Quinn, Arthur Hobson, Edgar Allan Poe: A Critical Biography, Johns Hopkins University Press, 1941.

Quinn's massive, 832-page book, reprinted in 1997, is considered by many to be the definitive study in its time of Poe. Quinn, born in 1875, was concerned with defending Poe's reputation, and his examination of Poe's life—unlike many other biographies that relied on guesswork and speculation—was based on thorough research in the Poe family archive.

Silverman, Kenneth, Edgar A. Poe: Mournful and Never-Ending Remembrance, HarperPerennial Library, 1992.

Pulitzer-Prize-winning biographer for The Life and Times of Cotton Mather, Silverman examines Poe's life in light of the fact that Poe was one of the first generation of professional American writers. The book also includes an exhaustive collection of appendices and notes for further study.

Sova, Dawn B., Edgar Allan Poe, A to Z: The Essential Reference to His Life and Work, Literary A to...