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H. P. Lovecraft: Tales
838 pages, Unknown Binding
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About the author
H.P. Lovecraft
6,111 books19.2k 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
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
November 16, 2022
Lovecraft's pulpy writing is great, but for every really good horror story in here, there's a mythological info dump that's both fascinating and a chore to finish.
June 23, 2023
More than enough Lovecraft for anyone to read! I kind of wish I had started with a shorter anthology, but my brother gave me this years ago as a gift, and my sense of OCD compelled me to finish. It is actually my goal to one day read every Library of America book, so this was a good start!
Overall, I really liked Lovecraft, which makes sense, since he inspired so many of my favorite horror books and movies. I love his own internally consistent sense of world-crafting, and especially his obsession with knowledge and learning itself. You can actually uncover quite a bit about early-2oth century learning about astronomy, architecture, science, etc., in his work. There is a sense of wonder and mystery that suffusses the best pieces that can be infectious, and I actually wanted to learn more about Lovecraft's life after reading this. I could sense a lot of unhappiness (more anger and lashing out against the outside world than the typical romantic artist's melancholy), bitterness, and indeed hatred in his writing that made me interested in his life story, and ordered Joshi's two-volume biography to read sometime in the future.
One thing I didn't particularly like was the shift more towards sci-fi away from horror, and it almost seemed like his writing became more typical of the sort of "weird fiction" of the 20s and 30s as he was undoubtedly in touch with the weird literary scene at the time, but it kind of drove his writing away from the sheer individuality of his earlier stuff. That being said, there was something great about almost every work in here, and I can imagine it very much bears out rereading.
Overall, I really liked Lovecraft, which makes sense, since he inspired so many of my favorite horror books and movies. I love his own internally consistent sense of world-crafting, and especially his obsession with knowledge and learning itself. You can actually uncover quite a bit about early-2oth century learning about astronomy, architecture, science, etc., in his work. There is a sense of wonder and mystery that suffusses the best pieces that can be infectious, and I actually wanted to learn more about Lovecraft's life after reading this. I could sense a lot of unhappiness (more anger and lashing out against the outside world than the typical romantic artist's melancholy), bitterness, and indeed hatred in his writing that made me interested in his life story, and ordered Joshi's two-volume biography to read sometime in the future.
One thing I didn't particularly like was the shift more towards sci-fi away from horror, and it almost seemed like his writing became more typical of the sort of "weird fiction" of the 20s and 30s as he was undoubtedly in touch with the weird literary scene at the time, but it kind of drove his writing away from the sheer individuality of his earlier stuff. That being said, there was something great about almost every work in here, and I can imagine it very much bears out rereading.
December 6, 2022
He makes the perfect break for those of us who’ve read too much lovey-dovey romantic ‘Great Literature’! (Especially we who like feeling a bit sinister.)
And absolutely perfect use of the English language — it’s a real pleasure to read his words.
And absolutely perfect use of the English language — it’s a real pleasure to read his words.
June 15, 2023
A classic edition, brilliantly compiled and edited.
July 25, 2024
Lovecraft can be enjoyable, but it's essentially Poe with more science fiction and some racism. Lovecraft has the same sort of old-world style as Poe, and readers will improve their vocabulary, but unless you like the concept of vaguely defined, outer-space deities his stories don't carry the same punch. "The Rats in the Walls" is a great idea, though marred by the cat's jarring name. "At the Mountains of Madness" is one of the best, although it takes a while to get going.
All in all, Lovecraft is fun and sometimes very good, but he's rarely excellent and I'm not sure readers are filling a hole in their knowledge of American literature with him.
All in all, Lovecraft is fun and sometimes very good, but he's rarely excellent and I'm not sure readers are filling a hole in their knowledge of American literature with him.
August 24, 2025
I had always avoided Lovecraft because of the labeling as pulp fiction. For many years people told me how great his writing was, and that I would love his work. I am so glad that I finally gave him a chance. His stories are masterfully written. It amazes me how many of my favorite authors, and popular media were inspired by him. If you are like me, give him a chance.
1. Statement of Randolph Carter- statement to police of an adventure between two friends in which one turns up missing while looking for something archeological.
2. The Outsider-ghostly story. Fantastically written short story.
3. The Music of Erich Zahn- Supernatural account of a time in which the narrator lived in an apartment with the musician, as his neighbor.
4. Herbert West- Reanimator - Frankensteinesque story about two scientists over the period of their lives.
5. The Lurking Fear- Supernatural account of a haunted house and the land that surrounds it.
6. The Rats in the Walls- Masterfully written short story about a demonic presence in a house.
7. The Shunned House- story about a house in which everyone who inhabits it lives a cursed life.
8. The Horror at Red Hook-
9. He- Meeting a stranger on a night’s walk and what happens next.
10. Cool Air- an account of a friendship with a mysterious doctor and his strange secret.
11. The Call of Cthulu-Account of an investigation into an old god
12. Pickman’s Model- An unknown narrator describes her acquaintance with a mysterious artist.
13. The Case of Charles Dexter Ward- A teenager becomes obsessed with the life story of an ancestor and the strange events that occur afyer the knowledge is gained.
14. The Colour Out of Space- A strange meteorite crashes into a farmland.
15. The Dunwich Horror- The monster of Dunwich
16. The Whisperer in the Darkness- A scholar responds to claims of extraterrestrials trying to debunk them, and ends up corresponding with someone who has proof.
17. At the Mountains of Madness- A scientific expedition to Antarctica reveals a strange discovery.
18. The Shadow over Innsmouth- A young man explores the town of Innsmouth
19. The Dreams in the Witch House- A college student rents an apartment that was once lived in by an accused witch in the hopes of making a discovery which might improve his math skills.
20. The Thing on the Doorstep- a man admits to killing his best friend
21. The Shadow Out of Time- a college professor has amnesia for several years and then starts having vivid dreams once his memory has come back.
22. The Haunter of the Dark- a young author is fascinated with a nearby tower that everybody and everything seems to avoid
1. Statement of Randolph Carter- statement to police of an adventure between two friends in which one turns up missing while looking for something archeological.
2. The Outsider-ghostly story. Fantastically written short story.
3. The Music of Erich Zahn- Supernatural account of a time in which the narrator lived in an apartment with the musician, as his neighbor.
4. Herbert West- Reanimator - Frankensteinesque story about two scientists over the period of their lives.
5. The Lurking Fear- Supernatural account of a haunted house and the land that surrounds it.
6. The Rats in the Walls- Masterfully written short story about a demonic presence in a house.
7. The Shunned House- story about a house in which everyone who inhabits it lives a cursed life.
8. The Horror at Red Hook-
9. He- Meeting a stranger on a night’s walk and what happens next.
10. Cool Air- an account of a friendship with a mysterious doctor and his strange secret.
11. The Call of Cthulu-Account of an investigation into an old god
12. Pickman’s Model- An unknown narrator describes her acquaintance with a mysterious artist.
13. The Case of Charles Dexter Ward- A teenager becomes obsessed with the life story of an ancestor and the strange events that occur afyer the knowledge is gained.
14. The Colour Out of Space- A strange meteorite crashes into a farmland.
15. The Dunwich Horror- The monster of Dunwich
16. The Whisperer in the Darkness- A scholar responds to claims of extraterrestrials trying to debunk them, and ends up corresponding with someone who has proof.
17. At the Mountains of Madness- A scientific expedition to Antarctica reveals a strange discovery.
18. The Shadow over Innsmouth- A young man explores the town of Innsmouth
19. The Dreams in the Witch House- A college student rents an apartment that was once lived in by an accused witch in the hopes of making a discovery which might improve his math skills.
20. The Thing on the Doorstep- a man admits to killing his best friend
21. The Shadow Out of Time- a college professor has amnesia for several years and then starts having vivid dreams once his memory has come back.
22. The Haunter of the Dark- a young author is fascinated with a nearby tower that everybody and everything seems to avoid
July 16, 2024
Many, many stories ,and novellas from the Cthulhu mythos and I enjoyed them all. But, since this mythos comes from Lovecrafts mind and, later his contemporaries minds and pens I had no reference point to deal with the stories. With our a reference point from my life the stories lost much of there fear factor. Were they scary yes, but were they lay awake and try not to think about for fear of them running into your dreams turning those dreams to nightmares, no. One should read these works because they have given so much to horror, mystery, sci-fi, and New England lore that you should read them. Just remember that the points of reference are not where you are. Three and a half stars.
October 9, 2024
A wonderful collection of H.P. Lovecraft's short fiction. Lovecraft's talent is literary mood-setting rather than storytelling, and his characters serve mainly to manifest the horror and awe he impresses on the reader. No denying his masterful mood-setting, which recalls Edgar Allen Poe. His writing induces fear, and fear of the unknown is the greatest fear. Stephen King eclipses Lovecraft, but this is a thrilling read.
December 27, 2024
So many great stories in this book that I like to revisit from time to time. Lovecrafts writing is a unique horror that leaves more questions than answers and let's your imagination conjure things far more frightening than if it was written out.
January 11, 2025
It's Lovecraft, what can I say. Nice edition.
December 11, 2025
Essential collection of H.P.L printed on fine, bible-esque paper. Elegant piece for any library.
December 15, 2022
Get large print if available 😂 absolutely loved this book of creepy handsome writing
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews