A talking raven visits a devasted lover, who is in the midst of mourning the loss of his great love, Leonore. One of the most famous narrative poems, written by the great Edgar Allan Poe, it was first published to immediate success in 1845. This edition is from 1884, beautifully illustrated with lavish woodcuts by the great French artist Gustave Doré, and features a comment by the poet Edward C. Stedman.

Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849) was an American poet, author, and literary critic. Most famous for his poetry, short stories, and tales of the supernatural, mysterious, and macabre, he is also regarded as the inventor of the detective genre and a contributor to the emergence of science fiction, dark romanticism, and weird fiction. His most famous works include "The Raven" (1945), "The Black Cat" (1943), and "The Gold-Bug" (1843).