TOMBS OF THE SEA contains the one novella, three short stories and one fragment which comprise Edgar Allan Poe's "oceanic†tales, conjuring vistas of dark horror and elemental violence. "The Narrative Of Arthur Gordon Pym" was Poe's only extended work, the diary of a strange voyage into the arctic wastes, marked by scenes of butchery, cannibalism, and hallucinatory apparitions; "Descent Into The Maelström†and "Ms Found In A Bottle†are stark tales of obsession in which the sea is cast as a demonic abyss of vortical annihilation; and in "The Oblong Box†, the ocean again opens its maw to claim both the living and the dead. TOMBS OF THE SEA also includes "The Lighthouse†, of which Poe left only a surviving fragment at his death, and "The Bloodhound Story", a rare piece of Poe arcana from his days as an anonymous copy-writer. TOMBS OF THE SEA‿is illustrated by Harry Clarke, and includes a foreword on Poe by the author H P Lovecraft.
Edgar Allan Poe è nato a Boston (USA) nel 1809 da una famiglia di attori girovaghi. Non ebbe modo di conoscerli approfonditamente poiché la madre morì quando ancora era un infante e il padre, alcolizzato, abbandonò la famiglia subito dopo la morte della moglie. Il piccolo Edgar fu quindi allevato da un ricco mercante di Richmond di nome John Allan.
Anche Edgar Allan Poe era solito deliziarsi dell'uso di alcool e gioco d'azzardo, motivo per cui John Allan lo estromise dal testamento.