I couldn't pass up writing a post about these. As you may or may not know Edgar Allan Poe lived from 1809-1849 in America and died only 4 years after the publishing of The Raven in 1845. His cause of death is unknown, although theories certainly exist. He has been credited with having an integral part of the American Romantic Movement, mysetery & macabre, and the development of the detective fiction genre.
Harry Clarke was an Irish stained glass artist who lived from 1889-1931. He illustrated the stories of Edgar Allan Poe in Tales of Mystery and Imagination which was first published in London in 1919. These original editions are now worth anywhere from $2700.00- $7500.00. see here
You can see a few beautiful color prints that were done by Clarke here. After the great success of Tales of Mystery and Imagination in 1919, a second book with additional color images was released in 1923.
My question though is how did Harry Clarke end up illustrating Poe's stories? I have not been able to find an answer yet....but apprently this art nouveau-esque style illustrations by Clarke was simply a way for him to pay the bills. His real passion resided in his stained-glass work, which I hope to learn how to do one day myself.
A more detailed history of Clarke can be found here.
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