"This book will be useful for readers who are especially interested in the Dupin tales, and the inclusion of the texts of those three tales adds to the usefulness of the book. There is an ample bibliography of primary and secondary materials involved in the critiques of the Dupin tales, and the index is also helpful for easy reference. Poe would doubtless find much to gratify him, were he to read this book." - The Edgar Allan Poe Review



"The book's overall presentation of Poe's 'mysteries' makes it an indispensable resource for scholars and critics. Moreover, unlike John T. Irwin's brilliant but often idiosyncratic criticism of Poe's detective fiction in The Mystery to a Solution (1994), Kopley's book is couched in a jargon-free style that will help to make it useful for teachers and accessible for students of all stripes and levels." - Review 19



"Edgar Allan Poe virtually invented the detective story, and Kopley reveals unexpected dimensions of his important discovery through an innovative combination of close reading, genetic criticism, and biography. Kopley s diligent research and astute literary analysis illuminate the meanings and contexts of Poe s detective stories in fresh ways. This book will be of great value to scholars of Poe and the American Renaissance." - David S. Reynolds, author of Waking Giant: America in the Age of Jackson



"This rich synthesis of primary source research and secondary criticism reveals much about Poe s reading, his sources of inspiration, and his creative process. Kopley s study underscores the continued value and vitality of original archival discovery to the study of our major American authors." - Kent P. Ljungquist, Worcester Polytechnic Institute