Synopses & Reviews
"The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear." So said Howard Phillips Lovecraft (1890–1937), the 20th-century successor to Poe as America's foremost writer of fantastic fiction. In the novels and stories he published in pulp magazines like
Weird Tales and
Amazing Stories — and in some of his best work that remained unpublished until after his death — H. P. Lovecraft adapted the conventions of horror stories and science fiction to express an intensely personal vision, cosmic in its ramifications and fearsome in its shuddering view of human destiny.
In this volume, the distinguished best-selling novelist Peter Straub brings together the very best of Lovecraft's fiction in a treasury guaranteed to bring fright and delight both to longtime fans and to readers new to his work. Including such classics as "The Shadow Over Innsmouth" and "The Colour Out of Space," these stories, whether set in old New England towns oppressed by memories of unholy pasts or in Antarctic wastes that disclose appalling extraterrestrial secrets, never fail to fascinate.
Review:
"Two of H.P. Lovecraft's
Fungi from Yuggoth sonnets appeared in the Library of America's
American Poetry: The Twentieth Century, Vol. I (2000). Now Lovecraft (1890–1937), the most important U.S. horror writer since Edgar Allan Poe and a big influence on nearly every major figure in the genre after his day, has been honored with a volume of his own in this prestigious series. Drawing from scholar S.T. Joshi's definitive texts, Peter Straub, the bestselling author of
In the Night Room, has selected 22 works of fiction, ranging from such traditional ghostly tales as 'The Outsider' and 'The Rats in the Walls' to such lengthy cosmic narratives as 'The Call of Cthulhu' and 'At the Mountains of Madness.' This edition represents the latest scholarship, including a recently discovered missing passage from 'The Shadow Out of Time' and a few new minor corrections. Some may quibble over the inclusion of the pulpish 'Herbert West — Reanimator' and the even worse 'The Lurking Fear,' though they're of interest as rare examples of Lovecraft aiming to please an audience other than himself. Still, all the best fiction is here in a book sure to help reinforce Lovecraft's place in the American literary canon."
Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)
Review:
"Some of the earlier juvenile stories aside, the body of work included here is quite impressive, particularly the short novels." San Francisco Chronicle
Review:
"The present volume collects a third of Lovecraft's fiction-he wrote three times more nonfiction than fiction, mostly for bread. Black-robed by Library of America, the real King rises from darkness in his homeland." Kirkus Reviews
Review:
"Even if you're not a horror fan, all you have to do is read the first few paragraphs of any of these 22 stories — to know you're in the presence of an American original." Chicago Tribune
Review:
"This edition probably stands as the best single-volume overview of what Lovecraft was all about — strangeness, fear, wonder." Kansas City Star
Review:
"[I]t's tough to venture into a Lovecraft story with a straight face, let alone with chattering teeth. Lovecraft's stories are so overwrought that they make Jules Verne look like a homebody and Edgar Allan Poe a well-adjusted realist..." Daniel Handler, The New York Times Book Review
Review:
"Whether or not Lovecraft was a bad, a great or (more sensibly) a worthwhile writer is in some ways beside the point. For readers of a certain inclination, his tales are fascinating and addictive. He has a sizable following, manifesting itself in everything from countless fan sites to role-playing games to praise from such notable admirers as critic (and Library of America editor in chief) Geoffrey O'Brien, novelist Joyce Carol Oates, and composer-musician Stephin Merritt, of the Magnetic Fields." Laura Miller, Salon.com
Synopsis:
The visionary master of cosmic horror joins The Library of America with this collection of classic stories of the strange and fantastic.
About the Author
In the novels and stories he published in pulp magazines like Weird Tales and Amazing Stories — and in some of his best work that remained unpublished until after his death — H. P. Lovecraft adapted the conventions of horror stories and science fiction to express an intensely personal vision, cosmic in its ramifications and fearsome in its shuddering view of human destiny.
Peter Straub, editor, is the best-selling and award-winning author of 14 novels, some written in collaboration with Stephen King. His books have been translated into more than twenty foreign languages. He lives in New York City.
Don't Miss
