About Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1848) transformed the American literary landscape with his innovations in the short story genre and his haunting lyrical poetry, and he is credited with inventing American gothic horror and detective fiction. He was first published in 1827 and then began a career as a magazine writer and editor and a sharp literary critic. In 1845 the publication of his most famous poem, “The Raven,” brought him national fame.
About Vincent Price
Vincent Price (1911–1993) was an award-winning American actor, well known
for his distinctive voice and serio-comic performances in a series of horror
films. Because of his distinctive, low-pitched voice and atmospheric narration,
he was in demand for his voice work. He provided a quasi-rap voiceover for
Michael Jackson’s Thriller TV video;
he narrated a brief history of Tombstone, Arizona, for use in the diorama at
the site of the O.K. Corral gunfight; and he made a short speech about the
black widow on the Alice Cooper album Welcome
to My Nightmare.” He said that one of his most favorite roles was the voice
of Professor Ratigan in the Disney feature The
Great Mouse Detective (1986), especially since two original songs had been
written for him. His awards include a Career Achievement Award from the Los
Angeles Film Critics Association, an International Fantasy Film Award, and two
stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, one for film and one for his television
career. He won an AudioFile Earphones Award for his reading, along with Basil Rathbone, of The Edgar Allan Poe Audio Collection.