Tamerlane and Other Poems

Virtually ignored when first published and almost lost entirely, these are the first published works of one of America's great writers.

Edgar Allen Poe's 'Tamerlane and Other Poems' contains many early sparks of his creative genius and writing power.

The poems were inspired by a who's who of great poets: Percy Bysshe Shelley, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, and Lord Byron.

The main poem, 'Tamerlane', tells of a great conqueror on his death bed, wishing he had stayed with his childhood sweetheart and ignored his ambition.

Others focus on the themes of love, loss, rejection, egotism, and death.

Having been called "the trumpet blast announcing that a new poet has stepped upon the stage", Poe's entrance into the literary world is confident and filled with promise.

'Tamerlane and Other Poems' is ideal for those interested in reading Poe's first published work.



Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849) was an American poet, author, and literary critic. Despite a brief life, he was celebrated for his poetry, short stories, and tales of the supernatural. 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.

In 1827, Poe joined the US Army under an assumed name and had his first collection, 'Tamerlane and Other Poems,' published anonymously. He worked as a literary critic and moved around America, writing as he went while his works gradually built an audience.

His most famous works include ´The Raven´ (1945), ´The Black Cat´ (1943), and ´The Gold-Bug´ (1843).