Poe's detective stories featuring C. Auguste Dupin were a major influence on subsequent mystery authors, most notably Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, whose Sherlock Holmes eventually overshadowed Dupin. The Complete Sherlock Holmes: All Four Novels and 56 Short Stories, published by Bantam Classic and Loveswept in 1998, showcases Doyle's expertise in the genre.

Investigative methods have evolved significantly since the mid-19th century. Greg Fallis' Just the Facts, Ma'am: A Writer's Guide to Investigators and Investigation Techniques, released in 1998 by Writer's Digest Books, outlines contemporary techniques used by police during investigations, as well as the personal qualities required to be a successful investigator today.

In more recent detective fiction, female private investigators have become prominent. One of the most notable examples is Sue Grafton's alphabet series of mysteries, featuring the tenacious private investigator, Kinsey Millhone. The series begins with A is for Alibi, published in 1987 by Crime Line. In this book, Millhone is hired by a woman who has served time for her husband's murder but wants Millhone to uncover the real killer.

Dashiell Hammett's The Maltese Falcon, originally published in 1930 and reprinted by Vintage Books in 1992, is considered the author's masterpiece in the hard-boiled fiction genre, a style of detective literature he pioneered. His stories featured tough private detectives who solved mysteries in gritty, dark, urban environments.

Published in 1984 by The Library of America, Edgar Allan Poe: Essays and Reviews, edited by G. R. Thompson, includes three of Poe's essential essays and reviews, such as "The Philosophy of Composition." Originally published in 1846, this influential essay laid out the principles Poe followed when writing his famous poem, "The Raven." These principles were adopted by many other poets of the 19th century.

The Illustrated Poetry of Edgar Allan Poe, published by Gramercy in 2001, features some of Poe's most beloved poems, accompanied by romantic illustrations by Edmund Dulac.

Although Poe is best known for his poetry and his supernatural, horror, and mystery short stories, he also wrote one novel: The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket. Described by Jorge Luis Borges as "Poe's greatest work," this Gothic novel, detailing the fantastic and horrific adventures of a stowaway aboard a whaling ship, was originally published in 1838.