These short stories by Edgar Allen Poe captivated me entirely. I once vaguely and foolishly considered detective-type mysteries as corny and niche, fit only for a-dime-a-dozen 'penny dreadfuls'. I know this was foolish because I have made this error before with other genres; genres I dismissed outdated or probably not to my taste. However, the lesson here was more potent for me - not only because Poe's reputation precedes him to the modern reader, but - because Poe's ability to build atmosphere was probably more effective on me owing to the delivery through his archaic prose. And what breathtaking prose it is. 
 Somehow Poe's application of deductive reasoning compliments rather than sterilizes the mysterious aspects of each story. We don't necessarily question reality but the narrator's human, and therefore vulnerable, perception of it. 
 In this publication, each watercolor by Barry Moser provides the perfect punctuation in the buildup of suspense. Goodreads seems to have confused this publication with the one illustrated by Harry Clarke, when in fact the latter includes a couple more stories than the former. Harry Clarke, although a brilliant illustrator, depicts nether-worldly scenes, which I think misses the point of Poe's persistent realism.