THE COSMIC HORROR OF H. P. LOVECRAFT

Lovecraft, H. P. (1890–1937); Joshi, S. T., editor

'Dagon' and Other Macabre Tales [Lovecraft Canon]

Sauk City, Wisconsin, Arkham House Publishers, 1987. Corrected 8th Printing.
THE ESSENTIAL ARKHAM HOUSE LOVECRAFT — COSMIC HORROR RESTORED FROM THE AUTHOR’S ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPTS
A substantial Arkham House edition of Lovecraft’s essential shorter fiction, presenting the corrected S. T. Joshi text based directly upon Lovecraft’s surviving manuscripts. This edition marked a turning point in Lovecraft scholarship, replacing the heavily altered August Derleth editorial tradition with texts that restored Lovecraft’s original wording, punctuation, and narrative structure.

Containing many of Lovecraft’s foundational tales of cosmic horror, forbidden knowledge, ancient entities, and psychological collapse, this volume remains one of the core modern collections for both readers and collectors of weird fiction.

CONDITION: Fine in a Near Fine Dust Jacket — No flaws or blemishes beyond minimal shelf handling. The bindings are tight and square. Text clean. Dust jacket shows only light handling wear; corners and edges remain sharp and fine. Housed in a Mylar protective sleeve. 8.25 inches tall; 488 pages with chronology and index. An attractive collector copy. 

KEY FEATURES
+++ Corrected Text: Edited by S. T. Joshi from Lovecraft’s original manuscripts, restoring substantial textual variations omitted or altered in earlier Arkham House printings.
+++ Introduction: Scholarly introduction by T. E. D. Klein, one of the major modern interpreters of Lovecraftian horror.
+++ Artwork: Dust jacket illustration by Raymond Bayless.
+++ Content: Includes many of Lovecraft’s most important tales of existential dread, cosmic insignificance, madness, and forbidden knowledge.
+++ Publisher: Arkham House, the legendary Sauk City press founded specifically to preserve Lovecraft’s literary legacy.

HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE —
Few twentieth-century writers have exerted a broader posthumous influence than H. P. Lovecraft. Virtually ignored by mainstream literary culture during his lifetime, Lovecraft became the foundational architect of modern cosmic horror, influencing literature, film, gaming, music, and visual art worldwide.

The significance of this edition lies not only in the stories themselves but in the editorial restoration undertaken by S. T. Joshi. Earlier Arkham House editions, shaped heavily by August Derleth, often normalized or altered Lovecraft’s prose. Joshi’s corrected edition returned to the original manuscripts, fundamentally reshaping modern understanding of Lovecraft’s style and intent.

Arkham House itself occupies a legendary place in publishing history. Founded in 1939 by August Derleth and Donald Wandrei specifically to preserve Lovecraft’s work, the press became the single most important publisher of American weird fiction during the twentieth century. 

CONTENT HIGHLIGHTS
+++ Includes ‘Dagon’ and many of Lovecraft’s defining tales of cosmic horror and existential terror.
+++ Explores recurring Lovecraftian themes including forbidden knowledge, madness, isolation, and humanity’s insignificance before incomprehensible cosmic powers.
+++ Represents the scholarly restoration movement led by S. T. Joshi that reshaped modern Lovecraft studies.
+++ Preserves the atmospheric prose and psychological pacing often softened in earlier edited editions.
+++ Includes chronology and textual apparatus valuable for both collectors and researchers.

Subjects: H. P. Lovecraft, Arkham House, Cosmic Horror, Weird Fiction, S. T. Joshi, Existential Dread, Supernatural Fiction, Horror Literature, American Fantasy, Macabre Tales, Weird Fiction, Cosmic Horror, Supernatural Fiction, Gothic Literature.

Item #22035
ISBN: 0870540394

Price: $120.00