Edgar Allan Poe T-shirt Now Available

Edgar Allan Poe has always been our favorite writer when it comes to horror fiction. He was born in Boston in 1809. Tragically, his father abandoned him and his two siblings shortly before his mother died. This all happened before Poe had reached the age of two.

Young Edgar was taken in by John Allan, a tobacco merchant, who bestowed his middle name on him. Poe had a stormy relationship with his foster father. He attended the University of Virginia for a year and made good grades, but when his foster father did not send enough money to cover tuition and fees, Poe accumulated gambling debts and was soon forced to drop out.

Poe signed up for the army when he was 18 because it was the only way he could support himself. Two years later, he went to West Point, but not finding military life to his liking, he purposely had himself court-martialed for "gross neglect of duty" and ended his career early.

Shortly after leaving the military in 1831, Poe published his third book of poems. None of them sold very well. He took a position as an editor, a job which he was to continue throughout his life, although mostly in short stints for different magazines.

Throughout his career, Poe was better known for his literary criticism than his own creative efforts, although he did achieve some fame when his poem "The Raven" was published in 1845. Unfortunately, this success was followed by death of his wife and the failure of the magazine he was currently editing.

Poe died in 1849 of unknown causes. He was found unconscious in the streets of Baltimore and taken to the hospital, but he never recovered. It is said that the smallest amounts of alcohol could change his personality and lead to erratic behaviour. After his wife's death, he may have turned to alcohol more than would be thought prudent. We will never know.

The good news is we finished our Edgar Allan Poe t-shirt just in time for Halloween. Now you can wear your favorite writer of the macabre.