Ten tales of horror, jeopardy and death by Poe. The Oval Portrait: A portrait painted by an artist robs his sitter of her life. Hop-Frog: A jester dwarf takes a terrible revenge on the king and the court. The Masque of the Red Death: The Red Death stalks the chambers of Prince Prospero. The Cask of Amontillado: Montresor takes Fortunato to a dark Roman cellarage, to taste an Amontillado... The Pit and the Pendulum: A razor-edged pendulum wings ever lower towards a prisoner of the Inquisition. Other tales included in this volume: Ligeia: A dark and gothic tale of a beautiful woman - with a surprising ending. Eleonora: An uncharacteristic celebration of love. Morella: Morella is his love, his teacher. But when she dies in childbirth she leaves an eerie legacy. Berenice: Berenice is beautiful and she is dying; and her husband develops a dreadful obsession... The Fall of the House of Usher: Roderick and Madelaine are the last of the House of Usher; and Roderick is convinced that the house is 'alive'... Plus: the four classic tales with which Poe created a new genre: the detective story - The Gold-Bug: William LeGrand is literally bitten by a gold-coloured bug and draws two friends into an adventurous hunt for buried treasure. The Murders In The Rue Morgue: A baffling double murder - and the killer leaves the clues of a bloody razor, tufts of gray hair and two bags of gold coins. The Mystery of Marie Rogêt: A perfume shop is murdered and her body dumped into the Seine - but why? The Purloined Letter: A letter from the queen's lover has been stolen from her boudoir by an unscrupulous Minister - but a search of his rooms reveals nothing. Cover illustration by Aubrey Beardsley.