About this title: The visionary master of cosmic horror joins The Library of America with this collection of classic stories of the strange and fantastic.
Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is described below.
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Library of America, NY:
Date Published: 2005
ISBN-13:9781931082723ISBN:1931082723
Description: Near fine copy in hardcover boards, very good + dust jacket. 838, Dust jacket covered with mylar jacket protector. Fifth printing. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Library of America
Date Published: 2005-03-30
ISBN-13:9781931082723ISBN:1931082723
Description: NEW. Hardcover. From an inventory that is 100% brand-new, 100% direct from the publishers' distribution channel. We carry NO pre-owned, NO remaindered. We pack in CARDBOARD to ensure the pristine quality is maintained. (Bubble-wrap alone is NOT sufficient to protect from USPS equipment. ) Guaranteed brand-NEW, protected with CARDBOARD, your satisfaction is guaranteed. BKLUVID: 9781931082723. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Library of America
Date Published: 2005
ISBN-13:9781931082723ISBN:1931082723
Description: New. Brand New! Buy with confidence-your satisfaction is guaranteed at B-Logistics! Due to the large scale of our operation, we do not have access to the specific contents/condition of our items. Please note that Expedited shipping is not available at this time. read more
Edition: First Edition
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: The Library of America, New York
Date Published: 2005
ISBN-13:9781931082723ISBN:1931082723
Description: As New. No DJ as Issued-In Slipcase. 8vo-over 7¾"-9¾" tall. HB-1st. print: The Library of America 155-As New in Slipcase / No DJ as issued (gold gilt on blue boards, silk bookmark-Sealed in publisher's shrinkwrap)-This over 800 page collection of H.P. Lovecraft tales includes, "The Outsider", "At The Mountains of Madness", "The Call of Cthulhu", "The Colour Out Of Space", and more...-Selection and notes by Peter Straub... read more
Binding: Hardback
Publisher: Penguin Group Usa
Date Published: 2005
ISBN-13:9781931082723ISBN:1931082723
Description: New. The visionary master of cosmic horror joins The Library of America with this collection of classic stories of the strange and fantastic. read more
Edition: First edition
Binding: Cloth
Publisher: Library of America, New York
Date Published: 2005
ISBN-13:9781931082723ISBN:1931082723
Description: Very Good in Fine DJ. 838 pp. 8vo. Cloth in dustjacket. Jacket in fine condition. Book in excellent condition. Previous owner's signature, small bookplate, and blind stamp to fep. read more
Edition: First edition
Binding: Cloth
Publisher: Library of America, New York
Date Published: 2005
ISBN-13:9781931082723ISBN:1931082723
Description: Very Good in Near Fine DJ. 838 pp. 8vo. Cloth in dustjacket. Minor edge wear to jacket. Book has slight tobacco odor. Interior clean. First edition. read more
Edition: First edition
Binding: Cloth
Publisher: Library of America, New York
Date Published: 2005
ISBN-13:9781931082723ISBN:1931082723
Description: Near Fine in Very Good DJ. 838 pp. 8vo. Cloth in dustjacket. Bumping to jacket spine ends, very slight shelf wear. Book in great condition, bumping to spine head and spine foot corner. Silk ribbon marker bound in. Interior pristine. read more
"I learned that Cthulhu is pronounced Khlul-hloo. Two syllables. The u in the first syllable sounding like the u in full.
I've been pronouncing it K-thoo-loo (three syllables). Oops.
Also, knowing that Lovecraft's paranoid, delusional mother kept him isolated for years and convinced him he was ugly makes The Outsider truly poignant.
My favorite story in this book is The Thing On The Doorstep. Waaay creepy.
Lovecraft's favorite was The Colour Out Of Space. Also very creepy.
In fact, if you sit and read a bunch of these tales in one sitting you will get seriously weirded out. Which is actually the reason given by one big NY publishing house editor for why he rejected Lovecraft's work. (WTF??!)
Unfortunately, that editor was not alone in missing the point entirely.
Lovecraft never had commercial success in his lifetime. What with the "amateur" and "private" publications of his work, today he would probably be considered "self-published". He did sell some stories to Weird Tales magazine, but a few of his best pieces were published after he died.
Luckily he had the respect of his author friends, who recognized his talent, and he seems to have been happy writing for himself.
He also answered his fan letters, even encouraging Robert Bloch to write.
I hope wherever he is, Lovecraft knows how much a part of the culture his writing has become. For example, during one election season I saw a bumper sticker that read:
"It's hard to review this book since it's a collection of short tales, all fairly independent from one another. As a collection it works well, compiling most of Lovecraft's better known works though nothing out of his dream cycle is included, sadly. The stories themselves are engaging, and more unsettling than outright scary. The horror aspect is a bit dated at this point, but reading his tales makes it easy to appreciate how large his influence has been on modern horror, and especially sci-fi. Most of the stories share the same formmula of being written in firs-person, in a diary-type format. Fortunately, Lovecraft does a good job of varying the horrifying revelations his protagonists encounter, and develops a deep, murky mythos from which to draw. The Colour out of Space, The Outsider, and The Whisper in the Darkness were probably my favorite stories included here."
"Actually, I didn't finish this. But I've read as much of it as I'm going to...YES, Alex, I read "The Call of Cthulhu"...It was okay. I like Lovecraft's style. The only story that really jumped out at me was the first one in this collection...I forget the title...but it actually sent a shiver down my spine when I finished it. And that's never happened before, not with Edgar Allen Poe or Frank Peretti or Charles Williams...of course, I read it really late at night while everyone was asleep. HOWEVER, I also had happy jazz music playing while I read it, so it should've cancelled that out...
I have to give this three stars because...well...I really like Lovecraft's story ideas and his style...but the details of the stories sort of overwhelmed me. It's probably because I'm a skimmer at heart...it's a bad habit that I'm trying to get over. Plus, sort of like Edgar Allen Poe, I can only take so much dark gothic horror before it all starts to sound the same to me...even though I really like dark gothic stuff.
Basically, I really like the way that Lovecraft writes, but I'm not good enough of a reader to appreciate it in its entirety."
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