FOUND: LOVECRAFT-HOUDINI MANUSCRIPT

[bendk]

FOUND: LOVECRAFT-HOUDINI MANUSCRIPT

Found: Lovecraft-Houdini Manuscript - Bibliology

Whispered about by hopeful collectors and scholars for decades, the manuscript of H.P. Lovecraft’s The Cancer of Superstition, commissioned and co-written by magician Harry Houdini, has finally come to light. It was rather incredibly “discovered by a private collector among the records of a now-defunct magic shop,” according to Chicago’s Potter & Potter Auctions, which will auction the 31-page typewritten story on April 9.

In the manuscript, the sci-fi master and the magician delve into ancient and modern superstitions, writing about werewolves, cannibals, and black magic, and advancing a “primitivist theory of the development of superstition.” The proposed book-length project came to a halt when Houdini unexpectedly died in 1926 at the age of 52. Prior to this discovery, only an outline and part of a first chapter were known to exist.

Potter & Potter will open the bidding at $13,000, although it is estimated to make $25,000-40,000.


(Sorry for the caps in the thread title. I just copy and pasted it, and now I don't know how to correct it.)

[Druidic]

Some day they may find his death notes as well. Good post, Ben.

[gveranon]

I hope this will be published sometime soon rather than just remaining in a private collection. I'm sure it's of interest to Houdini buffs as well as Lovecraftians. If only Martin Gardner were still alive--he'd have loved this!

[bendk]

Quote Originally Posted by Druidic

Some day they may find his death notes as well. Good post, Ben.

Not as good as I had hoped. Joshi posted about this on his blog yesterday too. This is what he said:

March 15, 2016 — A “New” Lovecraft Manuscript?

"There has been much talk lately about the “discovery” of a Lovecraft manuscript called The Cancer of Superstition, which he was ghostwriting for Harry Houdini in the months before Houdini’s sudden death on October 31, 1926, derailed the plans and caused the project to be dropped. Here is a site talking about the manuscript:Found: Lovecraft-Houdini Manuscript - The Fine Books Blog. But what has been overlooked by most commentators is the fact that this manuscript is not “unpublished”: at least some of it appeared in The Dark Brotherhood and Other Pieces (Arkham House, 1966), where one chapter along with a synopsis were printed. What is more, although the synopsis was apparently written by Lovecraft, August Derleth—who assembled The Dark Brotherhood and was in touch with C. M. Eddy, Jr., who was collaborating with Lovecraft on the Cancer of Superstition project—says that the actual chapters were written by Eddy! So I am not at all sure that we should be all agog about the discovery of a “new” Lovecraft text when in fact it may be by someone else."

I just checked wikipedia and it does list "The Cancer of Superstition" by C.M. Eddy, Jr.

Bummer. I was pretty excited about this.

Table of Contents for The Dark Brotherhood

The Dark Brotherhood and Other Pieces - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[miguel1984]

By the way, in the same blog post S.T. Joshi says that Lovecraft's booklet/essay on Charleston, South Carolina published in 1936 by the Edison Company and that included some Lovecraft's sketches was recovered by a colleague of his named Kerry Taylor.

[R.P.Dwyer]

I attended the auction of "The Cancer of Superstition"--it took place in my hometown of Chicago--and got permission to record it on my smart phone. Here it is:

Auction of - YouTube

[bendk]

Quote Originally Posted by R.P.Dwyer

I attended the auction of "The Cancer of Superstition"--it took place in my hometown of Chicago--and got permission to record it on my smart phone. Here it is: Auction of - YouTube

That's great you were able to attend the auction. Thanks for the effort to record and post this. I appreciate it.

[Druidic]

I was pretty sure Lovecraft wrote The Cancer of Superstition. Turns out he did. Check Joshi's current blog entry.
28 grand? A steal.
S. T. Joshi - Blog