1. The Legend That All Other Horror Writers Measure Themselves Against

2. Poe’s Early History http://www.biography.com/people/edgar-allan-poe-9443160/videos/edgar-allan-poe-full-episode-2104513528

3. Mother’s death was the first of multiple abandonments Eliza Poe He was widely regarded as a genius – but tortured in his private life. Frances Allan Poe did not have a positive male role model growing up.

4. Back in Baltimore Though Poe experienced more than his share of troubled moments, he never stopped writing. He was also a successful editor and in 1834 had a somewhat steady income.

5.  His cousin Virginia (1822-1847) was his only true love. He married her when she was barely thirteen.

6.  Virginia’s family was very much in favor of the marriage, and, by all accounts, the marriage was happy.  A few years later, Poe was fired from his job due to his alcohol problem.  He and his mother-in-law begged for money.  Virginia became fatally ill.  Poe never recovered from her death.

7.  Poe died only two years after Virginia.  There is mystery surrounding his death, but there is no doubt he was living in poverty and had an addiction problem.

8.  There was a duality to Poe’s personality. He was an idealist and a visionary.  He was also charming and quite personable.  Unfortunately, he had a very sensitive nature.  He was an insomniac.  He suffered from harrowing nightmares that influenced his writing and his art.

9.  The atmosphere in his stories is unparalleled in American fiction.  He is an American master.  Other horror writers compare themselves to Poe and usually fall short.