HarperCollins is proud to present its new range of best-loved, essential classics. 'Yet I am not more sure that my soul lives, than I am that perverseness is one of the primitive impulses of the human heart - one of the indivisible primary faculties, or sentiments, which gives direction to the character of Man.' Including Poe's most terrifying, grotesque and haunting short stories, Tales of Mystery and Imagination is the ultimate collection of the infamous author's macabre works. Considered to be one of the earliest American writers to encapsulate the genre of detective-fiction, the collection features some of his most popular tales.'The Gold-Bug' is the only tale that was popular in his lifetime, whereas 'The Black Cat', 'The Pit and the Pendulum' and 'The Murders in the Rue Morgue' became more widely read after his death. Focussing on the internal conflict of individuals, the power of the dead over the living, and psychological explorations of darker human emotion that appear to anticipate Sigmund Freud's later theories on the psyche, Poe's Gothic terror stories are considered masterpieces the world over. * Highly collectible, these must-have classics should feature in every family's home library. * Striking and recognisable black and white cover designs, achieving stand-out on the bookshelves against the competition.

Features include: * A glossary of Classic Literature: Words and Phrases, adapted from the Collins English Dictionary. * A Life & Times section, detailing information about the author, their work and the time of publication. * A History of Collins, exploring the heritage and established reputation of Collins as a publisher of Classic fiction. Competition: The Scarlet Letter; The Haunting of Hill House; The Call of Cthulhu; The Lottery; Something Wicked This Way Comes; Dracula; Frankenstein; The Picture of Dorian Gray;. Nathaniel Hawthorne; H.P. Lovecraft; Ambrose Bierce; Stephen King; Bram Stoker; Mary Shelley; Oscar Wilde; Susan Hill.