An August Derleth Reader

by August Derleth

Book by

Genres: Fiction, Anthologies, Poetry

372 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 1992

About the author

August William Derleth was an American writer and anthologist. Though best remembered as the first book publisher of the writings of H. P. Lovecraft, and for his own contributions to the Cthulhu Mythos and the Cosmic Horror genre, as well as his founding of the publisher Arkham House (which did much to bring supernatural fiction into print in hardcover in the US that had only been readily available in the UK), Derleth was a leading American regional writer of his day, as well as prolific in several other genres, including historical fiction, poetry, detective fiction, science fiction, and biography

A 1938 Guggenheim Fellow, Derleth considered his most serious work to be the ambitious Sac Prairie Saga, a series of fiction, historical fiction, poetry, and non-fiction naturalist works designed to memorialize life in the Wisconsin he knew. Derleth can also be considered a pioneering naturalist and conservationist in his writing

[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augus...]

Reviews

[Harris · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting compilation of fiction and non-fiction centered around the state of Wisconsin, An August Derleth Reader collects short stories and excerpts from longer works spanning the career of the copious writer and editor August Derleth. Making his living through writing and publishing, Derleth is most remembered today through his foundation of the small press Arkham House, preserving and popularizing the works of H.P. Lovecraft and others in this circle, of which Derleth was one. Coining the term "Cthulhu Mythos," Derleth could be held responsible for Lovecraft's position in literature and popular culture today. His focusing of Lovecraft's bleak vision of cosmic horror in which the universe has no meaning into a good versus evil fight against tentacle beasts might be held in low regard by Lovecraft purists (myself included), but remains an influential interpretation of the Mythos. Though it was through his weird tales and Lovecraftian pastiches that I first encountered Derleth who, according to the summary, was "the most prolific author Wisconsin has ever produced," he was certainly a versatile writer, especially when focusing on his passion for his home region. In fact, he even won a Guggenheim Fellowship, sponsored by none other than fellow Midwestern writer Sinclair Lewis.

That was definitely the most enjoyable aspect of the stories and excerpts collected here. Including portions of Derleth's most serious work, his Sac Prairie Saga, set in a fictionalized version of his hometown, Sauk Prairie. I was surprised at the introspective, quiet nature of the stories, drawing deeply from the natural splendor and the changing of the seasons. This is particularly evident in his poetry. Some of the work is historical fiction exploring Wisconsin's colonial past while others are autobiographical or semi-autobiographical rambles through childhood in a small Wisconsin town in the 1900s. A handful of Derleth's weird tales are included as well. While the excerpts from longer works often give the reader only small portions of the story and the tales themselves can often become almost too introspective, the collection is a good sampler and introduction to Derleth's writing. I read most of the book on a recent trip through Wisconsin, and it was a nice companion piece for the journey.

[John Teske · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although this is on Appendix N's list, or is related to authors on that list, this book has a variety of offerings that did not interest me.

Although I am from Wisconsin, the Sac stories did not interest me, nor the poetry.

I enjoyed the offerings from the section entitled "Weird", rooted in Lovecraftian terminology and folklore. While not as spooky as HP Lovecraft, they were enjoyable, and it was nice to hear such stories from a native Wisconsin son.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very much enjoyed most of this reader. I read the young adult books many years ago, so I skipped that part. The short stories were very good, and a nice read.