In 1926, when published in two volume, until today, with all of the biographies and books on or about Poe, this is the one to read. Harvey (I think it's Hervey?) Allen was one of the most popular navelists of his day. His text reads like a novel, not a scholarly book for researches collecting facts only. He was the first of the century to expand on the known biography to that time. Neitehr Quinn nor Silverman, nor other, not even Mabbot, have improved on Allen's work of Poe's life.