Cover of The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym

The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym

  • 1838 first published
  • 202 pages
  • ★ 4.4 (8 ratings)
  • 391 editions
  • 🎧 6 h 22 min free audiobook

The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym is an 1838 horror and historical fiction story collection by Edgar Allan Poe. The story is set in Nantucket Island, Mass.. Readers will find themes of young men, stowaways, Whaling and whaling ships.

Open Library readers give it an average of 4.4 out of 5 from 8 ratings, and 94 more have it on their want-to-read list. It has been published in 391 editions across 16 languages.

It runs to roughly 202 pages — 3–4 hours of reading at an average pace. A free LibriVox audiobook (6 h 22 min) is available.

About The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym

From the book:UPON my return to the United States a few months ago, after the extraordinary series of adventure in the South Seas and elsewhere, of which an account is given in the following pages, accident threw me into the society of several gentlemen in Richmond, Va., who felt deep interest in all matters relating to the regions I had visited, and who were constantly urging it upon me, as a duty, to give my narrative to the public. I had several reasons, however, for declining to do so, some of which were of a nature altogether private, and concern no person but myself, others not so much so. One consideration which deterred me was, that, having kept no journal during a greater portion of the time in which I was absent, I feared I should not be able to write, from mere memory, a statement so minute and connected as to have the appearance of that truth it would really possess, barring only the natural and unavoidable exaggeration to which all of us are prone when detailing events which have had powerful influence in exciting the imaginative faculties.
Description from Open Library

Free audiobook

The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym — LibriVox recording, 6 h 22 min in 27 sections.

Public-domain recording by volunteer readers. Listen online, download MP3s or stream from the Internet Archive.

Themes, setting & tropes

Genres

Setting

Subjects

  • Young men
  • Stowaways
  • Whaling
  • Whaling ships
  • Mutiny
  • Seafaring life
  • Classic Literature
  • Historical Fiction
  • American fiction, Fictional works by one author
  • Sea stories
  • Nantucket island, Mass.
  • Short stories, Single author
  • Massachusetts
  • Limited Editions Club
  • Nantucket Island, Mass.
  • Children's fiction

Quick answers

Who wrote The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym?

The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym was written by Edgar Allan Poe and first published in 1838.

What genre is The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym?

It is usually shelved as Horror and Historical Fiction.

How long is The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym?

The median edition has 202 pages, about 3–4 hours of reading at 250 words per minute.

Is there a free audiobook of The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym?

Yes — LibriVox volunteers recorded it; the recording runs 6 h 22 min.

What books are similar to The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym?

Readers who like it often enjoy The Terror, Moby Dick and The Invisible Man.

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