William Wilson
William Wilson is a short story written by Edgar Allan Poe and originally published in 1839.
William Wilson begins the story by focusing on his past, which has been very wasteful, although he has no regrets about it.
The reason he has no regrets is that he claims to have suffered the greatest temptation a man can have.
During his childhood at the Elizabethan school he attended, William met a young man very much like himself. Not only did he have the same name, but he also imitated his way of dressing, and their birthdays coincided....
It is a curious fact that the birthday of the boy who looked like William Wilson coincides with the birthday of Edgar Allan Poe himself, albeit in a different year.
"LET me call myself, for the present, William Wilson. The fair page now lying before me need not be sullied with my real appellation. This has been already too much an object for the scorn—for the horror—for the detestation of my race."
Your download has started
PDF · William Wilson — didn't start? Download again
Also available: PDF · EPUB · MOBI · Read online
Read it on a Kindle
Download the EPUB and send it with Amazon's Send to Kindle (web, app, or your kindle.com email). Modern Kindles accept EPUB directly — no conversion needed.
On iPhone or iPad
Tap the downloaded file, then "Open in Books". It opens in Apple Books, with your reading progress synced across your devices.
On Android
Open the file with Google Play Books or any EPUB reader (ReadEra, Moon+ Reader). PDFs open in any viewer.
On your computer
PDFs open anywhere. For EPUB, try Calibre or Thorium Reader — both free and excellent.
Public domain (US)·No sign-up·DRM-free·Real text, not scans
Copyright note. William Wilson by Edgar Allan Poe is believed to be in the public domain in the United States only. It may still be copyrighted in other countries. If you are not in the United States, please check your local laws to ensure this eBook is in the public domain in your country before downloading William Wilson in PDF or EPUB.
- Pages
- 24
- Reading time
- 40 minutes
- Pace
- Intermediate
- First published
- 1839
- Language
- English
- Downloads
- 2,220
187 years later, still timely
Why Read William Wilson in 2026?
A double appears and a conscience awakens. Poe stages a duel between impulse and integrity in rooms thick with dread. It’s a compact study of the self we curate and the self that refuses to be edited.
Today's connection
Avatars, alter accounts, and online reputations complicate identity. This tale probes accountability amid masks.
Doppelgänger
Mirror as judge.
Choice under gaze
Shame, secrecy, decision.
Gothic hush
Atmosphere that presses in.
Share this book
About the author
Edgar Allan Poe
Precision of mood and method that invents detective logic and the claustrophobia of obsession.
