The Classic Horror Stories

H. P. Lovecraft (1890-1937) was a reclusive scribbler of horror stories for the American pulp magazines that specialized in Gothic and science fiction in the interwar years. He often published in Weird Tales and has since become the key figure in the slippery genre of "weird fiction." Lovecraft developed an extraordinary vision of feeble men driven to the edge of sanity by glimpses of malign beings that have survived from human prehistory or by malevolent extra-terrestrial visitations. The ornate language of his stories builds towards grotesque moments of revelation, quite unlike any other writer.This new selection brings together nine of his classic tales, focusing on the "Cthulhu Mythos," a cycle of stories that develops the mythology of the Old Ones, the monstrous creatures who predate human life on earth. The stories collected here include some of Lovecraft's finest, including "The Call of Cthulhu," "At the Mountains of Madness," "The Dunwich Horror," "The Colour Out of Space," "The Shadow over Innsmouth," and "The Shadow out of Time." The volume also includes vital extracts from Lovecraft's critical essay, "Supernatural Horror in Literature," in which he gave his own important definition of "weird fiction." In a fascinating introduction, Roger Luckhurst gives Lovecraft the attention he deserves as a writer who used pulp fiction to explore a remarkable philosophy that shockingly dethrones the mastery of man.Featuring a chronology, bibliography, and informative notes, this is a must-have critical edition for Lovecraft aficionados, and the best introduction to his work for first-time visitors to his strange fictional world.

Amazon.com Review

Seven Striking Facts about H.P. Lovecraft1. H. P. Lovecraft (1890-1937) is one of the most influential popular writers in 20thC America, yet published only one short book during his lifetime, instead publishing in amateur magazines and pulp science fiction journals. He would have been forgotten but for friends who founded Arkham House press to publish his fiction. 2. First editions and editions of pulps with his stories in are now worth thousands of dollars—more than Lovecraft ever received during his writing career. 3. Lovecraft's prose is ornate and decadent and not to everyone's taste. In a disdainful early review of the Arkham House collections that buried Lovecraft's reputation for another twenty years, the leading American critic Edmund Wilson declared that “The only real horror in most of these fictions is the horror of bad taste and bad art.” 4. His most famous story, ‘The Call of Cthulhu,’ has resulted in a whole panoply of nasty monstrous gods in follow-up books, comics, films, cuddly toys and even minor religions. Yet it was initially rejected for publication by Weird Tales, one of many of Lovecraft's failures during his lifetime. 5. It was only in the 1960s that Lovecraft finally reached a large audience, with popular paperback editions and the first B-movie adaptations. As a sign of the times, the band 'H. P. Lovecraft' issued its first album in 1967 and was a key part of the San Francisco psychedelic scene. 6. Lovecraft had a habit of composing poetry and writing letters in a mannered 18th century style. He hated the modern world—and modern literature. He had a particular disgust for the Modernist poetry of T. S. Eliot. 7. Lovecraft led an eccentric life, mostly working at night or wondering around town in the early hours, seeking atmospheres of antiquarian America. In his last years, extremely poor, he lived on mashed potato and ice cream. This, it turned out, soothed the undiagnosed stomach cancer that would kill him only five days after he was admitted to hospital.

From Booklist

When an author’s name becomes synonymous with a genre or, indeed, a descriptor—Lovecraftian—it’s safe to assume the ground has already been worn flat. However, the release of Lovecraft’s most famous stories, nine in total and edited by Luckhurst, still has room to entice. Containing biographical information, author notes, an intelligently constructed introduction from Luckhurst, and samplings from Lovecraft’s own critical writings on “weird fiction,” this edition is far beyond a simple anthology of reprints. Although many of these stories are pushing well past 70 years since their first publication, they continue to hold up remarkably well. Dripping with plush, ornamental language, Lovecraft’s work still has the ability to surprise and scare. These stories forerun many genres, and their influence is still felt far and wide in contemporary “weird fiction.” For those interested in Lovecraft but unsure of where to start, this book rolls out the welcome mat. Highly recommended for both new readers and seasoned veterans with an eye toward literary curatorship. --James Orbesen

Book Description

An ideal introduction to the horror stories of H. P. Lovecraft, a cult literary figure whose fiction has inspired Stephen King, David Lynch, and a host of others

About the Author

Roger Luckhurst is Professor of Modern Literature at Birkbeck College, University of London. An expert on science fiction and Gothic literature, he is the author of The Invention of Telepathy, Science Fiction, The Trauma Question, and The Mummy's Curse: The True History of a Dark Fantasy.

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