This fascinating literary essay, written by the famous American writer and poet, Edgar Allan Poe, explores the mystique of artistic creation. By using his renowned poem ‘The Raven’ as an example, Poe explains how good writers write well, concluding that brevity, ‘unity of effect’ and a logical method are the most important factors. Taking the reader through the deliberate choices made when writing the poem, the author also discusses theme, setting, sound, and the importance of refrain. ‘The Philosophy of Composition’ (1846) is a perfect read for literary scholars, writers, and fans of Poe. Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849) was an American writer, poet, editor and literary critic, best known for his gothic, macabre tales that include ‘The Fall of the House of Usher’, ‘The Tell-Tale Heart’, and ‘The Murders in the Rue Morgue’. One of America’s first short story writers, Poe is considered the inventor of detective fiction and a key figure in both horror and science fiction. His work had a profound impact on American and international literature and he was one of the first American writers to earn international recognition. His other notable works include ‘The Raven and other Poem’s’, (1845) ‘The Cask of Amontillado’, ‘The Fall of the House of Usher’, and ‘The Tell-Take Heart’. With many of his stories adapted for TV and screen, including the gothic 2014 film ‘Stonehearst Asylum’, starring Kate Beckinsale, Michael Caine, and Ben Kingsley, Poe continues to influence literature, film, and television to this day.

The 120 Days of Sodom by Marquis de Sade relates the story of four wealthy men who enslave 24 mostly teenaged victims and sexually torture them while listening to stories told by old prostitutes. The book was written while Sade was imprisoned in the Bastille and the manuscript was lost during the storming of the Bastille. Sade wrote that he "wept tears of blood" over the manuscript's loss. Many consider this to be Sade crowing acheivement.

When teenagers Kenneth and Corrie Tyler venture to their father's graveside they make a horrific discovery: their father is not buried in the casket they bought for him. The undertaker, Fenton Breece, has been grotesquely manipulating the dead. Armed with incriminating photographs, Tyler faces a desperate pursuit through eerie backwoods filled with tangled roads, rusted machinery, lost families and witches, and the most compelling Southern Gothic novel of the year.

The novel that inspired the film starring James Franco and Seth Rogen: “One of a kind . . . a funny, unnervingly surreal page turner” (Newsweek). Named one of the Best Books of the Year by the Washington Post Book World, Newsweek, and the Los Angeles Times Book Review Zeroville centers on the story of Vikar, a young architecture student so enthralled with the movies that his friends call him “cinéautistic.” With an intensely religious childhood behind him, and tattoos of Elizabeth Taylor and Montgomery Clift on his head, he arrives in Hollywood—where he’s mistaken for a member of the Manson family and eventually scores a job as a film editor. Vikar discovers the frames of a secret film within the reels of every movie ever made, and sets about splicing them together—a task that takes on frightening theological dimensions. Electrifying and “darkly funny,” Zeroville dives into the renegade American cinema of the 1970s and ’80s and emerges into an era for which we have no name (Publishers Weekly). “Funny, disturbing, daring . . . dreamlike and sometimes nightmarish.” —The New York Times Book Review “Magnificent.” —The Believer “[A] writer who has been compared to Vladimir Nabokov, Don DeLillo, and Thomas Pynchon.” —Bookmarks Magazine “Erickson is as unique and vital and pure a voice as American fiction has produced.” —Jonathan Lethem

New York Times bestseller—now a major motion picture directed by and starring James Franco! From the actor who somehow lived through it all, a “sharply detailed…funny book about a cinematic comedy of errors” (The New York Times): the making of the cult film phenomenon The Room.In 2003, an independent film called The Room—starring and written, produced, and directed by a mysteriously wealthy social misfit named Tommy Wiseau—made its disastrous debut in Los Angeles. Described by one reviewer as “like getting stabbed in the head,” the $6 million film earned a grand total of $1,800 at the box office and closed after two weeks. Years later, it’s an international cult phenomenon, whose legions of fans attend screenings featuring costumes, audience rituals, merchandising, and thousands of plastic spoons. Hailed by The Huffington Post as “possibly the most important piece of literature ever printed,” The Disaster Artist is the hilarious, behind-the-scenes story of a deliciously awful cinematic phenomenon as well as the story of an odd and inspiring Hollywood friendship. Actor Greg Sestero, Tommy’s costar and longtime best friend, recounts the film’s bizarre journey to infamy, unraveling mysteries for fans (like, who is Steven? And what’s with that hospital on Guerrero Street?)—as well as the most important question: how the hell did a movie this awful ever get made? But more than just a riotously funny story about cinematic hubris, “The Disaster Artist is one of the most honest books about friendship I’ve read in years” (Los Angeles Times).