A review by shewreads
The Reason for the Darkness of the Night: Edgar Allan Poe and the Forging of American Science by John Tresch

3.0

So much of Poe’s life and contributions have been excluded from historical accounts, and that which has made it in is oft misrepresented. Rarely do we associate Poe with 19th-century science and philosophy, but he had remarkable success and ambitions in both. Alas, Poe’s endeavors too often followed a one step forward two steps back pattern, forcing a fair amount of that success to be awarded only in retrospect. What I found most curious was how Poe’s musings would eventually help to solidify the narrative that the universe is indeed bound by time. It has a story with a beginning, and in this biography, you will learn so much about the ignored pieces of Edgar Allan Poe’s beginning, middle, and everlasting end.