Macabre, gothic illustrations for Edgar Allan Poe’s ‘Tales of Mystery and Imagination’
There are few volumes more suitably macabre for dipping into at this time of year than Edgar Allan Poe’s Tales of Mystery and Imagination. I had for many years an old Pan paperback of Poe’s stories–one I’d treasured since childhood–until this fine dog-eared friend started setting lose its pages. When I replaced it, I was fortunate to find a battered old volume with fabulous illustrations by Harry Clarke. An original edition of this book can set you back a few hundred bucks. Thankfully, the thrift store where I chanced upon my 1928 edition was more than charitable in its pricing and I paid no more than the cost of an average family-sized coffee.
Clarke’s beautiful, intricate–and yes, at times–rather grotesque illustrations are a perfect fit for Poe’s weird tales. Clarke (1889-1931) was a prolific artist and illustrator. An Irishman who produced over 130 beautiful and ornate stained glass windows for churches all over Ireland and in England and France. Yet, for all their magestic beauty Clarke’s greatest fame came from his book illustrations–most notably for the Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen (1916), the Fairy Tales of Charles Perrault (1922), Goethe’s Faust (1925), and especially the two editions of Poe’s Tales of Mystery and Imagination in 1919 and 1923.
The 1919 edition of Poe’s collected stories were accompanied by a series of Clarke’s monotone illustrations. The 1923 edition was further enriched by the addition of eight color plates. I never tire of looking at Clarke’s illustrations. They are incredibly rich and filled with small intricacies that delight even after far too many viewings. Sure, he may have dipped his pen in the well of Aubrey Beardsley’s blackest ink but Clarke’s penmanship and artistry are singularly his own.
‘The Fall of the House of Usher.’
‘The Fall of the House of Usher.’
‘The Murders in the Rue Morgue.’
‘Ligeia.’
‘Ligeia.’
‘The Gold Bug.’
‘A Descent into the Maelström.’
‘A Tale of the Ragged Mountains.’
‘Berenice.’
‘The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar.’
‘The Colloquy of Monos and Una.’
Via Wiki Commons, Public Domain Review and British Library.