who remains one of the most iconic of American writers, died under haunting circumstances that reflect the two literary genres he took to new heights. Over the years, there has been a staggering amount of speculation about the cause of death, from rabies and syphilis to suicide, alcoholism, and even murder. But many of these theories are formed on the basis of the caricature we have come to associate with Poe: the gloomy-eyed grandfather of Goth, hunched over a writing desk with a raven perched on one shoulder, drunkenly scribbling his chilling masterpieces.
By debunking the myths of how he lived, we come closer to understanding the real Poe―and uncovering the truth behind his mysterious death, as a new theory emerges that could prove the cause of Poe’s death was haunting him all his life.
In a compelling dual-timeline narrative alternating between Poe’s increasingly desperate last months and his brief but impactful life, Mark Dawidziak sheds new light on the enigmatic master of macabre.
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“Even those familiar with Poe’s story will find plenty of surprises here, while those who know him only by reputation will get a better-rounded view of a man who was far more than an author of a few scary stories.”
— Columbus Dispatch
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“A biography that reads like a gripping, well-reported feature story.”
— Washington Post -
“Part high-speed tour of Poe’s tumultuous career and part cold-case investigation of his premature and enigmatic end.”
— Wall Street Journal -
“Will surely fascinate even the mildly-curious Edgar Allan Poe fan.”
— The Week -
“Dawidziak releases [Poe] from this caricature, emphasizing Poe’s work as a literary critic, his fine sense of humor, and the vast amount of work he produced.”
— Akron Beacon Journal (Ohio) -
“A Mystery of Mysteries is, itself, a mystery worthy of Poe’s fictional sleuth C. Auguste Dupin.”
— New York Journal of Books -
“This bio’s mode of presentation is almost as striking as its subject’s life…vibrant.”
— Washington Independent Review of Books -
“This intrigue-filled offering…has revelations to spare.”
— Publishers Weekly (starred review) -
“Reaches beyond the myth of Poe to reveal the actual man and writer, all while painting a vivid picture of the era in which he lived.”
— BookPage (starred review) -
“Vividly captur[es] the public’s ongoing fascination with this quintessential tortured soul.”
— Booklist (starred review)
Awards
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An Amazon Editor’s Top Pick in History
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The Week Magazine Pick of Must-Reads for 2023
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About Mark Dawidziak
Mark Dawidziak is the author or editor of some twenty-five books, including three studies of landmark television series: The Columbo Phile: A Casebook, The Night Stalker Companion, and Everything I Need to Know I Learned in The Twilight Zone, his lighthearted 2017 tribute to Rod Serling’s classic anthology series. He also is an internationally recognized Mark Twain scholar, and five of his books are about the iconic American writer. He spent forty-three years as a television, film, and theater critic at such newspapers as the Akron Beacon Journal and the Cleveland Plain Dealer. His work on the horror side of the street also includes the novel Grave Secrets, The Bedside, Bathtub & Armchair Companion to Dracula, short stories, and comic book scripts.
About Grover Gardner
Grover Gardner (a.k.a. Tom Parker) is an award-winning narrator with over a thousand titles to his credit. Named one of the “Best Voices of the Century” and a Golden Voice by AudioFile magazine, he has won three prestigious Audie Awards, was chosen Narrator of the Year for 2005 by Publishers Weekly, and has earned more than thirty Earphones Awards.