What do you think?
Rate this book
The Dream World of H. P. Lovecraft: His Life, His Demons, His Universe
Occult scholar Donald Tyson plumbs the depths of H. P. Lovecraft's cosmic visions and horrific dream world to examine, warts and all, the strange life of the man who created the Necronomicon and the Cthulhu mythos. Lovecraft expressed disdain for magic and religion, and most of his biographers have dismissed the mystical side of his nature. This book redresses this imbalance. Here you will find the roots of Lovecraft' extraordinary cosmic vision laid bare. The dream-world sources for his mythic Old Ones are examined, along with the practical esoteric implications of Lovecraft's unique mythology. A man in fundamental conflict with himself, Lovecraft lived always on the brink of madness or suicide. Tyson reveals Lovecraft for what he truly was―a dreamer, an astral traveler, and the prophet of a New Age. Praise :
" The Dream World of H. P. Lovecraft is a thought-provoking and intellectually stimulating book. Its fusion of sound biographical knowledge and critical insight makes it a must-read for Lovecraftians."―S.T. Joshi, Leading Authority on H. P. Lovecraft
" The Dream World of H. P. Lovecraft is a thought-provoking and intellectually stimulating book. Its fusion of sound biographical knowledge and critical insight makes it a must-read for Lovecraftians."―S.T. Joshi, Leading Authority on H. P. Lovecraft
- GenresNonfictionBiography
336 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 2010
9 people are currently reading
139 people want to read
About the author
Donald Tyson
99 books149 followersDonald Tyson is a Canadian from Halifax, Nova Scotia. Early in life he was drawn to science by an intense fascination with astronomy, building a telescope by hand when he was eight. He began university seeking a science degree, but became disillusioned with the aridity and futility of a mechanistic view of the universe and shifted his major to English. After graduating with honors he has pursued a writing career.
Now he devotes his life to the attainment of a complete gnosis of the art of magic in theory and practice. His purpose is to formulate an accessible system of personal training composed of East and West, past and present, that will help the individual discover the reason for one's existence and a way to fulfill it.
Now he devotes his life to the attainment of a complete gnosis of the art of magic in theory and practice. His purpose is to formulate an accessible system of personal training composed of East and West, past and present, that will help the individual discover the reason for one's existence and a way to fulfill it.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
February 11, 2017
This is a good biography for those who are just getting into Lovecraft's writing and want to know a little more about him. Tyson does a good job relating many of the high and low points in Lovecraft's life.
Tyson also introduces theories based in the occult as to what might have been going on in Lovecraft's world. The idea that stuck out the most was that H.P.L was a sender of thoughts and dreams and that his mother was a receiver. And that her abilities as a receiver eventually caused her to go "mad".
It is also a well know fact that H.P.L didn't like certain groups of people because of their ethnicity or the colour of their skin. This was mentioned widely in the biography. And because of today's cultural climate it has become a hot button issue.
This book is well worth the time.
Tyson also introduces theories based in the occult as to what might have been going on in Lovecraft's world. The idea that stuck out the most was that H.P.L was a sender of thoughts and dreams and that his mother was a receiver. And that her abilities as a receiver eventually caused her to go "mad".
It is also a well know fact that H.P.L didn't like certain groups of people because of their ethnicity or the colour of their skin. This was mentioned widely in the biography. And because of today's cultural climate it has become a hot button issue.
This book is well worth the time.
December 14, 2025
Having completed this on the same day as Nevill Drury’s “Stealing Fire from Heaven,” I find that coincidentally I read this scholarly treatment of occult/esoteric subject matter also more or less by accident. I was looking for something to read at this year’s HP Lovecraft Film Festival during the long waits for films to start while everyone finds their seats, and it occurred to me to search Libby for any Lovecraft stories I could peruse. Not much of his work was downloadable (and I’ve read it all a hundred times anyway), but this book popped up in my results, and I figured if I only read a few bits of it, that would be fine. I wound up re-checking it out over and over until I had read it all.
It also suffers a bit from Drury’s “inverted story structure” as I’ve called it, but not nearly to the same extent. In fact, if I were a less obsessive completist when it comes to books, I could’ve skipped the two fact-lists presented as “appendices” at the end, and would never have minded. These are a list of Lovecraft’s contacts and relations and a timeline of his life and publication, both of which seem to have been composed so that Tyson could make sure he was keeping his facts straight and offer little for the reader. I’d advise skipping them, or turning to them occasionally when Tyson drops a name you don’t recognize, and focusing on the text.
And that text is fascinating. Tyson takes on an interesting challenge in balancing an esoteric reading of Lovecraft’s fiction with a scholarly and rationalist approach. He doesn’t always quite make it work, and frankly if you dismiss his argument that Lovecraft was a medium in contact with astral forces or entities what you are left with is just a moderately critical re-appraisal of other biographies and literary analyses by the likes of S.T. Joshi, who is notoriously sympathetic and protective of Lovecraft. Tyson is more honest about Lovecraft’s many flaws and more unpleasant characteristics, including his racism and anti-democratic beliefs. Sometimes, as one who really enjoys reading Lovecraft, I winced a bit (or more than a bit) at this honesty, but I couldn’t really dispute any of the points he makes. I doubt whether his reclassification of the Cthulhu Mythos as the “Necronomicon Mythos” will change anyone’s usage at this late date.
But the really interesting part is his discussion of Lovecraft’s evident mediumistic or “magical” legacy, and why that continues to inspire so many magicians, occultists, and neopagans to this day. He is fully aware that Lovecraft was an avowed atheist who would never have accepted this argument – to Tyson he was an “unconscious” medium, which is why so much of his best writing came from dreams or even explicitly takes place within dreams. For Tyson, Lovecraft spent his life in terrified denial of his own powers, convinced that he would end up in gibbering insanity (as both his parents had been before their deaths) if he ever admitted the reality of what he knew and saw while in sleep. Tyson does a great job of tying this in with the real-life occultists who claimed mediumistic ability at the time, and makes a powerful argument that there is a reason for the continuities that goes beyond Lovecraft’s surface-level dismissal of the supernatural.
The more comfortable you are with this argument going in, the more you are likely to profit from reading this book. Even if you don’t ultimately agree (I don’t – quite – myself), there is much here worthy of consideration.
It also suffers a bit from Drury’s “inverted story structure” as I’ve called it, but not nearly to the same extent. In fact, if I were a less obsessive completist when it comes to books, I could’ve skipped the two fact-lists presented as “appendices” at the end, and would never have minded. These are a list of Lovecraft’s contacts and relations and a timeline of his life and publication, both of which seem to have been composed so that Tyson could make sure he was keeping his facts straight and offer little for the reader. I’d advise skipping them, or turning to them occasionally when Tyson drops a name you don’t recognize, and focusing on the text.
And that text is fascinating. Tyson takes on an interesting challenge in balancing an esoteric reading of Lovecraft’s fiction with a scholarly and rationalist approach. He doesn’t always quite make it work, and frankly if you dismiss his argument that Lovecraft was a medium in contact with astral forces or entities what you are left with is just a moderately critical re-appraisal of other biographies and literary analyses by the likes of S.T. Joshi, who is notoriously sympathetic and protective of Lovecraft. Tyson is more honest about Lovecraft’s many flaws and more unpleasant characteristics, including his racism and anti-democratic beliefs. Sometimes, as one who really enjoys reading Lovecraft, I winced a bit (or more than a bit) at this honesty, but I couldn’t really dispute any of the points he makes. I doubt whether his reclassification of the Cthulhu Mythos as the “Necronomicon Mythos” will change anyone’s usage at this late date.
But the really interesting part is his discussion of Lovecraft’s evident mediumistic or “magical” legacy, and why that continues to inspire so many magicians, occultists, and neopagans to this day. He is fully aware that Lovecraft was an avowed atheist who would never have accepted this argument – to Tyson he was an “unconscious” medium, which is why so much of his best writing came from dreams or even explicitly takes place within dreams. For Tyson, Lovecraft spent his life in terrified denial of his own powers, convinced that he would end up in gibbering insanity (as both his parents had been before their deaths) if he ever admitted the reality of what he knew and saw while in sleep. Tyson does a great job of tying this in with the real-life occultists who claimed mediumistic ability at the time, and makes a powerful argument that there is a reason for the continuities that goes beyond Lovecraft’s surface-level dismissal of the supernatural.
The more comfortable you are with this argument going in, the more you are likely to profit from reading this book. Even if you don’t ultimately agree (I don’t – quite – myself), there is much here worthy of consideration.
January 2, 2020
This book is the proof that people can publish anything regardless of its quality as long as someone sticks a popular label to it.
October 19, 2021
A deep and well put together looks into this juggernaut of horror writing.
HP Lovecraft had an interesting life, the phobias and development issues of his youth explained in the early chapters help the reader understand some of the subtleties in his iconic stories.
Lovecraft's personality or lack thereof is apparent in this book, He seemed a very frustrating, self indulgent, irresponsible and damaged individual and his antiquated views of race and religion might be a point of contention fro many readers.
A decent look at the work of Lovecraft and some light explanation of how and when his iconic works came together, found popularity and built a fanbase.
A good read if you are a fan and want some background info.
HP Lovecraft had an interesting life, the phobias and development issues of his youth explained in the early chapters help the reader understand some of the subtleties in his iconic stories.
Lovecraft's personality or lack thereof is apparent in this book, He seemed a very frustrating, self indulgent, irresponsible and damaged individual and his antiquated views of race and religion might be a point of contention fro many readers.
A decent look at the work of Lovecraft and some light explanation of how and when his iconic works came together, found popularity and built a fanbase.
A good read if you are a fan and want some background info.
June 22, 2020
An interesting biography of sci-fi horror author H P Lovecraft, it presents a complete chronology of his literary works, family and friends relations including the time in which they met and interactions through their lives and how they influenced Lovecraft literary works as well on Lovecraft influence on other correspondents literary works. This book shines by presenting Lovecraft entire spectrum concerning his psychology and life with an added bonus by presenting how his nightmares, fears and frustrations influenced heavily his literary works. An all around compete biography regarding H P Lovecraft.
September 21, 2017
A fascinating study of Lovecraft's life and works, taking into account the esoteric elements which Lovecraft would have readily denied. Whilst I agree with the majority of the work, Tyson's final section and its derisory comments concerning various forms of texts titling themselves as 'the Necronomicon' is ill-conceived and jarring against the sober and balanced approach that Tyson applies elsewhere.
February 20, 2024
While I love that it acknowledges the tangible occult possibilities of Lovecrafts dreams and writings, I am disappointed that it doesn't go into detail about what that may mean and manifest as. Of course it would be speculative. No matter. I was hoping for it, but what I got was worth the read.
July 14, 2020
An otherwise passable short biography marred by Tyson's occult speculations. Most of what is grounded in the book seems to have come from De Camp & Lord of a Visible World.
August 26, 2012
Having read all of Lovecraft's I am more inclined to call him a sci fi/ horror writer. His tales take you to another world quite literally and you definitely enter into his dream. His works have been an inspiration to occultists, horror writers and others. It is the occultists that Donald Tyson focuses on in this work. Donald Tyson himself is an occultist.
There may be better biographies of H.P. Lovecraft out there so I am not saying that this is the best. Plus I am not sure how much research went into this work. The book does give you a great overview of his life and it does give you glimpse into the mind of HP Lovecraft. For someone like me who is more interested in the occult then HP Lovecraft this book is near perfect.
On August 20,1890 HP Lovecraft was born. Sarah Susan Lovecraft his mother was the daughter of a successful businessman, Whipple Philips. His father Winfield Scott Lovecraft was a knife and kitchen cutlery salesman. Whipple married his first cousin. Such close breeding in the family would fuel Lovecrafts fear of madness.
For a time when HP was really young the family lived in Massachusetts for a spell. It was in Mass. that HP met Louise Imogen Guiney who used to make memorize poetry and then recite in front of other people. Great literary training and memorization techniques. HP was only 2 or three at the time. Lovecraft was reading by three years of age. In the third year of his life his father was struck down with a psychotic episode. He as institutionalized in that hospital until his death 5 years later. The cause of this disease was syphilis. Traveling salesmen were not loyal to their wives I guess. This would cause the family to move back to Providence, New England where they would live with Van Buren, grandmother and two doting aunts. HP lived a very sheltered life.
At the early age of 4 or 5 HP became an avid reader of literature. Devouring Grimm's faery tales, Jules Verne and others. His grandfather would encourage him to read from his vast library. HP would also take on a fantasy alias if Abdul Hazred. He is not sure how this name came to him. HP definitely lived in a fantasy world and his childhood existence was very sheltered. He was also very literate, as he was writing poetry. He was also interested in Greek mythology.
While living in this fantasy world he had relatively few friends maybe three or four at the most. He viewed people as objects and always considered himself an outsider. His lack of connection was cause him to be a loner and most of his friendships were conducted via the US Mail. During his youth he had trouble making friends in school. He could have had something called "Asberger's Syndrome" which causes people to be very antisocial. HP also had many facial grimaces. Something which his mother referred to as being cause by in grown facial hairs.
These grimaces could be caused by a build up of sexual tension or a spirit that was trying to use his body as a conduit. When the body does not get enough sex it tends to open the psychic centers and make someone more sensitive. It may also cause the opening of Kundlaini energy.
HP himself was an agnostic who bordered on being a total atheist. There was no proof of god so he could not subscribe to the concept. He did not believe in past lives yet he felt that he should have been born into an older more ancient time. He was nihilistic and believed that humans were ultimately insignificant and one day we would disappear with out a trace or impact.
Yet his writing came from his dreams. He was oft afraid of night gaunts which haunted him in his sleep. His writing may have been a way to control his dreams. One of his main characters would be lost to the dream world. HP himself was a materialist who did not believe in the other realms.
During his life he was not a successful writer and lived his later years in poverty. Complete contrast to his childhood. HP considered himself a proper English Gentleman and for someone like that it was deemed improper to get paid for writing so he stayed strictly amateur. He was proud of his anglo saxxon heritage and he looked down on other ethnic groups. Yet Sonia Greene, his first and only wife was Jewish. His closest friend Ronald Loveman was also Jewish. He could like individual yet despise the race that they came from.
Many occultist believe that the Necronomicon mythos and all it's characters and tomes originated on the astral plane and came to HP in a vision. This is something HP himself would scoff at. Kenneth Grant believes that Aleister Crowley came in contact with Cthulhu but the name he receive was Watulhu. HP considered the old ones to be advanced aliens who wanted to reconquer the planet and enslave mankind . It was advanced science that allowed them to enter our world not magick.
HP Lovecraft lived a hard life, a life filled with the fear of madness, loneliness and depression.He died at the age of 46 . Fame only came after his death.
There may be better biographies of H.P. Lovecraft out there so I am not saying that this is the best. Plus I am not sure how much research went into this work. The book does give you a great overview of his life and it does give you glimpse into the mind of HP Lovecraft. For someone like me who is more interested in the occult then HP Lovecraft this book is near perfect.
On August 20,1890 HP Lovecraft was born. Sarah Susan Lovecraft his mother was the daughter of a successful businessman, Whipple Philips. His father Winfield Scott Lovecraft was a knife and kitchen cutlery salesman. Whipple married his first cousin. Such close breeding in the family would fuel Lovecrafts fear of madness.
For a time when HP was really young the family lived in Massachusetts for a spell. It was in Mass. that HP met Louise Imogen Guiney who used to make memorize poetry and then recite in front of other people. Great literary training and memorization techniques. HP was only 2 or three at the time. Lovecraft was reading by three years of age. In the third year of his life his father was struck down with a psychotic episode. He as institutionalized in that hospital until his death 5 years later. The cause of this disease was syphilis. Traveling salesmen were not loyal to their wives I guess. This would cause the family to move back to Providence, New England where they would live with Van Buren, grandmother and two doting aunts. HP lived a very sheltered life.
At the early age of 4 or 5 HP became an avid reader of literature. Devouring Grimm's faery tales, Jules Verne and others. His grandfather would encourage him to read from his vast library. HP would also take on a fantasy alias if Abdul Hazred. He is not sure how this name came to him. HP definitely lived in a fantasy world and his childhood existence was very sheltered. He was also very literate, as he was writing poetry. He was also interested in Greek mythology.
While living in this fantasy world he had relatively few friends maybe three or four at the most. He viewed people as objects and always considered himself an outsider. His lack of connection was cause him to be a loner and most of his friendships were conducted via the US Mail. During his youth he had trouble making friends in school. He could have had something called "Asberger's Syndrome" which causes people to be very antisocial. HP also had many facial grimaces. Something which his mother referred to as being cause by in grown facial hairs.
These grimaces could be caused by a build up of sexual tension or a spirit that was trying to use his body as a conduit. When the body does not get enough sex it tends to open the psychic centers and make someone more sensitive. It may also cause the opening of Kundlaini energy.
HP himself was an agnostic who bordered on being a total atheist. There was no proof of god so he could not subscribe to the concept. He did not believe in past lives yet he felt that he should have been born into an older more ancient time. He was nihilistic and believed that humans were ultimately insignificant and one day we would disappear with out a trace or impact.
Yet his writing came from his dreams. He was oft afraid of night gaunts which haunted him in his sleep. His writing may have been a way to control his dreams. One of his main characters would be lost to the dream world. HP himself was a materialist who did not believe in the other realms.
During his life he was not a successful writer and lived his later years in poverty. Complete contrast to his childhood. HP considered himself a proper English Gentleman and for someone like that it was deemed improper to get paid for writing so he stayed strictly amateur. He was proud of his anglo saxxon heritage and he looked down on other ethnic groups. Yet Sonia Greene, his first and only wife was Jewish. His closest friend Ronald Loveman was also Jewish. He could like individual yet despise the race that they came from.
Many occultist believe that the Necronomicon mythos and all it's characters and tomes originated on the astral plane and came to HP in a vision. This is something HP himself would scoff at. Kenneth Grant believes that Aleister Crowley came in contact with Cthulhu but the name he receive was Watulhu. HP considered the old ones to be advanced aliens who wanted to reconquer the planet and enslave mankind . It was advanced science that allowed them to enter our world not magick.
HP Lovecraft lived a hard life, a life filled with the fear of madness, loneliness and depression.He died at the age of 46 . Fame only came after his death.
September 16, 2014
Lovecraft, the Dreamer. We get a great perspective on a different aspect of Lovecraft's personality in this book. Instead of droning on and on about how pessimistic and malicious Lovecraft's conception of the Universe and humanity's place in it; Tyson actually is able to shed a little insight about *why* Lovecraft felt so down about our specie's prospects.
This is a great book for anyone remotely interested in the occult; and an excellent supplemental work for anyone thoroughly familiar with the Lovecraft mythos. I strongly recommend!
**Reading this a second time around, I still kept a very favorable impression of the book. It would be easy for some hack occult author to bring a very cheap, superficial biography of Lovecraft to the table for the sake of selling them off his popularity. Tyson did not do that--he is very familiar with Lovecraft's work, and you can tell he is deeply appreciative of it.
This is a great book for anyone remotely interested in the occult; and an excellent supplemental work for anyone thoroughly familiar with the Lovecraft mythos. I strongly recommend!
**Reading this a second time around, I still kept a very favorable impression of the book. It would be easy for some hack occult author to bring a very cheap, superficial biography of Lovecraft to the table for the sake of selling them off his popularity. Tyson did not do that--he is very familiar with Lovecraft's work, and you can tell he is deeply appreciative of it.
July 9, 2014
This was one of the books recommended by my professor for my Legends and Mythology history course. Although I have never read any of Lovecraft's works, this biography focused more on his life and the evolution and changes evident in his work.
Pros:
The book was a straightforward biography. I appreciated that the author continued his research and included what had and has happened to Lovecraft's mythos and such since his death.
Cons:
There were times in the book where the author would allude to certain Lovecraft stories to reinforce the point he was trying to make, yet he hardly ever provided citations or even quotes to strengthen his arguments.
Sometimes I felt the author unnecessarily repeated himself.
Pros:
The book was a straightforward biography. I appreciated that the author continued his research and included what had and has happened to Lovecraft's mythos and such since his death.
Cons:
There were times in the book where the author would allude to certain Lovecraft stories to reinforce the point he was trying to make, yet he hardly ever provided citations or even quotes to strengthen his arguments.
Sometimes I felt the author unnecessarily repeated himself.
July 6, 2011
Really well written book on Lovecraft that is part biography and criticism. Loses me at the end when he talks seriously of modern magicians making use of the Necronomicon - this is Llewellyn Press after all, but an interesting book overall and includes an index of Lovecraft's friends and relations with a brief paragraph on each person.
December 19, 2010
An insightful biographical and psychological perspective on Lovecraft's inner and outer worlds and how it influenced and emerged into his creative output. This examination provides a fresh framework from which to experience Lovecraft's unique and haunting visions.
August 29, 2012
This is a pretty decent biography/analysis of Lovecraft's life and work. At times, I could have used a little more biographical details and a little less analysis, but this was an enjoyable read overall.
July 21, 2012
Remarkable how such a fascinating subject can be made so tedious by poor writing, a fact the author acknowledges by suggesting the reader skip alternate chapters.
May 9, 2015
Love how Tyson kept Lovecraft and his work larger than life.
November 10, 2015
Unique combination of Lovecraft biography and alleged links to the occult. HP is a prophet of a contemporary religion? I think not -- but a nice try.
August 23, 2016
Lovecraft was an odd bird; but I already knew that. I think Tyson might be taking some liberties with his interpretations of Lovecraft's life and work, but I found it all very interesting.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews