The New Annotated H. P. Lovecraft: Beyond Arkham
Edited by Leslie S Klinger
Liveright Publishing Corp.
Howard Phillips Lovecraft’s stories of horror and the macabre are rooted in the Pulp genre, but he carved out a literary niche all his own with “Weird Fiction.” Its tales of Old Ones, Great Cthulhu, and mutant fungi became a genre in its own right, the inspiration of subsequent generations of writers and even a role-playing game. Lovecraft’s work was informed by his interest in astronomy and by the scientific advances of his day, including Darwin’s Theory of volution and Einstein’s various theories concerning the fabric and nature of the universe. His home in Providence, Rhode Island gave inspiration for the famous Arkham setting with its Miskatonic University, seat of research into Lovecraft’s unsettling mythos.
… a rich seam of Lovecraft’s writing which introduces new readers to the strange and unsettling worlds he created …
This collection features classic Lovecraft stories such as The Other Gods, The Lurking Fear, and The Strange High House in the Mist. Each story in the book is accompanied by extensive annotations that give fascinating background details on Lovecraft’s world, including the social and political issues of the time. It also addresses Lovecraft’s notorious racism and bigotry, asking the reader to look beyond these justly condemnable behaviors and take his writings for their true high value.
Although recognition of his work came mostly after his death in 1937, Lovecraft earned a place in the firmament of American literature. The New Annotated H. P. Lovecraft: Beyond Arkham is a rich seam of Lovecraft’s writing which introduces new readers to the strange and unsettling worlds he created and is worthy of inclusion on any fan’s bookshelves.
