Edgar Allan Poe Audio Collection

I purchased this product to use with my students so that they could get a better feel for Poe's works without allowing pronunciation issues to slow them down. The readings are dramatic and clear, and they really helped my kids get into the story as they followed along. I would recommend them for any teacher or parent who wants to lead some young minds towards some classic literature!

We all know (or I hope we know) that Poe is a genius, but trust me when I say that in reading this Basil Rathbone is absolute genius as well! I cannot imagine a better voice for the material, and not only that, but the deliciously devious manner of his reading is perfect. It is exactly the way I imagine Poe writing the stories and poems. To hear Rathbone portray the maniacal narrator of "The Black Cat" or "The Cask of Amontillado" is an exercise in audio heaven. Not to mention "The Raven", which is fantastically gut-wrenching. Vincent Price is of course good too, but he got the short end of the stick with the material, relatively speaking (hearing "Ligeia" and "Morella" is just too similar). Rathbone is the star of these CD's. An earlier reviewer called this compilation "gutless". I feel sorry for someone who hears this and says that, because it is quite definitely anything but gutless!

I'm didn't like the audio levels, I had to turn it up to hear some of what the narrators were saying, but then other times it would be too loud.

A must have for Poe lovers. Excellent audio collection. Rathbone and Price are the perfect match. The audios are based on the quality of their voices and the writings. No sound effects are needed due to the talent of these two individuals.

I was looking forward to listening to this on a recent trip but found the experience less then hoped for.

I feel that the problem is the material. The readers, Basil Rathbone & Vincent Price, have great voices. They are part narrator part voice acting and that can add a great deal. But, it makes it difficult sometimes as the sound levels are variable; sometimes almost a whisper then shouting. That makes listening while driving difficult.

Also the material, Edgar Allan Poe, is rather densely written. The stories are convoluted and the words Poe used are intentionally obscure sometimes - all that makes it harder to follow in audio book form rather then in the actual reading.

Not a bad production and I may listen to it at work, but it was not very good for travel listening.