Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849) was a short story writer, poet, editor and critic. Born in Boston, Massachesetts, he is one of the most acclaimed American short story writers of the 19th century and he is generally considered the creator of detective fiction. Carl Ostrowski is Professor of English at Middle Tennessee State University, USA. He is the author of Books, Maps, and Politics:A Cultural History of the Library of Congress, 1783-1861, winner of the 2007 Eliza Atkins Gleason Book Award, and Literature and Criminal Justice in Antebellum America.