Essential Solitude

Howard Phillips Lovecraft (1890-1937) was an American writer born in Providence, Rhode Island. Best known for his work in the science, fantasy and horror fiction genres, Lovecraft's writings are now studied worldwide. One of his most famous creations is the Cthulhu Mythos. Although he was unable to support himself through writing during his lifetime, Lovecraft's legacy has lived on. Many well-established horror authors have cited Lovecraft as a major influence, including Stephen King.

In this second volume of the letters of H. P. Lovecraft and August Derleth, the two authors-now noted luminaries in Weird Tales and the world of pulp magazines-continue to write letters on an almost weekly basis. Lovecraft, however, is plagued with self-doubt as a result of the rejection of [i]At the Mountains of Madness[/i] by [i]Weird Tales[/i] and other professional setbacks. Meanwhile, Derleth is beginning to make a name for himself in the realm of detective fiction with the creation of Solar Pons; he has also begun sensitive mainstream writing that is finding placement in prestigious little magazines of the period. Derleth himself surreptitiously submitted Lovecraft's "The Shadow over Innsmouth" and "The Dreams in the Witch House" to [i]Weird Tales[/i]; the former was rejected, the latter accepted. In all, Lovecraft wrote nearly 400 letters to Derleth, but only about 40 of Derleth's letters to Lovecraft survive. All the letters are extensively annotated by David E. Schultz and S. T. Joshi.