Edgar Allan Poe(1809-49) was born in Boston, Massachusetts. Poe is well known for being an author, poet, editor and literary critic during the American Romantic Movement. He is generally considered the inventor of the detective fiction genre as well as being an important influence on early science fiction, and his works are famously filled with terror, mystery, death and haunting. Dr. Simon Marsden(introduction) focuses his research on intersections of literature, theology and religion from the Romantic period to the present. He has a particular interest in the Gothic genre in both the Victorian and contemporary periods. He is the author of The Theological Turn in Contemporary Gothic Fiction. Judith John(glossary) is a writer and editor specializing in literature and history.

She has worked as an editor on major educational projects, including English A: Literature for the Pearson International Baccalaureate series. Judith's major research interests include Romantic and Gothic literature, and Renaissance drama.