The Black Cats

An Apology

Depending on which version of The Tell-Tail Heart you read, the spelling of Eddie’s name may have changed to Eddy. While researching this book, I found that some historians referred to him as “Eddie,” while others called him “Eddy.” This, too, could be said of Cattarina. I found three different spellings of her name. Misinformation about the past is rampant. Even tour guides were mistaken about the historical name of the street where Poe lived (I caught this one!). To quote Cattarina, “It was enough to drive a cat mad.” So I picked the most logical spelling of Mr. Poe’s nickname and proceeded with The Tell-Tail Heart.

About a month after publication, I stumbled onto a source document—a letter written by Mr. Poe himself. And he’d signed it “Eddy.” This piece of information haunted me throughout the creation of The Black Cats. Should I risk the ire of readers and do justice to the past? Or ignore this trifle and spread more misinformation?

In the end, I sided with historical accuracy, inasmuch as this is possible. Please forgive my need to make this small but important change.

Monica