Selected Holiday Shopping for the Weird

Whether you're looking for gifts for others or new items for yourself, there are now more than a few resources and specialties hitting the net. Here are a few of the most notable items that caught my eye:

• Dreads and Drolls by Arthur Machen: A new edition of Arthur Machen's 1926 study of supernatural incidents, Dreads and Drolls, was recently put out by Tartarus Press. For around $65, the collection of about sixty strange cases can be yours, bound in a handsome set and limited to only a 350 copy print run. This one is a wholly great collectible for casual reading and keeping from a titan of Weird Fiction.
• Masques of Satan: Twelve Tales and a Novella by Reggie Oliver: This one was mentioned several posts back in an Oliver-exclusive blog entry. However, it bears repeating. Due out this month or in early January, even at the $50 price tag, this story collection from a rising star of the Weird is a bargain. Especially when one considers the limited print run of Oliver's earlier story collections, which quickly sold out and rarely appear in online auctions today, often going for hundreds more than the original price.
  
• HPLHS Marketplace: The HPL Historical Society's online marketplace continues to be a nice little center for shopping. Among other things, they churn out quality Lovecraftian idols, apparel, Call of Cthulhu gaming materials, films, and music CDs. I was particularly taken by this shirt with a portrait and quote from HPL. Despite increasing popularity and producers of Lovecraftiana, a truly good shirt remains a rarity. This one is the exception, featuring one of the better selected, scarcer quotations by Lovecraft, as well as a clear design to go with it. As in past years, the HPLHS continues to sell their blasphemous holiday carols on CD for the Yuletide. "Very Scary Solstice" and "An Even Scarier Solstice" are a fun way to add a Lovecraftian touch to the Christmas season, even as the songs fluctuate between the creatively hilarious to the campy.
• Horror Mall: A rising resource for special editions from the small press for many popular dark writers. The selection already offered is almost sure to offer something for everyone. Horror Mall comes perfectly on the heels of Shockline's demise as a major centralized online retailer of hard to find horror. Hopefully, the Mall will fair better than its predecessor. A browser can find just about all of the currently printed ST Joshi studies and edited releases of Lovecraftian material, as well as rarer items. The current sale on various books, usually ranging from 3-10% off sale price, is also hard to beat.

-Grim Blogger