The Oblong Box

After setting sail on from South Carolina aboard the ship “Independence”, the unnamed narrator is informed that an old college friend—Cornelius Wyatt—is also aboard with his wife, two sisters, and a large, mysterious box. One night the narrator witnesses Wyatt’s hideous wife leaving the room, and hears his old friend open the box and begin to weep. A powerful and chilling tale by the master of the short story form, “Independence” is highly recommended for fans of horror and mystery 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.