While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping. InThe Raven, Poe's poetic masterpiece, a distraught lover is visited by a mysterious bird, which does nothing but repeat 'Nevermore' again and again, driving the mourning paramour to despair. A poem of startling fame, The Ravenis beloved both for its musicality and its atmosphere, and has won the hearts of generations of readers the world over. This edition also includes Poe's essay on writing, 'The Philosophy of Composition', based on his crafting of The Raven, as well as the hauntingly evocative illustrations Édouard Manet produced for the first French publication, making this the definitive edition of the poem, ripe for rediscovery.