HP Lovecraft Books: Three Ways to Complete Your Collection

Buying H.P. Lovecraft books to complete a collection is a previously unimaginable experience, thanks to the diverse options now available. From the humble days when HPL’s fiction was tightly controlled by Arkham House, to the explosion of Lovecraft at the publishing presses ever since his work passed into public domain, offering have expanded at a stunning rate. Still, there are only three quick and easy ways to complete a Lovecraftian collection, or at least come extremely close to it. Use these books to complete your personal collection of Lovecraft’s dark fantasies in a cost effective way.

Necronomicon: The Best Weird Tales of H.P. Lovecraft

Two fat volumes from Gollancz represent the cheapest way to bring together the Providence author’s best known and most obscure writings. Necronomicon: The Best Weird Tales of H.P. Lovecraft binds together his most well respected efforts, from the fragmentary “Night Gaunts” to late, complex novellas such as “At the Mountains of Madness.” This nearly nine hundred page tome is one heavy paperback, but it is sturdily constructed and nicely illustrated.

With the arrival of Eldritch Tales: A Miscellany of the Macabre, Gollancz has created a high quality companion volume that taps Lovecraft’s lesser known pieces. In this book, HPL’s juvenile pieces, poetry, and important non-fiction tie ins like “Supernatural Horror in Literature” and “The History of the Necronomicon” cross paths. An excellent sampling of his collaborative and ghost written stories are thrown in for good measure.

Both gigantic volumes are edited by Stephen Jones and illustrated by Les Edwards. Together, they represent the quickest and cheapest path to collecting all of Lovecraft with the fewest books possible.

The Del Rey Lovecraft Collections

Throughout the 1990s and into the early 2000s, Del Rey’s H.P. Lovecraft books represented a widely acceptable way to obtain his tales in a mass market form. Though these collections are extraordinarily cheap on the mass market, you’ll need four Del Rey books to complete a Lovecraft collection. The big themed collections begin with The Best of H.P. Lovecraft: Bloodcurdling Tales of Horror and the Macabre, a book clearly designed to draw in newcomers.

Under the Del Rey imprint, the saga continues with The Road to Madness and Dreams of Terror and Death: The Dream Cycle of H.P. Lovecraft. These H.P. Lovecraft books constitute themed volumes built around his early fiction and dream addled tales, respectively. They chart an affordable path to a comprehensive collection, and the cover art by Michael Whelan remains nothing short of iconic.

Most recently, Del Rey’s fourth book came out, granting readers access to Lovecraft’s collaborations and ghost written pieces. The Horror in the Museum does what a only more expensive Arkham House book was previously able to do. If you’re willing to throw bibliophilic preferences to the wind, snapping up this volume with the other three Del Rey collections is a great way to get all Lovecraft essentials onto your shelves.

H.P. Lovecraft: Masters of the Weird Tale

Centipede Press is the Lamborghini quality publisher of the horror world, and that extends to their gigantic tome, H.P. Lovecraft: Masters of the Weird Tale. Don’t think of this 1200 page Cyclopean terror as just a very expensive hardcover. It herds together all Lovecraftian necessities into a slipped case deluxe edition, and pairs it with a separate book of rare HPL photography unavailable elsewhere.

The only downfall of H.P. Lovecraft: Masters of the Weird Tale is that it may only be a high end avenue to getting nearly all H.P. Lovecraft books in one for a limited time. Centipede Press has limited this museum of a book to three hundred copies. Unless that changes, this miniature Lovecraft library will probably slide into the hands of a few hundred lucky collectors, and live on only as legend. At least, until the next deluxe press dares to place Lovecraft’s fiction into an equally outstanding presentation.

H.P. Lovecraft books will undoubtedly continue to multiply as the years pass. However, shortcuts that let you complete your collection will probably remain modest, well kept secrets, available only to true Lovecraft fanatics.

-Grim Blogger

HP Lovecraft Books: Three Ways to Complete Your Collection

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The Great Old Ones: Pinpointing Cthulhu on the Kardashev Scale

The Kardashev Scale is a famous projection of a civilization's development. Analyzing H.P. Lovecraft's Great Old Ones, including Cthulhu, requires unorthodox means. Since Kardashev's estimates include wonders from a lowly industrial age up to godhood level, perhaps his futurist fantasies deserve a closer look in the Lovecraftian arena.

The Kardashev Scale: Power Ranking Civilizations

Generally, the Kardashev Scale endorses four civilization types based on how much energy an advanced society harnesses. Type I civilizations can successfully utilize the power of an entire planet. For our purposes, this scale is the most tangible from where humans sit today. Its beginnings are best observed in the fevered dreams of utopian media, like William Gazecki's film, Future by Design.

Type II beings have tapped into the energy offered by an entire solar system, presumably through advanced cosmic engineering constructs backed by even headier principles. Type III is greater yet, wielding almost unimaginable power on a galactic scale. Finally, the scale tops out at Type IV, where an all consuming power controls all the energy available in the whole universe. Think about the near omnipotent architects in Michael Moorcock's The Dancers at the End of Time series.

Pinpointing the Powers of the Great Old Ones

So, where does Cthulhu and the nefarious cabal he belongs to fit in? Presumably, Cthulhu's power is nearly unlimited. The ability to move through and manipulate multiple dimensions, soar through the cosmos, and use energy on a wide scale for warfare with other extraterrestrials makes him seem godly in comparison to mankind. Particularly, the meek post-Great War civilizations of Lovecraft's own day, which hadn't yet split the atom.

Not that nuclear power does much for humanity. Even a tripling of nuclear power plant input wouldn't put us anywhere close to a Type I society on the Kardashev Scale. It's not an effective defense against Cthulhu either, based on the imaginings of many writers. The Greatest Old One (or at least the best known) is hit by a nuke in August Derleth's The Trail of Cthulhu, and manages to survive without a breaking a runny green sweat.

However, is Cthulhu actually all he's cracked up to be? Clearly, Cthulhu may not be a Type IV being, let alone something greater, since he is subject to well known limitations. Virtually imprisoned in R'lyeh until the stars are right, Cthulhu was on the losing side of an ancient battle with alien forces that were seemingly even more powerful than he is. Multi-dimensional or not, it's hard to imagine any real Type III or Type IV power getting bested. Even Azathoth, who often appears superior to Great Cthulhu, seems little more than a stunted Type II being or less.

Then again, it's worth remembering that the Kardashev Scale is meant to measure civilizations, not individuals. If Cthulhu and the other Great Old Ones are merely high ranking members of an immense civilization that spans several universes, they may well be in the Type III-Type IV range. A better estimation will remain elusive, and only based on the unapproved works by subsequent Mythos writers. Lovecraft's lasting gifts are horror and mystery, despite his frequent forays into sci-fi territory, not detailed scientific histories that give away the secrets of his most famous terrors, as S.T. Joshi notes in The Weird Tale.

In the end, the Kardashev Scale is an amusing thought experiment, but doesn't say much about the Great Old Ones. Not without liberal boundaries and much imagination, anyway. Trying to apply these measurements to Lovecraft's most nightmarish beings seems impossible for boosting any serious artistic or literary analysis, but the clumsiest efforts to classify them are still fun.

-Grim Blogger

The Great Old Ones: Pinpointing Cthulhu on the Kardashev Scale

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On HP Lovecraft and Ice Cream: Honoring Lovecraft's Birthday

It's that time of year again. H.P. Lovecraft's birthday is just around the corner on August 20. While some will dismiss the merits of honoring a dead man who has been in the ground for more years than he enjoyed in the sun, others seek to mark the occasion. Lovecraftian birthday rites are more important for those of us who remain here, as a way to measure the impact his work has had upon our lives.

How to Celebrate H.P. Lovecraft's Birthday

How, then, to honor the occasion of Lovecraft's birth every year it ticks by? Parties, conventions, readings, and tours in Providence have rightly taken place over the years, but the right culinary mood is often overlooked. What's a celebration without the right fare for guests? Only a handful of serious Lovecraftians patch together formal birthday gatherings each year, but for those who do, it's worth examining foods that make an appropriate centerpiece.

Birthday purists will inevitably research what foods Howard Phillips Lovecraft himself enjoyed. HPL was a notoriously cheap and flippant eater, in a time when dietary concerns for obesity and other physiological disorders was barely acknowledged. While it would be unwise, not to mention undesirable, to duplicate his eating habits all year around, celebrating Lovecraft's birthday is one time where his tradition looks tasty and reasonable.

 
Why Ice Cream?

His enormous sweet tooth is the stuff of legend, forever lifted from his personal correspondence, and enshrined in official biographies like S.T. Joshi's I am Providence: The Life and Times of H.P. Lovecraft. While Lovecraft was extraordinarily partial to sugar saturated coffee, Hershey's chocolate bars, and pie, there's one rich delicacy that really stands out: ice cream. Throughout the roaring twenties and into the austere thirties, he frequented gourmet ice cream parlors as a favorite treat. In a 1931 letter to J. Vernon Shea, Lovecraft writes, "But I more often take ice cream, of which my favourite flavours are vanilla & coffee (the latter hard to get outside New England) & my least relished common flavour is strawberry."

Fortunately, ice cream is neither scarce nor hard to store today, which makes it a perfect way to toast HPL's legacy. The explosion of widely accessible flavors and other ice cream based dessert concoctions means it's highly adaptable, and there's almost certainly something for everyone in this frozen arena. Besides, Lovecraftians who wish to take matters a notch higher will realize it goes well with pie, another sweet temptation of the Providence writer.

Several other factors make ice cream a prime choice as well. In many regions where Lovecraft is best known, the icy dessert is at its popular zenith during the warmest months. Additionally, it can be easily passed out at parties, and makes irresistible bait for organizers hoping to set up an ice cream social based on Lovecraft's work. Finally, bold Lovecraftian cooks have stepped forward in recent years to create Cthulhuvian cakes and other outlandish confections. Ice cream, though, is just as malleable, and offers the ultimate challenge to culinary artists seeking to sculpt unspeakable Cthulhu Mythos horrors.

It's not entirely unreasonable to imagine H.P. Lovecraft sparking a tiny culinary following in the years to come. After all, who can resist the draw of blasphemously delicious Sundaes that double as evil idols?

-Grim Blogger

On HP Lovecraft and Ice Cream: Honoring Lovecraft's Birthday

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Is Lovecraft Famous?

With H.P. Lovecraft's expansive franchise, which today includes books, games, and films galore, many wonder if he has achieved posthumous fame. As anyone knows, there are varying degrees of celebrity or infamy, whatever the case may be. Lovecraft's case offers no easy answers. Since it would be foolhardy to pit his name against Hitler, George Washington, Jesus, or Lady Gaga, let's confine the question to horror for now.

Carving out a vision of HPL's celebrity in horror is a far more focused and relevant quest than any other. After all, who really cares where Lovecraft ranks against Presidents or great commanders? Lovecraft's legacy in civilization will ultimately be decided by how formidable his position is in the horror genre.

Assertions to the contrary, it won't be his philosophy that resonates, held up by the likes of Michel Houellebecq in H.P. Lovecraft: Against the World, Against Life. It won't be his letters that secure him a place among visionaries either (sorry, S.T. Joshi). The Lovecraft name begins and ends in the minds of men with strangeness and terror.

Evaluating Lovecraft against other notable authors is one way to shed light on the issue. Fortunately, the web lends us powerful tools like Google Insights for determining fame as a function of search volume. So, how does Lovecraft perform against Stephen King, the most widely known juggernaut in modern horror fiction? Quite poorly. HPL barely registers against King's sizable media empire, as shown by the graph above.

On the other end, when measured against his contemporaries, H.P. Lovecraft dominates almost as much as King does against other horror authors. M.R. James, Algernon Blackwood, and Arthur Machen are clearly bested, as indicated by Google Insights. This is particularly ironic, since all of these British men arguably enjoyed better literary careers, greater fiction output, and longer lifespans than the Providence writer.

The facts presented here probably don't contain a lot of surprises. So, why judge whether or not H.P. Lovecraft is famous at all? The exercise is useful because it allows observers to take Lovecraftiana's pulse without getting blinded by Cthulhu Mythos or literary horror fandom. Measuring Lovecraft's growth curve and numeric conquest over other authors is important too. It helps illustrate how quickly the following is spreading, and how it happens.

Does Lovecraft easily knock his nineteenth and early twentieth century competitors flat? Absolutely, and he'll continue to do so, remaining second only to Edgar Allan Poe in name recognition from this period in horror. But, at the same time, don't expect massive story collections like, Necronomicon: The Best Weird Tales of H.P. Lovecraft, to start overtaking Stephen King's stand alone novels in the near future.

-Grim Blogger

Is Lovecraft Famous?

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HP Lovecraft: No Privacy for the Dead

Many admirers and scholars correctly point out that H.P. Lovecraft's life is one of the best preserved of any figure in the 20th century. His voluminous letters, essays, and manuscripts have left general impressions about his life at any given stage, if not specific details about where he was and what he was doing on specific dates. This has allowed Lovecraft students like S.T. Joshi to write a book like I am Providence: The Life and Times of H.P. Lovecraft, a biography as thick and detailed as one about any President or adventurer. However, besides being a literary mummy, H.P. Lovecraft is one of the finest illustrations that the dead have no right to privacy.

But why should they have this liberty? It seems a constant throughout the West, conscious or otherwise, that the dead forfeit all right to conceal their old lives. We allow them the privilege of having their moldering bodies tucked away from public view, but that's more for our benefit than their own. Like walking time capsules, it seems everything about us will be uncorked after the brainwaves cease, and even the obscure fame enjoyed by someone like Lovecraft at the time of his death means every word will be preserved as a precious relic.

Books like Lord of a Visible World and the Selected Letters series from Arkham House shed enormous light on Lovecraft's worldview, literary opinions, writing habits, reactions to events in his day, and diet. Other sources have commented on his sickly constitution, racism, and sexuality, all of which are recorded and available for ongoing awkward discussions until the last Lovecraft aficionado joins the author in the great beyond. With so much known about his life, it's actually remarkable that his biography and fiction remains as debatable as it is.

Lovecraft's posthumous record also stands as a cautionary tale to living authors, particularly those in the weird horror community, who think (or hope) they will inspire a cult following beyond the grave: burn every unsavory detail you would rather consign to the secrets of eternity, or it will come out. Unless writers and artists start censoring their lives beforehand, or entrust a family member or friend to do it upon death, then literary agents, auctioneers, and fans will come looking for the juicy stuff. Of course, disappearing the life of tomorrow's great writers would be a loss to scholars and admirers, but it's still within the rights of the living. There are times when mystery instead of concrete knowledge is just as fascinating as well.

-Grim Blogger

HP Lovecraft: No Privacy for the Dead

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HP Lovecraft on Kindle and Weird Fiction Publishing's Future

Amazon's Kindle and similar e-book readers have seemingly inaugurated truly marketable and enjoyable digital print products for the first time in human history. Now, e-books are flapping through the online voids like vengeful night gaunts, offering both dangers and opportunities, and weird fiction is no exception. As is so often the case, the Lovecraftian is at the forefront of literary horror's march into unexplored territory.

H.P. Lovecraft was an unapologetic bibliophile, and his love for books is shared among many weird horror readers. One need only look at the successful small presses producing sturdy to luxurious tomes to know that weird fiction readers are more bibliophilic than the general public. Even so, Lovecraft's work has already gotten a foothold in digital media. The reasosn for this can be narrowed down to two: Lovecraft remains magnitudes more popular than any other weird writer, living or dead, and the majority of his work has been public domain since at least 1997. This means practically anyone can throw together their own Lovecraft collection and begin selling it, and many enterprising fans have done just that.

A growing list of forty H.P. Lovecraft books for Kindle is already posted on Amazon.com. These range from simple re-compiled collection of several dozen stories, to full books with stories, plus original essays, biographies, and commentary on his work. What's really different, and potentially a game changer for print publishers, as well as readers, is the price. Full sets of Lovecraft with extras can be purchased from $0.99 to under $10. The wonders of great Cthulhu have never been so cheap, nor as portable, nor as accessible from anywhere with an internet connection.

Lovecraft may be the flagship of weird horror in e-books, but he's not alone. Not surprisingly, a couple major Lovecraftian anthologies have split published their books in print and electronically. One is Black Wings: Tales of Lovecraftian Horror, which features many authors carrying on the Lovecraftian tradition. Other celebrated weird writers closer to Lovecraft's era have also made it to Kindle. Broader anthologies like Classic Tales of Horror mix and match eerie tales by Edgar Allan Poe, Bram Stoker, Ambrose Bierce, and more. Meanwhile, a handful of weird fiction publishers have decided to test the online market with contemporary fiction that goes beyond the purely Lovecraftian. Chomu Press has issued their newest releases in Kindle format alongside paperback. This is a revolutionary break for some of their authors - the first time writers such as Reggie Oliver, Mark Samuels, and Quentin S. Crisp have appeared in a cheap, easy, and unlimited form.

While the e-book rising is certain to cause anxious worries and uncertainties among weird fiction fans who also appreciate well made books, there's little reason to quiver, and much to celebrate. Print publishers like Tartarus and Centipede will continue to offer hard to find weirdscribes in stunning hardcovers. In time, these publishers too may decide to put the likes of Robert Aickman, Thomas Ligotti, and Wilum Pugmire on Kindle, while high quality books continue to ship out the traditional way. Moreover, the misty success offered by e-publishing is just now becoming visible. Weird horror has always been a hard sell to the mammoth publishers. But perhaps we will one day see authors and publishers from the black pits stepping over the mangled corpses of the great print houses, much like millionaire authoress Amanda Hocking has recently done, in large part thanks to e-books.

-Grim Blogger

HP Lovecraft on Kindle and Weird Fiction Publishing's Future

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Poe House in Baltimore Threatened by Budget Crisis

The sour economy's effects on municipal treasuries is beginning to take its toll on weird horror's rare shrines. The Poe house in Baltimore is due to have its public funding cut in 2012. It will be left in the hands of a consultant, as a sink-or-swim approach gives it one last chance to become self-sustaining (details from this Associated Press article).

The troubles in Baltimore highlight the dangers of taking city funding for granted. It's also a sad indication that even weird fiction's most popular writer faces historical degradation as local governments go bankrupt. There has to be a better way. Unlike other authors and artists, Poe is renowned across the literary spectrum for his influence. Or so it seems.

Surely, with all the successful writers, film makers, musicians, and others who give a nod to Edgar Allan Poe, there should be a few willing to throw a percentage of their profits to historical preservation. And what about publishers? There are multiple firms that continue to publish large editions of his work, such as the book, Edgar Allan Poe: Complete Tales and Poems with Selected Essays. The books may not be flying off the shelves, but there's got to be some profit taking going on. It's time for real patrons of the arts to step up. Otherwise, a conclusion can only be reached that's nearly as unpleasant as seeing places like the Poe house shut down. That is, Poe appreciation is not as popular or as serious as it seems, and must only be a hollow shadow of itself.

-Grim Blogger

Poe House in Baltimore Threatened by Budget Crisis

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HP Lovecraft Biography Covers Through Time

The cover art that adorns H.P. Lovecraft's stories has generated many inspired galleries and forum threads across the internet, but one thing seriously lacking is a collection of Lovecraft biography covers. Art on Lovecraft's biographies may form new sets of beautiful pictures. But, surprisingly, the images can reveal a bit more - such as changing perceptions about Lovecraft over time, and in different contexts.

There are many factors that go into selecting cover art. Biography art, as on most books, is meant to catch the eye and (ideally) provide an accurate visual portrayal of the contents. Everything from budget to stylistic and marketing preferences by publishers, writers, and artists determines what the cover looks like. In Lovecraft's case, the results are equally diverse and interesting, as these select examples show.

Some of the earliest Lovecraft biographies adopted a bland, but very direct style for prospective readers. When books like L. Sprague de Camp's H.P. Lovecraft: A Biography and C.M. Eddy Jr's The Gentleman from Angell Street were published, Lovecraftian biographies were exceedingly rare. Although all competing Lovecraft biographies were widely overshadowed by S.T. Joshi's definitive H.P. Lovecraft: A Life in the late 1990s, online book shopping was still in its infancy by the time these titles were both on the scene. Both of these biographies utilize simple photos of their subject. Eddy's work hosts the ubiquitous Lovecraft portrait seen everywhere. The de Camp book's close-up, however, suggests an eerie angle - mirroring the author's focus on Lovecraft's eccentricity. It seems that Lovecraft's image was lodged very much between two poles - the boring, reclusive writer and the chilling freak, and it's little surprise his biographies at the time reflected this.

Moving on, HPL studies entered another artistic arena - one where stylized drawings stood in for real photographs. To me, the covers of S.T. Joshi's Lord of a Visible World and Willis Conover's Lovecraft at Last exemplify Lovecraft as legend. Both appeared in the early 2000s, and aside from A Life, they represented true efforts at presenting Lovecraft as authentically as possible, with generous quotations from his voluminous letters. There's certainly an effort to overcome past (and, at that time, enormously widespread) Lovecraftian myths, but Joshi, Conovers, and their publishers help bolster the Lovecraft as-larger-than-life image with their biographical cover art.

Whether it was intentional or not is irrelevant. These scholars were giving a wider readership than ever before its first inkling of Lovecraft's dead voice, and they wanted it to be heard at its loudest. It's entirely possible that Joshi and Conovers had little to no input in the cover art for these volumes. But the covers seemingly work toward the same ends as the authors, by giving H.P. Lovecraft stature as an epic authority worth listening to.

Finally, there's an interesting case study in S.T. Joshi's comprehensive and recently reissued biography, H.P. Lovecraft: A Life. The book has been re-released three times, and always with different cover art. Amusingly, the older editions are further reflections of prevailing trends in Lovecraftian book jackets.

The 1996 edition contains a scaled photo, which echoes the elder biographical cover style mentioned earlier. Similarly, the 2004 reprint shows a genteel author overlooking his imaginary creations. Lovecraft acts as a sort of god-king in this setting. By 2010, Joshi's gargantuan and expanded reprint, I am Providence: The Life and Times of H.P. Lovecraft, again uses photographs as covers - this time, full size portraits on both volumes of the set. Time will show whether or not studies of H.P. Lovecraft's life are again using the Lovecraft photograph as herald, or if a new trend has arrived. However, it pays to keep an eye on I am Providence, as its reign as the Lovecraft biography is expected to be a long one, and the art of this tome may actually function as a reflection of Lovecraft's popular image or as an aesthetic trend setter.

-Grim Blogger

HP Lovecraft Biography Covers Through Time

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H.P. Lovecraft: Good Writer

The Black Gate's Matthew David Surridge has weighed in on an aged debate regarding H.P. Lovecraft's writing style - particularly his heavy adjectival usage. Surridge recounts the lengthy and controversial history behind analyzing Lovecraft's style, and then adds his own opinion, strongly against those who claim HPL tales are too "overwritten," or worse. Indeed, Surridge's defense is a welcome one, especially in an age where authors who dared to give their sentences more than a dozen syllables seem more threatened than ever.

Notwithstanding the small, but devoted circles of weird fiction admirers and several other literary circles, 21st century readers have lived in an era where pithy phrases and abbreviated techno-babble endanger the written word. Lovecraft's long, complicated, and excruciatingly constructed passages already came under assault in his own time, victims of the author's zeal for outmoded literary forms. Critics, and even successors who added to the Cthulhu Mythos, have been less kind in the decades since his death. Perhaps the circular firing squad in niche horror has so thoroughly wounded participants in the debate over Lovecraft's legacy that there is now a push back beginning?

Mr. Surridge's article is not the only defense of Lovecraft's writing to appear in recent years. In fact, an increasingly bold vanguard now holds that Lovecraft's style was not just acceptable, but something unique and marvelous. This view accepts Lovecraft as a visionary in all his literary aspects, not just his ideas, forming a more complete appreciation of the Providence writer's genius.

Any age may not be defined by its extremes, but when one pole materializes, there will always be another. So it is in weird fiction, where the savage attacks on Lovecraft's prose have generated their antithesis in those who say, without pausing to tremble, that H.P. Lovecraft is a great writer. And it looks increasingly like the current trend in publishing may be linking up with Lovecraft's grassroots defenders. Certainly, HPL's increased popularity through viral online campaigns accounts for some the rise in new books containing his fiction. But this alone does not explain why he enjoys a wider readership than ever.

Library of America's 2005 edition formed a major coup in literature.

It is not just the greater quantity of new editions this past decade that matters, but the quality. H.P. Lovecraft has significantly broadened acknowledgment by established literary publishers of his importance. Logically, this could not have occurred if his writing were not compelling, and that means in more ways than one. No one wants to read badly constructed or over-written dribble, even if there are revolutionary concepts and impressive imagery hidden within. Outfits like the Library of America have re-published Lovecraft's (see H.P. Lovecraft: Tales) work because it turns a profit, and because reading his tales is an enthralling, unsettling, and mind rending experience.

Money talks, as does prestige, and in the case of Howard Philips Lovecraft, they drown their shrieks together, to sing a macabre and honorary dirge to a great writer. Lovecraft has secured his place in literary history thanks to subject matter that remains weirdly unique. Could any of this have happened if he were not a master engineer, adept at shaping conduits for his weirdness through the power of his words, finely built tunnels with a darkly enchanting glow that can draw in unsuspecting readers? You already know the answer, as do I.

-Grim Blogger

H.P. Lovecraft: Good Writer

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Reggie Oliver: The Face of a Weird Writer

With the tremendous avalanche of new works by Reggie Oliver this year, and more coming, many readers who are now part of his widening fan base may wonder more about the man. Luckily, Oliver's biography is relatively forthcoming through venues like his Wikipedia article and certain introductions to his story collections. His attendance at horror and other genre conventions, readings, and general activity in the small weird community means that his photo is also easily available. This is a contrast with the field's other excellent minds like Thomas Ligotti and T.E.D. Kline, who have chosen to maintain very private lives over the years.

The images here are several of the best Oliver portraits taken to date. In both the top photo and these two directly above (both by Peter Coleborn), we see a middle aged gentleman who exudes a talented, erudite, and elegant aura. Is it the strange stories he's written that possess him with this, or is it Oliver's essence displayed in these pictures that is transferred into his tales? Perhaps both.

Knowing about his literary career, it would be almost impossible to see Reggie Oliver's countenance as anything less than a real world symbol of the philosophy and fear laced supernatural dramas that have made his name notable in weird fiction. Personally, I could care less what a purveyor of supernatural literature looks like--as long as their words are powerful. But Oliver's aesthetic takes on a delightful meta-fictional reality, breaching his books' covers and enchanting his stand up horror readings. It's my opinion that this accomplished weirdmonger looks the part; a fitting likeness to the actors, stagehands, and scholars who populate his fictitious worlds. Although an author's physique is very unimportant in the long run, having a writer whose personal style matches that of this worlds is an amusing bonus feature.

-Grim Blogger

Reggie Oliver: The Face of a Weird Writer

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Lovecraft's Frozen Impressions of Urban Horror

An insightful post from The Dodologist blog zeroes in on one story where H.P. Lovecraft invigorated his hatred of modern urbanity like no other: "He." This tale's anti-lush descriptions capture what New York must have looked like to Lovecraft's eyes. In addition, the story reeks of disillusionment--a mood that can be hazily lost or ignored amid HPL's hostile prose and weird revelations.

Lovecraft's idyllic "Old New York" was famously crushed by his own mortified perception of immigrant scourges and decadence. Yet, if one can get past certain antiquated and bigoted views, it's almost possible to emphasize with this mental shock forever petrified in literature. "He" is a perversion of history, a colonial fantasy dear to Lovecraft's heart in slow motion annihilation.

The urban hell was potent, and it famously left its impression on HPL forever. Even his late works are packed with darkened cities whose buildings tower over insignificant men, and nameless foreigners sketched in contempt and fear. No later story, though, captures quite the same sensation of obliterated expectations as "He," conceived and written when New York's grim shadows nearly suffocated Lovecraft to death.

-Grim Blogger

Lovecraft's Frozen Impressions of Urban Horror

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Australia's Weird Tradition

I want to highlight this post from Cian Gill's Age of Empire blog about Australian weird fiction. Besides being a review of Australian Ghost Stories edited by James Doig, it forms an excellent commentary on this isolated continent's weird fiction tradition. What comes across in the analysis and quotations selected by Gill is a conflicted legacy. Australian writers of ghostly and Gothic stories, prior to the late 20th century, appear to be stricken with a shadow of inferiority hanging over their work. This is a curious contrast with the way things have developed in the United States and even Canada. Australia, like both of these other nations, is home to a wonderful array of otherworldly terrain, native traditions, and historical occurrences that should make it a natural mental playground for the weird.

Yet, oddly, Australia's weird literary flowering seems stunted until late last century. It's easy to wonder whether this has something to do with the nation's colonial legacy and a confused, sometimes violent legacy with its aboriginal population. But, then, if this is the case, what about the U.S. and Canada? All of these nations were originally British imperial extensions, though America broke away much sooner than either Canada or Australia. Further, both North American nations share Australia's difficult history with other ethnic groups--native or otherwise--that happened to settle sooner or later than the dominant population.

Other observations by Gill bring up the interesting question of a society's perceived age. Australian horror writers quoted in his article express uncertainty over the worth of their own spiritual and cultural traditions, which appears correlated with a feeling of immaturity. Once again, this is more serious and quite different than both the U.S. and Canada. The former country saw Edgar Allan Poe and Ambrose Bierce rise to prominence within less than a century of its establishment. Lovecraft's work came along not long after, and expresses some of its psychic strength in Lovecraft's devotion to, what is to him, a rich and archaic American colonial experience. Canadian weird fiction took longer to flower, but its unique national features were attractive enough by the early 20th century to be used by foreigners like Algernon Blackwood in "The Wendigo." Meanwhile, British writers have produced the majority of earlier weird fiction, especially that a ghostly kind, by drawing on the country's Medieval cities and ancient myths left by Romans and Celtic tribes.

The question of national perceived age among literary circles may be an imperfect one for explaining why there was such a delayed outgrowth of strange fiction in places like Australia, but it's definitely one that must be considered. It's also worth noting that modern Australia has overcome an initial hesitancy to draw on its natural resources as an expression of unusual and haunting horrors. The Australian Horror Writers' Association publishes an annual journal called "Studies in Australian Weird Fiction." Additionally, the Australian Ghost Stories volume recognizes the existence and importance of weird horror in Australia's past and present.

-Grim Blogger

Australia's Weird Tradition

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Observations on 2009 Best Horror of the Year List

A couple weeks ago, Ellen Datlow (editor of the well known The Best Horror of the Year series) released a lengthy list of 2009's best horror stories, mostly through an extended set of honorable mentions. The judgments of Ms. Datlow and her peers may not be the end all and be all of the genre, but they're pretty useful at providing a good snapshot of contemporary horror. Fortunately, 2009's list confirms what others have already suspected: weird fiction continues to hold a solid position in horror overall, and may even be trending upward.

Glancing over the names of authors, stories, and anthologies, one finds just how significantly represented the weird really is. Indeed, a case could be made that weird horror comprises at least one third or more of the entire honorable mentions list. Amid the weird itself, overtly Lovecraftian fiction also has a strong presence--a surprising glimpse at the allure of contemporary Cthulhu Mythos fiction. In the eyes of speculative literature's primary catalogers, at least, weird fiction remains a major contestant in horror, capable of matching and even outshining more popular dark variants.

Ellen Datlow's selections also give a little well deserved recognition to the weird's brightest stars. I was personally glad to see multiple stories chosen from the following: Reggie Oliver, Gary McMahon, John Langan, Richard Gavin, Simon Strantzas, Joel Lane, and R.B. Russell. There are plenty of other excellent weird writers who had a single story or two chosen: Michael Cisco, Laird Barron, and W.H. Pugmire, among others. These authors are certainly at the forefront of crafting the finest new oddities, and their appearances in the Best Horror of the Year serve the dual purpose of entrenching them in the sub-genre, while expanding each author's own niche in wider horror.

-Grim Blogger

Observations on 2009 Best Horror of the Year List

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Of Lovecraft and Beards

The question of Lovecraft and facial hair has only briefly been touched on, by my observation. It's a minute, but debatable issue that hasn't yet hit HPL scholarship strongly enough to produce a whole essay. Lovecraft's own opinion of beards is fairly well established--it was a low one, perhaps owing less to the social mores of the time than to his own hygienic struggle with ingrown hairs.

Yet, there are good questions to be raised about whether Lovecraft's disdain of facial hair might have had deeper psychological roots. One question comes to mind when looking at the scarce (or at least easily accessible) photos of his father, Winfield Scott Lovecraft, and seeing the thick mustache he is sporting. The photo above is from 1891, a couple years before the traveling merchant had his syphilis-inspired meltdown.

One wonders what Lovecraft thought of his father's image--one he may or may not have dredged up in later years through photographs and memories--and if he hoped to distance himself as much as possible. HPL's worries over hereditary madness and reputation may have carried over to concerns about style. To Lovecraft, the paternal whiskers may have been a visible taint of a past he desperately hoped to evade, even if he had the option of growing facial hair painlessly. His mother called him "hideous," and in this fraught environment, the last thing he would want to do is recall his father with his own features.

This is pure speculation on my part, but not completely off base, I hope. Scholars with the motivation to attack this question in depth might be well served by combing Lovecraft's stories for a recurring attitude on beards. There seems to be plenty of room for exploring possible psychological undercurrents in Lovecraft's life, though certain subjects may not be provable at a deep scholarly grade.

-Grim Blogger

Of Lovecraft and Beards

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Lovecraft the Fascist?

In a biting follow up to the discussion on Lovecraft as conservative from "Secular Right," Volgi of "The Gormogons" lashes out, convinced that the political Lovecraft was little more than a lunatic fascist. His heavy opinion is thought provoking, even if a sizable group of Lovecraft admirers will find the tone and some of the content disagreeable. Overall, however one might feel about the historical and political opinions taken by the author, "The Gormogons" piece provides a nice counterpoint to the sympathetic stance taken by most bloggers on "Secular Right."

For the record, I find Volgi's entry relies too much on the modern socio-political lens, where democracy and racial diversity have become sacrosanct. One would be hard pressed to find a Lovecraft reader today who isn't bothered by the draconian and prejudiced leanings of HPL on civilization, race, and government. On the other hand, the heightened passion some commentators continue to direct at Lovecraft on these matters seems more than a little overblown.

Do I believe Lovecraft to have been terribly mistaken in his opinions? Sure. Does that mean those distasteful opinions can be dismissed as psychologically "crazy," as Volgi's post asserts? No, especially in the context of the historical period.

It's also baffling to have the article's author state reluctance to "let him off" (Lovecraft) as S.T. Joshi allegedly has. What does this mean? It seems too intent on putting a dead man on perpetual trial, or permanently searing a scarlet "R" for Racist and "F" for Fascist over all works written by or about Lovecraft.

While "H.P. Lovecraft, Fascist" contains some disagreeable points (at least for this blogger), it's a well crafted, if emotional, case portraying the darker side of Lovecraft's politics. That makes it both an interesting read and an effective contribution to the broadening blogosphere of weird fiction.

-Grim Blogger

Lovecraft the Fascist?

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A Concise Guide to H.P. Lovecraft First Editions

Larry Latham of Suite101.com has published an excellent overview of the market for Arkham House first editions of H.P. Lovecraft's story collections. In "A Guide to H.P. Lovecraft First Editions," you'll learn the books' features, history, and contemporary trends factoring into the monumental prices some early Lovecraft books can command at auctions. The ultra-rare single story hardcover containing HPL's "The Shunned House" is noted as a precursor to Arkham's endeavors. Also, the expansion of Lovecraft's weird tales as literary enterprise under Derleth's guidance/exploitation is mentioned, as is the significant decline in market value for Lovecraftian "collaborations."

The posthumous publication of Lovecraft's work, as well as Arkham House in general, is also a prototype for the deluxe small presses seen today as distributors of most weird fiction. Indeed, some of the weird's most highly sought collections by individuals and businesses like Robert Aickman, Mythos Books, Thomas Ligotti, Centipede Press, Reggie Oliver, and Tartarus Press have a faint reflection in the bygone days of Lovecraft's Arkham House debut. It was Arkham that unintentionally spearheaded the creation of the fabulously collectible (and valuable) book of strange stories.

Though Arkham House cannot be entirely held responsible for this phenomenon, they are a definite point of examination in efforts to pinpoint the emergence of the current small press business model in supernatural literature. Many in weird fiction have admired the output of the small presses: their devotion to putting out authors who otherwise might not be read at all, often in high quality volumes. Yet, others have experienced mild frustration--or even worse tempests--over the limited print runs and rapid inflation that often befalls cult writers in this genre. Understanding the evolution of this state of affairs is crucial to easing its handicaps. Fortunately, the relatively clear history of early Lovecraft books by Arkham House is a great place to start.

-Grim Blogger

A Concise Guide to H.P. Lovecraft First Editions

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Benjamin David Steele on William S. Burroughs, Philip K. Dick, and Thomas Ligotti

Benjamin David Steele's intriguing blog once again mentions some interesting thoughts on Thomas Ligotti, this time by evaluating the impressions left on the author by William S. Burroughs in comparison with similar impressions made on Philip K. Dick. Steele delves into a thought provoking analysis concerning the sharply contrasting responses he sees in Ligotti and Dick to Burrough's literary power. The blogger's article almost makes one think of Burrough's surrealist prose as a sort of disease that's produced two very different immune responses in the minds of the speculative fiction writers in question.

While I think Steele's belief that Ligotti has reached a literary and philosophical "dead end" is disagreeable and premature--especially seeing as how Ligotti's The Conspiracy Against the Human Race isn't released yet, nor is it clear what further projects he may pursue after this publication--there is a good deal of careful observations to mentally digest in this brief post. It's even regrettable these points aren't explored further in a more serious form than an informal blog post. With some elaboration, this is the type of analysis that would do well online or in print to help revive the curiously stifled field of weird scholarship the past few years.

Insightful explorations of weird writers like Ligotti in connection with more "mainstream" literary sources (or semi-separated genres like the science fiction realm Philip K. Dick hails from) is also sorely needed. This would provide good grounds for plenty of new scholarship, and perhaps gain weird literature higher respect in academic circles. In the meantime, it appears we'll all have to content ourselves with occasional shards of wisdom pouring through the blogosphere like this post by Steele.

-Grim Blogger

Benjamin David Steele on William S. Burroughs, Philip K. Dick, and Thomas Ligotti

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Poe a Humbug?

I overlooked this fairly important late April piece by Jill Lepore of "The New Yorker" about Edgar Allan Poe until today. Her article "The Humbug" examines two facets of the weird writer: his alleged fictions and exaggerations about his own life, and the impact of the flagging economy on Poe's attitude and literary output. The second point is particularly fascinating. The market bubbles, recessions, and bank battles of the early 19th century that Poe witnessed firsthand are powerful and relevant: especially given our own dour world economy today. The idea that these Meltdown precursors might have influenced Poe's fiction in remarkable ways is an intriguing suggestion not previously explored to great heights in prior scholarship--casual or serious--on the author.

Unfortunately, Lepore's introduction and the article's sub-heading of "Edgar Allan Poe and the Economy of Horror" are somewhat misleading. Instead of a reflective article on Poe and the poor economy he worked in, she takes us on a tour of his lies and personal failings such as chronic alcoholism. Her guidance through the ins and outs of Poe's life is sound enough, but contains not nearly enough exploration of the economic shocks felt by Poe and expressed in his fiction. Moreover, there's a hint of slightly ridiculous hostility directed at Poe himself by the author of this piece in several confounding incidences, degrading the article's integrity even more.

It's easy to envision an appetizing item of scholarship materializing from the study of Edgar Allan Poe and the 19th century economic heart attacks that descended throughout his life. Sadly, Lepore's misguided claim at examining this relationship is overshadowed by a lengthy exploration of Poe as liar, braggart, and (gasp!) racist. Those looking for commentary on the dark side of E.A. Poe and basic facts about his life will find something of interest in "The Humbug." For the rest of us hungry for new, innovative studies into Poe and the historical circumstances surrounding him, we can only hope the tantalizing relationship of author and economy proposed in this article will compel a more skilled weird scholar to turn their lens toward a real study of this issue.

-Grim Blogger

Poe a Humbug?

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H.P. Lovecraft's Magazine of Horror: One Last Gasp?

The tragically dead "H.P. Lovecraft's Magazine of Horror" is offering its fifth and final issue as a free .PDF download over at weirdtales.net, the official website of "Weird Tales" magazine. The Wildside Press publication (also the creators of "Weird Tales") always followed an irregular publication schedule, but met with a final decision to close down earlier this year--possibly as a result of the melting economy. As a bittersweet memorial, check out their free finale. It's a handsome magazine featuring plenty of fiction from some well established writers in the niche of supernatural literature.

The website also includes mention that the 'zine may resume in some sort of online format. This may be a good move for Wildside, minimizing costs and maximizing exposure--depending upon if they wish to offer it for free or not, like this issue. Personally, I believe an online offering could provide certain experimental ground that would not be suitable for "Weird Tales" itself, in its attempt to be both weird and enterprising. It seems that part of the problem with "H.P. Lovecraft's Magazine of Horror" all along is that it had difficulty distinguishing itself from "Weird Tales." The first few issues included blatantly Lovecraftian content, but this became less as the identity of the publication itself ambiguously shifted in its last couple appearances.

As I have alluded to before, there is a definite gap in the realm of weird fiction that is utterly outre and also risky. From the internet or the presses, there doesn't today seem to be anything like a "Tekeli-Li" or "Dagon" or "Crypt of Cthulhu." These were considered "small press" outlets in their own era (1980s-1990s), however, they pioneered some of the most wonderful scholarship and tested the boundaries of weird literature itself by publishing authors like Ramsay Campbell, Thomas Ligotti, and D.F. Lewis, to name a few. Essays on H.P. Lovecraft frequently graced the pages of these magazines, as well as pieces on lesser known writers like Stefan Grabinski and Robert Aickman. Now, an online version of a something along these lines could work quite well. It would not be as intensely pressured to turn a profit--but still might through advertising alone--and could serve as a catalog of truly bizarre fiction and scholarship on all manner of weird writers. One need only look at an online community like Thomas Ligotti Online to see that there is a small, but devoted sect of readers who would follow this type of project. So, Wildside (or anyone else, for that matter), if you're listening, know that there is an interest in high weird horror--or "New Weird," as some have termed it--that will flock to any 'zine exhibiting the offbeat delights of philosophical and experimental horror.

-Grim Blogger

H.P. Lovecraft's Magazine of Horror: One Last Gasp?

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New Nyarlathotep Statue Coming Soon

SOTA, a company specializing in quality action figures and models, is set to release a new statue of H.P. Lovecraft's enigmatic Nyarlathotep in the first quarter of this year. The model will reportedly be another resin based creation that will stand about one foot high, and it will retail for about $200. This description of the monstrosity from the website "Action-Figure" gives further details:

SOTA Toys introduces the latest addition to the “SOTA Nightmares” product line, H. P. Lovecraft’s Nyarlethotep. This 12-inch tall statue features incredible detail in its horrific presentation of the messenger of the Great Old Ones, Nyarlethotep. Made of high quality resin and special “flex-resin” in key parts, this limited edition collectible will be a prized addition to any collection highlighting H. P. Lovecraft, monsters, and, as Lovecraft stated, “gigantic, tenebrous, ultimate gods.” The release date is a round about "first quarter" estimate, so I'd say to start looking for him in March. This is a statue though, so keep in mind it will set you back upwards of 200 bucks.

While SOTA's latest design is impressive, and certainly up to the high standards set by their previous Lovecraftian creations, I'm not certain the tentacled Cthulhuvian look of Nyarlathotep is quite right. Nowhere in Lovecraft's writing is the emissary of Azathoth explicitly described. He appears as a mostly formless, Crawling Chaos in faux human form in the story that bears his name, and again as a trickster in "The Dream Quest of Unknown Kaddath." While tentacles have played their role for a long time, serving as symbols of the alien in Lovecraft's work, I believe they are overplayed. It would be nice to see more Lovecraftian horrors incorporating other strange features of his monsters: fungi, leathery wings, blindness, and quasi-biological chaos.

That said, the SOTA figure is still a good quality design and monument to weird horror. It will certainly find a home on the shelves of many collectors and connoisseurs of the outre. Look for it to hit online markets and specialty shops no later than spring.

-Grim Blogger

New Nyarlathotep Statue Coming Soon

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