Golden Age Collection 22 22

[markseifert]

I've been fascinated by his writing ever since and have read a little of his history but it is time to read more. Whenever I read his stories I can feel the oppressive weight of a Nor'easter over Providence weighing down my soul!!

 

I first read Lovecraft (and Howard) when I was about the same age as when you started reading him.

 

I haven't read anything by HPL since I was in high school. I wonder if I'd still enjoy the stories if I were to reread any of them.

 

I think you might as I found myself again in possession of a paperback of his stories a few years ago and thoroughly enjoyed reading some of his tales again. There is an innate oppressive creepiness to his writing that makes you fear going down into the cellar or out into the dark!!

 

I first read HPL in college. A guy I knew from around campus saw me reading a paperback collection one day, came over and after a conversation said "oh, I read collections of his LETTERS now."

 

I think I probably looked at him like he was nuts. "His letters? Wha...?" I thought. But of course, that is just the kind of behind the scenes / historical material I would subsequently grow to love so much (I haven't read too many of Lovecraft's letters, but generally speaking I mean).

 

You guys should check out the HPL and REH collections available on kindle if you haven't. Complete or near-complete collections can be had very cheap. I've read to tatters and replaced a few times over some of original anthology paperbacks, so this is one area that the digital is useful. I still return to those stories from time to time.

[Theagenes]

There are a couple of big HPL and REH events about to take place over the next two weekends. This weekend is NecronomiCon in Providence, the biggest HPL convention of the the year:

 

http://necronomicon-providence.com/

 

And starting next week and running through the weekend is WorldCon in San Antonio. Since it's in Texas they're having a ton of REH-related programming, exhibits, and events. I'll be there and will be on a bunch of panels. It should a blast. I've never been to a WorldCon before so I'm really excited to be attending the granddaddy of all cons. Here's some of the info:

 

http://www.lonestarcon3.org/exhibits/howard.shtml

 

 

 

[Theagenes]

I've been fascinated by his writing ever since and have read a little of his history but it is time to read more. Whenever I read his stories I can feel the oppressive weight of a Nor'easter over Providence weighing down my soul!!

 

I first read Lovecraft (and Howard) when I was about the same age as when you started reading him.

 

I haven't read anything by HPL since I was in high school. I wonder if I'd still enjoy the stories if I were to reread any of them.

 

I think you might as I found myself again in possession of a paperback of his stories a few years ago and thoroughly enjoyed reading some of his tales again. There is an innate oppressive creepiness to his writing that makes you fear going down into the cellar or out into the dark!!

 

I first read HPL in college. A guy I knew from around campus saw me reading a paperback collection one day, came over and after a conversation said "oh, I read collections of his LETTERS now."

 

I think I probably looked at him like he was nuts. "His letters? Wha...?" I thought. But of course, that is just the kind of behind the scenes / historical material I would subsequently grow to love so much (I haven't read too many of Lovecraft's letters, but generally speaking I mean).

 

You guys should check out the HPL and REH collections available on kindle if you haven't. Complete or near-complete collections can be had very cheap. I've read to tatters and replaced a few times over some of original anthology paperbacks, so this is one area that the digital is useful. I still return to those stories from time to time.

 

Mark, you might enjoy _A Means to Freedom_. It's a 2-volume set collecting the correspondence between REH and HPL. Really great stuff including their famous barbarism vs. civilization debate.

[Theagenes]

L. Sprague de Camp gets a lot of flack on his biography style and his editing, but it should be noted that his own fiction has earned a niche in the annals of the Golden Age...

 

 

Very true. DeCamp's original fiction is not bad at all. The Tritonian Ring and the other Pusad stories are very good.

[BangZoom]

 

L. Sprague de Camp's first published story was "The Isolinguals" which appeared in the September 1937 issue of Astounding.

 

The caption for the illustration has almost made me interested enough to set aside my plans for tonight and read the story instead.

 

 

[BangZoom]

I first read HPL in college. A guy I knew from around campus saw me reading a paperback collection one day, came over and after a conversation said "oh, I read collections of his LETTERS now."

 

I think I probably looked at him like he was nuts. "His letters? Wha...?" I thought. But of course, that is just the kind of behind the scenes / historical material I would subsequently grow to love so much (I haven't read too many of Lovecraft's letters, but generally speaking I mean).

 

 

I think you've got something there.

 

I own the 5 volume set of Arkham House's Selected Letters of H.P. Lovecraft (1911-1937).

 

I've always thought I'd get around to reading them someday. Maybe now is a good time?

[BangZoom]

And starting next week and running through the weekend is WorldCon in San Antonio. Since it's in Texas they're having a ton of REH-related programming, exhibits, and events. I'll be there and will be on a bunch of panels. It should a blast. I've never been to a WorldCon before so I'm really excited to be attending the granddaddy of all cons.

 

Oh-h.

 

Sounds exciting.

 

The last Worldcon I attended was the 1974 con held in Washington, DC.

 

I hope you take plenty of photos.

[markseifert]

Mark, you might enjoy _A Means to Freedom_. It's a 2-volume set collecting the correspondence between REH and HPL. Really great stuff including their famous barbarism vs. civilization debate.

 

Wow, I had not even heard of this. That does sound fascinating, thanks! (thumbs u

[Moondog]

Before we leave the discussion of HPL's biographies behind us.

 

Here are two other books about him that were published in 1975.

 

 

 

Lovecraft at Last by Willis Conover and Howard Phillips Lovecraft by Frank Belknap Long

 

I remember enjoying the Conover book very much.

 

I don't have any memory of the Long book. I might not have ever read it.

 

The Long bio is the only HPL bio I've read. I liked it. His style is easy to read - very fannish.

[Theagenes]

And starting next week and running through the weekend is WorldCon in San Antonio. Since it's in Texas they're having a ton of REH-related programming, exhibits, and events. I'll be there and will be on a bunch of panels. It should a blast. I've never been to a WorldCon before so I'm really excited to be attending the granddaddy of all cons.

 

Oh-h.

 

Sounds exciting.

 

The last Worldcon I attended was the 1974 con held in Washington, DC.

 

I hope you take plenty of photos.

 

I'll definitely do a trip report. (thumbs u

 

BTW, you guys might be interested to know I'm currently co-editing a collection of critical essays on Weird Tales, a large chunk of which will be on HPL and REH. It's planned as being a part of Joshi's Studies in Supernatural Literature series from Scarecrow Press and should be out late next year if all goes well.

[BR-migration]

Wow -- that is fascinating. Moskowitz was one of the first to say Kantor was an alias and seems just as amazed that he was real -- its too bad those photos are lost somewhere. Just goes to show that you can't take anything for granted with these guys.

 

I actually think he did sell the story to Amazing (which is why Jerry idolized him), but they folded before it ran. Just a guess though.

 

I don't know about the mental issues, either. Clearly, the conflation of Kantor with Siegel was something he was also doing himself (or was a victim of), but he was also involved in a lot of really crazy projects of his own in Cleveland and elsewhere that I go into in the book. I call him Bizarro in the book because he's the version of Jerry that didn't make it -- and think of how many of those people there were.

 

Thanks for posting BZ -- really cool.

 

[GACollectibles]

Before we leave the discussion of HPL's biographies behind us.

 

Here are two other books about him that were published in 1975.

 

 

 

Lovecraft at Last by Willis Conover and Howard Phillips Lovecraft by Frank Belknap Long

 

I remember enjoying the Conover book very much.

 

I don't have any memory of the Long book. I might not have ever read it.

 

I had one of these come through recently, included was brochure for cemetary where he is buried, not pictured is the map to the gravesite that was included also.

 

Lovecraft's Providence & Adjacent Parts (1986)

 

 

Swan Point Cemetery brochure

[50YrsCollctngCmcs]

There are a couple of big HPL and REH events about to take place over the next two weekends. This weekend is NecronomiCon in Providence, the biggest HPL convention of the the year:

 

http://necronomicon-providence.com/

 

And starting next week and running through the weekend is WorldCon in San Antonio. Since it's in Texas they're having a ton of REH-related programming, exhibits, and events. I'll be there and will be on a bunch of panels. It should a blast. I've never been to a WorldCon before so I'm really excited to be attending the granddaddy of all cons. Here's some of the info:

 

http://www.lonestarcon3.org/exhibits/howard.shtml

 

 

 

I looked at the website for the Lovecraft convention and I can only say that if you think comic fans are crazy; we dont even begin to come close to HPL fans!!

[Pat Calhoun]

Got the Campbell in. So satisfying it inspired me to harvest a few more mushrooms. ‘Charles Grey’ (Space Hunger) is EC Tubb. Alien invaders bathe Earth in euphoria-inducing microwaves… & the Satellite reprints one of Tubb’s best from ‘jungle’ era. The other two should come in today (seller’s pics). 7 was awkward # for Cherry Tree group shot so added the Coblentz lower right- from 1928 Amazing Quarterly…

 

[BangZoom]

 

Beautiful books, Pat.

 

Those must be hard to find.

 

Maybe some day I'll stumble across copies at a price I won't be able to resist and I can add a few of those titles to my collection.

[BangZoom]

I had one of these come through recently, included was brochure for cemetary where he is buried, not pictured is the map to the gravesite that was included also.

 

Lovecraft's Providence & Adjacent Parts (1986)

 

 

Swan Point Cemetery brochure

 

Very cool.

 

If I ever made it to Providence, RI I'd definitely want to visit Lovecraft's grave.

[BangZoom]

Wow -- that is fascinating. Moskowitz was one of the first to say Kantor was an alias and seems just as amazed that he was real -- its too bad those photos are lost somewhere. Just goes to show that you can't take anything for granted with these guys.

 

I actually think he did sell the story to Amazing (which is why Jerry idolized him), but they folded before it ran. Just a guess though.

 

I don't know about the mental issues, either. Clearly, the conflation of Kantor with Siegel was something he was also doing himself (or was a victim of), but he was also involved in a lot of really crazy projects of his own in Cleveland and elsewhere that I go into in the book. I call him Bizarro in the book because he's the version of Jerry that didn't make it -- and think of how many of those people there were.

 

 

The entire Kantor / Kenton / Siegel question remains an unsolved mystery to me. I am still of the mind that Siegel is behind much of what is currently being credited to Kantor.

 

Siegel's 1933 statement to Forrest J Ackerman, "I have more pseudonyms than a centipede has legs" is a funny line but also seems to be an honest admission by Siegel of his propensity to invent imaginary fellow fans that, at times, populated his letters to Amazing Stories and appeared as contributors to his fanzines.

 

On another subject: In your research were you ever able to ascertain whether the Siegel / Shuster "How to be Funny" humor course, that was advertised in 1938 and 1939 issues of DC comics, ever was published and mailed out to buyers?

 

 

 

 

Also, do you have any info about "Stooge" which Siegel copyrighted in 1941?

 

 

 

From:

The Library of Congress Copyright Office

Catalog of Copyright Entries

Dramatic Compositions and Motion Pictures

 

[Theagenes]

 

Beautiful books, Pat.

 

Those must be hard to find.

 

Maybe some day I'll stumble across copies at a price I won't be able to resist and I can add a few of those titles to my collection.

 

Ditto! Those are sweet books Pat!

[BR-migration]

The Humor Course seems to have gone out -- there was a copy on eBay a few years ago -- it's all typewritten and kind of standard '30s humor stuff. I've never seen "Stooge" though. Frank (Joe's brother) followed in Jerry's footsteps in high school and even took over his infamous high school pen name of "Stiletto." But I agree with you BZ, there may still be names out there we don't even know about.

 

The few Kantor letters to the pulps are, I'm convinced, the actual Kantor since they have another address and use a completely different vocabulary. I also tend to think that "Miracles on Antares" was Kantor's because that would explain why Jerry seemed to idolize him, but Kantor's later public letter to Jerry about a movie version of Antares (which I have in the book) suggests it is Jerry's. ?? Because we can't know for sure, it makes the mystery all the stranger. When Kantor is busted for all his scams in the fifties, the paper notes that the Better Business Bureau has several huge files on him -- unfortunately, they were all thrown away when they moved offices years later.

 

never ends.....

 

[BR-migration]

 

 

Here's one of the later articles I talk about in the book (1952) where Kantor claims Siegel as a business partner -- this time for an unnamed comic venture.