Poe written by James M. Hutchisson is a biography about Edgar Allan Poe. Poe was a writer and a poet. Hutchisson tells about Poe's early life and adulthood. This book is very informative and factual. However the author does not go into detail about some important details like Poe's accomplishments. The most important thing to say about Poe is that he was a great writer and helped form literature to what it is today. Poe was born on January 19, 1809. His parents were Eliza Poe, an English born actress, and David Poe Jr., was an American actor. Edgar Allen Poe was born in Boston, Massachusetts. He was Eliza and David Jr.'s second child. Poe's father abandoned the family in 1810, and his mother died a year later from pulmonary tuberculosis. Poe was then taken to a home of John Allen, a successful Scottish merchant in Richmond, Virginia. John Allan was a dealer for a variety of goods such as tobacco, cloth, wheat, tombstones, and slaves. The Allans served as a foster home and Edgar took their last name, although they never formally adopted him. The Allen family baptized Poe in 1812. The family sailed to Brittan in 1815, and Poe attended grammar school in Scotland before returning to the family in London in 1816. Poe continues his education in 1820 and earns distinction in athletics, languages, and military exercises. …show more content…
Poe attended the University of Virginia for one semester but left due to lack of money. Poe quarreled with Allen over funds for his education and enlisted in the Army in 1827 under an assumed name. It was at this time that his publishing career began. With the death of Frances Allen in 1829, Poe and Allan reached temporary rapprochement. However Poe later failed at officer cadet at West Point, declaring a firm wish to be a poet and writer, and he ultimately parted ways with John