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Lovecraft's Library: A Catalogue
H. P. Lovecraft was one of the most well-read authors of his time, and his personal library constitutes an intimate glimpse into his mind and imagination. This fourth revised edition provides comprehensive information on 1085 books owned by Lovecraft. These books focus chiefly on four key areas that Lovecraft found particularly ancient literature and history; the history and antiquities of New England; astronomy, chemistry, and other sciences; and, of course, the literature of weird fiction. S. T. Joshi has supplied full publication information, tables of contents for many titles, data on Lovecraft's discussions of the volumes in his stories, essays, poems, and letters, and a wealth of other information. To know Lovecraft's mind, one must first know his books.
In this updated edition, eighty new titles have been added to the list of books owned by Lovecraft, and additional information has been supplied on all titles listed.
In this updated edition, eighty new titles have been added to the list of books owned by Lovecraft, and additional information has been supplied on all titles listed.
204 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 2002
About the author
S.T. Joshi
787 books460 followersSunand Tryambak Joshi is an Indian American literary scholar, and a leading figure in the study of Howard Phillips Lovecraft and other authors. Besides what some critics consider to be the definitive biography of Lovecraft (H. P. Lovecraft: A Life, 1996), Joshi has written about Ambrose Bierce, H. L. Mencken, Lord Dunsany, and M.R. James, and has edited collections of their works.
His literary criticism is notable for its emphases upon readability and the dominant worldviews of the authors in question; his The Weird Tale looks at six acknowledged masters of horror and fantasy (namely Arthur Machen, Algernon Blackwood, Dunsany, M. R. James, Bierce and Lovecraft), and discusses their respective worldviews in depth and with authority. A follow-up volume, The Modern Weird Tale, examines the work of modern writers, including Shirley Jackson, Ramsey Campbell, Stephen King, Robert Aickman, Thomas Ligotti, T. E. D. Klein and others, from a similar philosophically oriented viewpoint. The Evolution of the Weird Tale (2004) includes essays on Dennis Etchison, L. P. Hartley, Les Daniels, E. F. Benson, Rudyard Kipling, David J. Schow, Robert Bloch, L. P. Davies, Edward Lucas White, Rod Serling, Poppy Z. Brite and others.
Joshi is the editor of the small-press literary journals Lovecraft Studies and Studies in Weird Fiction, published by Necronomicon Press. He is also the editor of Lovecraft Annual and co-editor of Dead Reckonings, both small-press journals published by Hippocampus Press.
In addition to literary criticism, Joshi has also edited books on atheism and social relations, including Documents of American Prejudice (1999), an annotated collection of American racist writings; In Her Place (2006), which collects written examples of prejudice against women; and Atheism: A Reader (2000), which collects atheistic writings by such people as Antony Flew, George Eliot, Bertrand Russell, Emma Goldman, Gore Vidal and Carl Sagan, among others. An Agnostic Reader, collecting pieces by such writers as Isaac Asimov, John William Draper, Albert Einstein, Frederic Harrison, Thomas Henry Huxley, Robert Ingersoll, Corliss Lamont, Arthur Schopenhauer and Edward Westermarck, was published in 2007.
Joshi is also the author of God's Defenders: What They Believe and Why They Are Wrong (2003), an anti-religious polemic against various writers including C. S. Lewis, G. K. Chesterton, T. S. Eliot, William F. Buckley, Jr., William James, Stephen L. Carter, Annie Dillard, Reynolds Price, Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, Guenter Lewy, Neale Donald Walsch and Jerry Falwell, which is dedicated to theologian and fellow Lovecraft critic Robert M. Price.
In 2006 he published The Angry Right: Why Conservatives Keep Getting It Wrong, which criticised the political writings of such commentators as William F. Buckley, Jr., Russell Kirk, David and Rush Limbaugh, Ann Coulter, Phyllis Schlafly, William Bennett, Gertrude Himmelfarb and Irving and William Kristol, arguing that, despite the efforts of right-wing polemicists, the values of the American people have become steadily more liberal over time.
Joshi, who lives with his wife in Moravia, New York, has stated on his website that his most noteworthy achievements thus far have been his biography of Lovecraft, H. P. Lovecraft: A Life and The Weird Tale.
His literary criticism is notable for its emphases upon readability and the dominant worldviews of the authors in question; his The Weird Tale looks at six acknowledged masters of horror and fantasy (namely Arthur Machen, Algernon Blackwood, Dunsany, M. R. James, Bierce and Lovecraft), and discusses their respective worldviews in depth and with authority. A follow-up volume, The Modern Weird Tale, examines the work of modern writers, including Shirley Jackson, Ramsey Campbell, Stephen King, Robert Aickman, Thomas Ligotti, T. E. D. Klein and others, from a similar philosophically oriented viewpoint. The Evolution of the Weird Tale (2004) includes essays on Dennis Etchison, L. P. Hartley, Les Daniels, E. F. Benson, Rudyard Kipling, David J. Schow, Robert Bloch, L. P. Davies, Edward Lucas White, Rod Serling, Poppy Z. Brite and others.
Joshi is the editor of the small-press literary journals Lovecraft Studies and Studies in Weird Fiction, published by Necronomicon Press. He is also the editor of Lovecraft Annual and co-editor of Dead Reckonings, both small-press journals published by Hippocampus Press.
In addition to literary criticism, Joshi has also edited books on atheism and social relations, including Documents of American Prejudice (1999), an annotated collection of American racist writings; In Her Place (2006), which collects written examples of prejudice against women; and Atheism: A Reader (2000), which collects atheistic writings by such people as Antony Flew, George Eliot, Bertrand Russell, Emma Goldman, Gore Vidal and Carl Sagan, among others. An Agnostic Reader, collecting pieces by such writers as Isaac Asimov, John William Draper, Albert Einstein, Frederic Harrison, Thomas Henry Huxley, Robert Ingersoll, Corliss Lamont, Arthur Schopenhauer and Edward Westermarck, was published in 2007.
Joshi is also the author of God's Defenders: What They Believe and Why They Are Wrong (2003), an anti-religious polemic against various writers including C. S. Lewis, G. K. Chesterton, T. S. Eliot, William F. Buckley, Jr., William James, Stephen L. Carter, Annie Dillard, Reynolds Price, Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, Guenter Lewy, Neale Donald Walsch and Jerry Falwell, which is dedicated to theologian and fellow Lovecraft critic Robert M. Price.
In 2006 he published The Angry Right: Why Conservatives Keep Getting It Wrong, which criticised the political writings of such commentators as William F. Buckley, Jr., Russell Kirk, David and Rush Limbaugh, Ann Coulter, Phyllis Schlafly, William Bennett, Gertrude Himmelfarb and Irving and William Kristol, arguing that, despite the efforts of right-wing polemicists, the values of the American people have become steadily more liberal over time.
Joshi, who lives with his wife in Moravia, New York, has stated on his website that his most noteworthy achievements thus far have been his biography of Lovecraft, H. P. Lovecraft: A Life and The Weird Tale.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
June 23, 2019
Well, that added some random books to my 'To Read' list….
For a man with a reputed wide range of knowledge it is a fascinating trawl through what is known of his collection; a 1,000 or so books representing what is known from letters, catalogues and a (poor) attempt to catalogue after his untimely death. The work is impressive in how the books have been referenced, cross referenced and editions checked and identified - Chapeau! to Joshi and his team. It certainly shows the range, albeit his known interests are fully displayed with astronomy seemingly dominating the nonfiction. What I did find interesting were the books that were missing - just a couple of introductory books on music (I really must go back to the collected letters and try and fathom his relationship with music) and apparently nothing on art history. Major authors of the day are conspicuous by their absence - no Woolf, no Hemingway, no Fitzgerald - he must have been aware of them, so again, back to the Letters! Many books on exploration and sailing - not a suggestion of Mountaineering.
Obviously this is really only aimed at people with an interest in HPL, but I have come away with some great books to track down and the happy knowledge that I own the same collection of Poe that the old gent would have returned to on many an occasion...
For a man with a reputed wide range of knowledge it is a fascinating trawl through what is known of his collection; a 1,000 or so books representing what is known from letters, catalogues and a (poor) attempt to catalogue after his untimely death. The work is impressive in how the books have been referenced, cross referenced and editions checked and identified - Chapeau! to Joshi and his team. It certainly shows the range, albeit his known interests are fully displayed with astronomy seemingly dominating the nonfiction. What I did find interesting were the books that were missing - just a couple of introductory books on music (I really must go back to the collected letters and try and fathom his relationship with music) and apparently nothing on art history. Major authors of the day are conspicuous by their absence - no Woolf, no Hemingway, no Fitzgerald - he must have been aware of them, so again, back to the Letters! Many books on exploration and sailing - not a suggestion of Mountaineering.
Obviously this is really only aimed at people with an interest in HPL, but I have come away with some great books to track down and the happy knowledge that I own the same collection of Poe that the old gent would have returned to on many an occasion...
November 22, 2007
Another excellent Lovecraft reference book. I would not recommend this for the casual fan, but it is a necessary tool for anyone delving into Lovecraft's knowledge base or possible inspirations.
January 1, 2021
Lovecraft’s Library is a short 150-page book that cites the book contents of H.P.Lovecraft’s library. Meticulously put together with the bibliographic catalogue details, whether it was bought by Lovecraft or a gift. Some entries have notations by Lovecraft on what he thought about that particular book.
This is an insightful book, more for the scholarship or completist fan. It lists over 1000 books owned by Lovecraft. It is interesting albeit just an A-Z list of authors. The wealth of information is staggering, Joshi’s scholarship in the field of Lovecraft as ever shines through.
This is an insightful book, more for the scholarship or completist fan. It lists over 1000 books owned by Lovecraft. It is interesting albeit just an A-Z list of authors. The wealth of information is staggering, Joshi’s scholarship in the field of Lovecraft as ever shines through.
August 5, 2021
Was this the most fun book I ever read? Should I have used it as a reference book? Am I crazy that I have a book about the library of HPL? Nope. Maybe. Probably.
It was entertaining though. That man got a lot of books from friends. I was looking up the titles of the books a lot. It was fun to see that he had versions of books I have been reading during Corona. From now on I will be using it as a reference book, and I will be probably be buying random books on Amazon.
It was entertaining though. That man got a lot of books from friends. I was looking up the titles of the books a lot. It was fun to see that he had versions of books I have been reading during Corona. From now on I will be using it as a reference book, and I will be probably be buying random books on Amazon.
August 5, 2021
A wonderful tool for the Lovecraft fan compiled by the ever competent and astute S.T. Joshi. While I have already explored Machen, Blackwood, Dunsany, M.R. James etc. thanks to mention in the letters this is the definitive step for exhaustivity.
January 29, 2020
Solo para amantes de Lovecraft, impecable repaso a la biblioteca del genio de Providence por parte del señor S.T. Yoshi, uno de los mayores expertos en la vida y obra de HPL.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews