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    The Purloined Letter
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    The Purloined Letter
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    The Purloined Letter
    Ebook34 pages36 minutes

    The Purloined Letter

    By Edgar Allan Poe

    3.5/5

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    About this ebook

    This book contains Edgar Allen Poe’s 1844 short story, "The Purloined Letter". Famous Parisian detective C. Auguste Dupin is asked by the Prefect of the Police to investigate the theft a letter that is being used by a shady minster as an instrument of blackmail. An exciting tale of mystery and intrigue, “The Purloined Letter" constitutes a must-read for lovers of detective fiction. Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849) was an American author, editor, poet, and critic. Most famous for his stories of mystery and horror, he was one of the first American short story writers, and is widely considered to be the inventor of the detective fiction genre. Many antiquarian books such as this are becoming increasingly rare and expensive. We are republishing this volume now in an affordable, high-quality edition complete with a specially commissioned new biography of the author.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRead Books Ltd.
    Release dateMay 6, 2015
    ISBN9781473395619
    Author

    Edgar Allan Poe

    Edgar Allan Poe (1809–49) reigned unrivaled in his mastery of mystery during his lifetime and is now widely held to be a central figure of Romanticism and gothic horror in American literature. Born in Boston, he was orphaned at age three, was expelled from West Point for gambling, and later became a well-regarded literary critic and editor. The Raven, published in 1845, made Poe famous. He died in 1849 under what remain mysterious circumstances and is buried in Baltimore, Maryland.

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    Reviews for The Purloined Letter

    3.5/5

    159 ratings7 reviews

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    • 2/5
      Read this as part of my BA in English.With Poe's reputation, I felt disappointed with this, though parts did impress me. The concept is clever, but too much rambling prose prevented me from really liking this.
    • 4/5
      "Perhaps it is the very simplicity of the thing which puts you at fault."

      Compared to the works of Arthur Conan Doyle, this was one I knew I couldn't possibly miss. I could see some similarities, but naturally, Sherlock was sorely missed. In his place, Poe's writing was an adequate replacement. The story was not full of any action; however, it was a recollection of the search that was conducted for the 'purloined letter' and the reasoning that sometimes what you're looking for is right under your nose all along.

      "It is merely," I said, "an identification of the reasoner's intellect with that of his opponent."
    • 5/5
      This is definitely the best of the three Poe stories featuring Dupin, despite having the most commonplace title. It's a clear antecedent of Sherlock Holmes in almost every respect, and actually has a plot as well. You can hear Holmes saying many of Dupin's lines, Watson saying many of the unnamed narrator's and Lestrade saying many of Inspector G's lines.
    • 2/5
      ZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzz.
    • 3/5


      Three stars for being Poe. Now to read some of the better ones.
    • 4/5
      I've read a few Edgar Allan Poe stories in my time (I remember being very scared by reading the Tell-Tale Heart) but this one had never this one. Since it is on the 1001 Books to Read Before You Die list and it was available as a free download on the internet I decided to finish up my trifecta of detective novels by reading it now. I suppose this would be classified as one of the oldest detective mysteries and I'm sure that is why it is on the list.A letter has been taken from a royal personage's room by a minister of the Crown. The letter would be damaging to the royal personage (although not specified it is presumed the royal personage is the Queen) if it was divulged to her husband so the minister can use it to obtain advantages for himself. The Parisian police, headed by Monsieur G., have been tasked with recovering the letter but despite searching the minister's house minutely and having him waylaid twice to be personally searched they have not been able to find it. Monsieur G. comes to Auguste Dupin to ask for advice. Dupin advises him to search the house again. When Monsieur G. returns in a month he confesses that they have not been able to find the letter and that the reward has been doubled. G. says he would give 50,000 francs to whoever could help find the letter. Dupin says if G. writes a cheque he will produce the letter and he does upon receiving the cheque. G. goes away happy but mystified and Dupin explains to the narrator how he found the letter. In this he reminded me quite a lot of Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot using his little grey cells to solve a mystery that eluded the police.It's nice to tick another one off the list.
    • 4/5
      This is a detective novel (short story) by Poe. Poe is credited with the creation of the modern detective novel. The story is about a stolen letter from the Queen of France. It displays the skills of the detective. It was enjoyable.