The Tell-Tale Heart
The Tell-Tale Heart is a short story by Edgar Allan Poe, first published in January 1843 in the opening issue of The Pioneer, a Boston magazine edited by James Russell Lowell. Its narrator insists on his sanity while describing a murder and his unravelling confession.
- Editions tracked
- 2
- First published
- The Pioneer (Leland and Whiting), Boston, 1843
- Worth
- Not yet valued
Which edition do you have?
Editions
- Creative Education1980 Hardback Not yet valued I own The Tell-Tale Heart, Creative Education 1980 Log in to want this
- Fictionwise2004 Other Not yet valued I own The Tell-Tale Heart, Fictionwise 2004 Log in to want this
We have not yet researched the issue points for this book. If you know how to tell the first from later printings, tell us and we will credit you once it is checked against a second source.
On screen
- The Avenging Conscience Film, 1914
- The Tell-Tale Heart Film, 1960
- The Tell-Tale Heart Film, 1961
From Wikidata. A prize or a new adaptation often lifts demand for the first printing.
Pictures of the book
Freely licensed pictures of the work. They are not necessarily the edition you hold: check the points on each edition's page.
More by Edgar Allan Poe
- The Black Cat1822 · 3 editions
- Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket1838 · 2 editions
- The Fall of the House of Usher1839 · 3 editions
- Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque1840 · 1 edition
- The Murders in the Rue Morgue1841 · 3 editions
- The Gold-Bug1842 · 2 editions
- The Masque of the Red Death1842 · 3 editions
- The Raven1845 · 2 editions
Questions about The Tell-Tale Heart
No questions yet. Not sure which edition you have, or whether a detail matters? Ask, and collectors will help.
Reviews of The Tell-Tale Heart
No reviews yet. Members can say what this book is like to read or collect.
Read it or own it? Share what The Tell-Tale Heart is like to read or collect.
Know what you are looking at
How to Identify a First Edition
To identify a first edition, check that your copy is the first printing of the first edition. Read the copyright …
Read the guide →6 min readBook Condition Grading: Fine to Poor Explained
Book condition grading uses a six-step trade scale: Fine, Near Fine, Very Good, Good, Fair and Poor. Collectors grade the …
Read the guide →7 min readDust Jackets Explained: Why the Jacket Drives a Book's Value
For most books published since the 1920s, the original dust jacket carries a large share of the value, often most …
Read the guide →Frequently asked questions
How many editions of The Tell-Tale Heart are there?
We track 2 editions of The Tell-Tale Heart. Each has its own page with how to identify it.
Has The Tell-Tale Heart been adapted for film or television?
Yes, including The Tell-Tale Heart (film, 1961), The Tell-Tale Heart (film, 1960), The Avenging Conscience (film, 1914).
How can I tell if my copy of The Tell-Tale Heart is a first edition?
Check the title page and its reverse (the copyright page) against the edition: publisher, place and date should match, with no later printing or edition stated. Where we know the issue points, they are listed on the edition's page.
Where these facts come from
- The Tell-Tale Heart, Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org)
- The Tell-Tale Heart (Text-02b), Edgar Allan Poe Society of Baltimore (eapoe.org)
- The Tell-Tale Heart (Q762206), Wikidata (wikidata.org)
Every fact on this page was checked against the sources listed. Checked 17 October 2026.