Publisher's Synopsis
Antebellum Petersburg was a melting pot of French, Haitian, Scotch-Irish and free black populations. It was in this eclectic city that the master of the macabre, Edgar Allan Poe, chose to take his new wife, thirteen-year-old first cousin Virginia Clemm, on their honeymoon in 1836. Join author Jeffrey Abugel as he traces the steps of the controversial couple through imaginative scenes of historic Petersburg. From Poe's own mother performing in the local venues to the poet's lasting friendship with Petersburg native and publisher Hiram Haines, Abugel reveals an overlooked place in Poe's fascinating life. Walk along the cobblestones of history to discover a forgotten past of a literary giant.
