Secrets are what Poe was all about.

Puzzles, tricks, fakeouts—
Mystification, Poe called it
It was his consuming passion, and the subject of this website and this blog. Join me in exploring the “quintessence of Poe.”*
*G. Richard Thompson: “Is Poe’s ‘A Tale of the Ragged Mountains’ a Hoax?”
Studies in Short Fiction 6 (1969): 454.

Past Musings & Mutterings
Introducing the Gotcha!
These three tales are half sendup, half fakeout, and pure Poe.
The Heart of the Matter: Misdirection, Masquerade, Malarkey
Illusion is the key to Poe’s tricks and also a goal in…







