What do you think?
Rate this book
Marginalia
1."Foreword," by August Derleth & Donald Wandrei
2."Imprisoned with the Pharaohs" (with Harry Houdini)
3."Medusa's Coil" (with Zealia Brown (Reed) Bishop)
4."Winged Death" (with Hazel Heald)
5."The Man of Stone" (with Hazel Heald)
6."Notes on the Writing of Weird Fiction"
7."Some Notes on Interplanetary Fiction"
8."Lord Dunsany and His Work"
9."Heritage or Modernism: Common Sense in Art Forms"
10."Some Backgrounds of Fairyland"
11."Some Causes of Self-Immolation"
12."A Guide to Charleston, South Carolina"
13."Observations on Several Parts of North America"
14."The Beast in the Cave"
15."The Transition of Juan Romero"
16."Azathoth"
17."The Book"
18."The Descendant"
19."The Very Old Folk"
20."The Thing in the Moonlight"
21."Two Comments"
22."His Own Most Fantastic Creation" by Winfield Townley Scott
23."Some Random Memories" by Frank Belknap Long
24."H. P. Lovecraft: An Appreciation" by T. O. Mabbott
25."The Wind That Is in the Grass: A Memoir of H. P. Lovecraft" by R. H. Barlow
26."Lovecraft and Science" by Kenneth Sterling
27."Lovecraft as a Formative Influence" by August Derleth
28."The Dweller in Darkness" by Donald Wandrei
29."To Howard Phillips Lovecraft" by Clark Ashton Smith
30."H.P.L." by Henry Kuttner
31."Lost Dream" by Emil Petaja
32."To Howard Phillips Lovecraft" by Francis Flagg
33."Elegy: In Providence the Spring ..." by August Derleth
34."From the Outsider: H. P. Lovecraft" by Charles E. White
35."In Memoriam: H. P. Lovecraft" by Richard Ely Morse
Cover Illustration: Virgil Finlay
2."Imprisoned with the Pharaohs" (with Harry Houdini)
3."Medusa's Coil" (with Zealia Brown (Reed) Bishop)
4."Winged Death" (with Hazel Heald)
5."The Man of Stone" (with Hazel Heald)
6."Notes on the Writing of Weird Fiction"
7."Some Notes on Interplanetary Fiction"
8."Lord Dunsany and His Work"
9."Heritage or Modernism: Common Sense in Art Forms"
10."Some Backgrounds of Fairyland"
11."Some Causes of Self-Immolation"
12."A Guide to Charleston, South Carolina"
13."Observations on Several Parts of North America"
14."The Beast in the Cave"
15."The Transition of Juan Romero"
16."Azathoth"
17."The Book"
18."The Descendant"
19."The Very Old Folk"
20."The Thing in the Moonlight"
21."Two Comments"
22."His Own Most Fantastic Creation" by Winfield Townley Scott
23."Some Random Memories" by Frank Belknap Long
24."H. P. Lovecraft: An Appreciation" by T. O. Mabbott
25."The Wind That Is in the Grass: A Memoir of H. P. Lovecraft" by R. H. Barlow
26."Lovecraft and Science" by Kenneth Sterling
27."Lovecraft as a Formative Influence" by August Derleth
28."The Dweller in Darkness" by Donald Wandrei
29."To Howard Phillips Lovecraft" by Clark Ashton Smith
30."H.P.L." by Henry Kuttner
31."Lost Dream" by Emil Petaja
32."To Howard Phillips Lovecraft" by Francis Flagg
33."Elegy: In Providence the Spring ..." by August Derleth
34."From the Outsider: H. P. Lovecraft" by Charles E. White
35."In Memoriam: H. P. Lovecraft" by Richard Ely Morse
Cover Illustration: Virgil Finlay
- GenresShort StoriesHorror
377 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1944
About the author
H.P. Lovecraft
6,459 books19.5k followersHoward Phillips Lovecraft, of Providence, Rhode Island, was an American author of horror, fantasy and science fiction.
Lovecraft's major inspiration and invention was cosmic horror: life is incomprehensible to human minds and the universe is fundamentally alien. Those who genuinely reason, like his protagonists, gamble with sanity. Lovecraft has developed a cult following for his Cthulhu Mythos, a series of loosely interconnected fictions featuring a pantheon of human-nullifying entities, as well as the Necronomicon, a fictional grimoire of magical rites and forbidden lore. His works were deeply pessimistic and cynical, challenging the values of the Enlightenment, Romanticism and Christianity. Lovecraft's protagonists usually achieve the mirror-opposite of traditional gnosis and mysticism by momentarily glimpsing the horror of ultimate reality.
Although Lovecraft's readership was limited during his life, his reputation has grown over the decades. He is now commonly regarded as one of the most influential horror writers of the 20th Century, exerting widespread and indirect influence, and frequently compared to Edgar Allan Poe.
See also Howard Phillips Lovecraft.
— Wikipedia
Lovecraft's major inspiration and invention was cosmic horror: life is incomprehensible to human minds and the universe is fundamentally alien. Those who genuinely reason, like his protagonists, gamble with sanity. Lovecraft has developed a cult following for his Cthulhu Mythos, a series of loosely interconnected fictions featuring a pantheon of human-nullifying entities, as well as the Necronomicon, a fictional grimoire of magical rites and forbidden lore. His works were deeply pessimistic and cynical, challenging the values of the Enlightenment, Romanticism and Christianity. Lovecraft's protagonists usually achieve the mirror-opposite of traditional gnosis and mysticism by momentarily glimpsing the horror of ultimate reality.
Although Lovecraft's readership was limited during his life, his reputation has grown over the decades. He is now commonly regarded as one of the most influential horror writers of the 20th Century, exerting widespread and indirect influence, and frequently compared to Edgar Allan Poe.
See also Howard Phillips Lovecraft.
— Wikipedia
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
July 31, 2019
"Marginalia" is like a great meal of leftovers from a banquet. It fills in the background on Lovecraft - both the good and the bad. It covers examples of his childhood work, ghostwriting, and revision for authors. The juvenilia displays a hint of his future potential, his story for Houdini is a full-fledged Cthulhu tale, and the revisions represent the first "post"-Lovecraft tales from the mythos. The Fragments section like the juvenilia give insight on the development of his mastery as a horror writer.
The Essays give one a deep look in the nature of the man and his times. Lovecraft did his writing principally in the 1920s and 1930s at the height of Klu Klux Klan membership and the lynching of African Americans in the South. Lovecraft's descriptions of America, opinions of immigrants, and foreign labor overseas is not sugar coated. He is a New Englander, a believer in White superiority, and a supporter of segregation. He is also a deep thinker on the development of the horror (weird) genre, the potential of science fiction, art and artists, and the roots of fantasy. Even more, the eulogies to Lovecraft by Scott, Long, Mabbott, Barlow, Sterling, Derleth and Wandrei (co-editors), Smith, Kuttner, Petaja, Flagg, White, and Morse reveal the depths of the man that they spent years corresponding to, visiting with, and worshiping at the foot of his creative genius.
This is an essential read for the avid fan and the student of Lovecraft.
The Essays give one a deep look in the nature of the man and his times. Lovecraft did his writing principally in the 1920s and 1930s at the height of Klu Klux Klan membership and the lynching of African Americans in the South. Lovecraft's descriptions of America, opinions of immigrants, and foreign labor overseas is not sugar coated. He is a New Englander, a believer in White superiority, and a supporter of segregation. He is also a deep thinker on the development of the horror (weird) genre, the potential of science fiction, art and artists, and the roots of fantasy. Even more, the eulogies to Lovecraft by Scott, Long, Mabbott, Barlow, Sterling, Derleth and Wandrei (co-editors), Smith, Kuttner, Petaja, Flagg, White, and Morse reveal the depths of the man that they spent years corresponding to, visiting with, and worshiping at the foot of his creative genius.
This is an essential read for the avid fan and the student of Lovecraft.
March 15, 2026
It’s taken me a long time to be able to read this book – just 2,035 copies were made, who knows how many survive, but too many of them are in the hands of dealers and not in the hands of those who would treasure them. Some of this material has been republished (Lovecraft Remembered), but not all, and it’s that lack of understanding of who HPL was, that leads to the simplification of this complex man.
As the third volume of Lovecraft material from Arkham House, it contains a variety of material, fiction and non-fiction, and is a must for any serious enthusiast – even if just for the smile raised by the statement that the Collected Letters would run to ‘1 or 2 volumes’!
The volume starts with associated fiction – ‘Imprisoned with the Pharaohs’ is great fun, whilst ‘Medusa’s Coil’ is reminiscent of ‘The Thing on the Doorstep’ – the Hazel Heald stories are fairly run of the mill.
The Essays section is the real highlight here, showing the breadth of his knowledge and attitude, with this statement from ‘Notes on Interplanetary fiction’ hitting the core of his career "Better to write honestly for a non-remunerative magazine than to concoct worthless tinsel and be paid for it". It’s also fair to say that he would not have appreciated ‘Star Wars’ – almost the embodiment of everything he was against…
The final two essays are based on travel and are brimming with his love of history – following him around Charleston is so vivid, and his travels around the North East culminate in the famous quote that would forever be carved onto his headstone ‘Providence is I and I am Providence’
Juvenilia and Fragments have (mostly) been printed again (although a couple were new to me) and again are for the purist, not representing his best by any means…
The book is completed with a series of ‘Appreciations’ – reactions and reflections on the passing of their mentor and friend. Cats, coffee, ice cream and cheese were the basic ingredients that fed his passions and writing.
The book is peppered with plates, including photographs of HPL’s study, taken by Barlow shortly after his death, and some fascinating facsimiles of his handwritten notes.
Thoroughly enjoyed this book, and am honoured to have it in my collection – where it will be read, handled and treasured.
As the third volume of Lovecraft material from Arkham House, it contains a variety of material, fiction and non-fiction, and is a must for any serious enthusiast – even if just for the smile raised by the statement that the Collected Letters would run to ‘1 or 2 volumes’!
The volume starts with associated fiction – ‘Imprisoned with the Pharaohs’ is great fun, whilst ‘Medusa’s Coil’ is reminiscent of ‘The Thing on the Doorstep’ – the Hazel Heald stories are fairly run of the mill.
The Essays section is the real highlight here, showing the breadth of his knowledge and attitude, with this statement from ‘Notes on Interplanetary fiction’ hitting the core of his career "Better to write honestly for a non-remunerative magazine than to concoct worthless tinsel and be paid for it". It’s also fair to say that he would not have appreciated ‘Star Wars’ – almost the embodiment of everything he was against…
The final two essays are based on travel and are brimming with his love of history – following him around Charleston is so vivid, and his travels around the North East culminate in the famous quote that would forever be carved onto his headstone ‘Providence is I and I am Providence’
Juvenilia and Fragments have (mostly) been printed again (although a couple were new to me) and again are for the purist, not representing his best by any means…
The book is completed with a series of ‘Appreciations’ – reactions and reflections on the passing of their mentor and friend. Cats, coffee, ice cream and cheese were the basic ingredients that fed his passions and writing.
The book is peppered with plates, including photographs of HPL’s study, taken by Barlow shortly after his death, and some fascinating facsimiles of his handwritten notes.
Thoroughly enjoyed this book, and am honoured to have it in my collection – where it will be read, handled and treasured.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews