The words of Edgar Allan Poe's "Tales of Mystery and Imagination" are nothing short of bone-chilling, and they certainly need no visual accompaniment. But a special edition of "Tales," originally published in 1923 and reprinted in 2008, decided to add them anyway, and we're glad it did.
Harry Clarke, an Irish stained glass artist and illustrator, provided 24 dark and arresting images that intricately draw out the gore and suspense of short stories like 'Fall of the House of Usher'. The torture scene of 'The Pit and the Pendulum' is brought to life through a terrifying illustration of bondage, blood-thirsty rats, and what appears to be a swinging, scythe-like pendulum. And the orangutan that you vividly imagined while reading 'The Murder in the Rue Morgue' is depicted mid-kill, noticeably brandishing the sailor's shaving razor that he used to slit the throat of the dead woman in the background.
Clarke's illustrative style weaves all the stories together, placing emphasis on the startling fear that shows through the widely gaping eyes of all of Poe's victims. So while you may believe that Poe's own writing is sufficiently scary, we guarantee that these illustrations will make you wince.
Check out Harry Clarke's illustrations below!
