[RACKHAM, Arthur]. Tales of Mystery and Imagination. By Edgar Allan Poe. Illustrated by Arthur Rackham. London: George Harrap & Co [1935]. 4to, 318pp. Black cloth pictorially stamped in gilt; top edge black. Pictorial endpapers; 12 color plates with captioned tissue guards and 17 full-page b&w illustrations. Spine ends a tad rubbed, a few tiny scratches to cloth, else an internally clean, bright copy in original color pictorial dust jacket (faintest traces of edgewear).

 

First edition. A collection of some of Poe’s most haunting and macabre works, including “The Tell-Tale Heart,” “The Cask of Amontillado,” “The Pit and the Pendulum,” “The Fall of the House of Usher,” and “The Murders in the Rue Morgue.” The true highlight of this volume is Rackham’s ethereal artwork; his expressive color plates, intense and intricate line drawings, and darkly expressive silhouettes perfectly bring out the suspense and power of Poe’s work.