January 19, 2015 is the 206th anniversary of Edgar Allan Poe’s birth.  As a fan of Poe’s work I like to take a moment each year to remember his legacy and appreciate his impact on American culture.  I’m so impressed with Poe that the Tell-Tale Creations name is inspired by his short story The Tell-Tale Heart.

Did you know that Poe was the pioneer of detective fiction in America?

A few European detective stories inspired Poe’s creation of detective C. Auguste Dupin in his 1841 short story The Murders in the Rue Morgue. Poe included detective Dupin in several other mysteries and created the plot formula that has guided detective fiction for the past 174 years!

Through the years we can trace our most well-known fictional detective stories back to the work of Poe:  the Nancy Drew mysteries, The Cat Who… series, Michael Connelly’s Harry Bosch series, Murder She Wrote, Matlock, Law & Order, Monk, Psych, etc. etc. Next time you watch your favorite crime drama on TV or read a novel from your favorite detective series, remember the role that Poe played in bringing them into being.  Thanks for the mysteries, Poe!

View more articles in celebration of EA Poe’s influence on American literature and culture.