H.P. Lovecraft (1890-1937), the most important American supernaturalist since Poe, has had an incalculable influence on all the horror-story writin...
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May 03, 2008
Donald
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This started as a historical essay on weird fiction that was published in 1927 in a magazine called The Recluse. The edition I was able to find is a 1973 reprint of a 1945 reprint. Interesting that no one since has taken on the task of writing about writers, and that Lovecraft's thoughts have stood the test of time.
I've pulled some names out of this edition. Perhaps I can even find some of the novels mentioned and thereby see into the past in order to more understand supernatural hor More...
I've pulled some names out of this edition. Perhaps I can even find some of the novels mentioned and thereby see into the past in order to more understand supernatural hor More...
May 09, 2009
Casey
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This genius of the macabre certainly had his own tastes and not everyone will agree with them. Still, if you care about horror, etc. it would be hard to find a better introduction to fantastic literature. Beware of spoilers, however. Lovecraft had an unfortunate tendency to give away the endings of certain stories. If you are really interested in a piece he is discoursing on stop and go read it. As a result of this flaw, it took me a while to finish this book but it was worth it. The chapt
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May 16, 2011
Kenny
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You could hardly hope for a better guide to the horror genre than H. P. Lovecraft. Not only is he near-universally acknowledged as the 20th century's greatest horror-story author, he seems to have read an impossible volume of the stuff. His knowledge is encyclopedic: generally with a survey written 80+ years ago, the writer's idea of what was most important doesn't line up with modern anthologists, critics, etc.; but with Lovecraft even "The Yellow Wallpaper" (for instance), anthologiz
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Aug 05, 2010
Nicole
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Here's the good, the bad, and the ugly about this book:
The Good: If you read this book, you'll get a sense of the historical development of the dark "weird" tale (in the U.S. and Europe). If you're like me, you'll find yourself reading the various descriptions of stories and novels and finding yourself underlining them for future addition to your to be read list. That might be the coolest thing, actually...through this book, I've discovered all sorts of other author More...
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Oct 13, 2008
Gabriel
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Though a little too much of this is summarizing weird fiction tales/novels/poems and not enough is on the analysis of those stories, there are still moments in it that make it worth the read. The essay itself has been called the required reading list of early horror (and indeed, there is plenty of reading there; from gothic to Poe) and it does a nice job of creating a linear path from the Gothic tradition of old decrepit castles to the "modern" horror that was based in the sciences.
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Jul 17, 2010
Henry
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This book is, simply put, priceless. H.P Lovecraft, one of the most influential 20th century horror writers, reviews some of the best horror tales of all times. Make no mistake, if you know something of the man you can easily feel his voice. But, while as expected he promotes those writers that have similar cosmic views as his own, he still describes in detail the work of others whose "limited" or "traditional" views of man and his place in the universe greatly differ from hi
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Feb 04, 2012
Benjamin
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This was a wonderful overview of the historical evolution of the weird tale... certainly a great starting point for anyone interested in learning about many of the "elder" influences on modern weird tale writers.
Lovecraft certainly identifies his favorites and is fairly blunt in his assessment of the various strengths and weaknesses of various weird tale writers.
I also appreciated Joshi's added research and commentary found in the footnotes... very enlightenin More...
Lovecraft certainly identifies his favorites and is fairly blunt in his assessment of the various strengths and weaknesses of various weird tale writers.
I also appreciated Joshi's added research and commentary found in the footnotes... very enlightenin More...
Nov 13, 2011
Stephen King recommended author and book. King said Lovecraft is the "twentieth-century horror story's dark and baroque prince" in Chapter 2 of Berkley's 1983 paperback edition of Danse Macabre.
King mentioned book in Chapter 3 of Berkley's 1983 paperback edition of Danse Macabre.
King mentioned book in Chapter 3 of Berkley's 1983 paperback edition of Danse Macabre.
Jan 26, 2010
H.
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The most thoughtful (and shortest) travelogue through the history and development of horror fiction, written by one of its masters and most ardent zealots. I can't think of anyone today who can apply so much acumen to such a large body of work in about 100 pages.
Jun 07, 2009
Charles
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Lovecraft not only wrote very fine horror fiction in his own right, he was a student of the genre and this is an excellent introduction to the topic of supernatural literature, although, of course, it does not deal with later works.
Jul 30, 2011
This book does an excellent job of detailing all significant horror literature up to Lovecraft's lifetime. The sheer volume of refernces alone are impressive and show how well versed Lovecraft was in the subject.
Sep 28, 2011
Lindsay
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It was fascinating to read about Lovecraft's influences after reading so many of his stories. This book must be the best source of recommendations for classic supernatural literature in existence.
Mar 29, 2008
Jon
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H.P. Lovecraft writes a nice little history of horror and supernatural literature. It's easy to read and comes from someone who really likes horror literature. I had hoped for a bit more analysis of the genre or authors/stories. A lot of the time he gives quick, spoiler synopses to tons of books and short stories that he really digs. With horror stories, I don't know if we want to be told the end before we read it. Oh well, the good thing is that he rattles off so many titles that there's
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Jul 30, 2009
Robert
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Lovecraft doesn't waste any time getting to his point. While one can argue his opinion of what makes horror work is narrow, his basic argument stands to this day.
Jan 05, 2010
Pat
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On one hand, an interesting slice about a fascinating subgenre of literature. On the other, it was a bit unorganized and tended to wander a bit. I think this may have originally been published in magazines which makes sense. It had the feel of a casual conversation from one academic expert to a group of regular, ordinary academics. A starting point, perhaps, of a larger, more organized work. Definitely intriguing and will give you ideas for a ton of future reading material.
Aug 28, 2007
Jeremy
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This book was basically a survey of other "weird fiction" authors. Not very interesting, but H.P.'s writing is very entertaining.
H.P. Lovecraft was pretty clearly racist. But was it true "hatred" of others, or was he just a white-elitist living in a time when all other whites were elitist as well?
H.P. Lovecraft was pretty clearly racist. But was it true "hatred" of others, or was he just a white-elitist living in a time when all other whites were elitist as well?
Aug 13, 2011
Erik
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It is what the introduction says it is, minus the superlatives. Hoping for some high weirdness and explicit discussion of his own work, I was disappointed. Fortunately, it's short--shorter than Stephen King's own, equally disappointing, book on this matter.
Sep 20, 2010
Earline
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great introduction and overview of horror fiction and weird tales. Like everyone, I wish this essay was longer and went more in depth, but the amount of stories and authors Lovecraft discussed is amazing. It's a mini-sized Danse Macabre.
Jan 29, 2012
Hamletmaschine
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De vuelta a lo básico... hace 15 años que no leía este tomo y debo decir que, tal y como esperaba, no sólo no ha envejecido un solo día, sino que pareciera proponer siempre más. Cancerbero de atisbos, ese Lovecraft...
Aug 01, 2007
Kay
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A seminal essay from a master of horror/fantasy. Lovecraft traces the origins and development of weird fiction, from ancient times up until his time (1920's). A must for serious fans of horror and supernatural fiction.
Dec 01, 2007
Noah
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A nice clean, cheap budget copy of Lovecraft's superb treatise on horror lit. A good starting place for those wanting to get into classic horror lit.
Feb 13, 2012
Feb 13, 2012
Feb 11, 2012
