Edgar Allan Poe's life story is so full of dramatic twists and turns, it seems the master of the macabre could have penned it himself. His father deserted the family when Edgar was just a baby, and his mother died before he turned three. The wealthy Richmond merchant who raised Edgar never understood the highly sensitive and mercurial boy, and their relationship was one of endless feuds. Seeking direction, Poe attended the University of Virginia for one term, left school to join the army, and then left the army for West Point Military Academy. When he failed to finish at West Point, his surrogate father refused to support him any longer and Poe was left to fend for himself. A brilliant but erratic editor, Poe moved from magazine to magazine writing scathing book reviews that built up his reputation while infuriating the writers he so brutally railed. Along the way, Poe found time to write the horror stories and poems that left such an indelible mark on American literature. Poe's life was tragic in many ways, and came to an unfortunate early end. But his work has endured, and it remains influential and often imitated. Mystery and Terror: The Story of Edgar Allan Poe will fascinate a new generation of Poe readers as it brings the complex man and his struggles to life.