Lovecraft in Weird Tales

[bendk]

This looks like an entertaining book. It would be nice to see all of the original illustrations to Lovecraft's stories from Weird Tales. Too expensive for me, though.


NOW AVAILABLE!
The Weird Writings of HP Lovecraft
COMPLETE FACSIMILE EDITION
of HPL's material from the
original Weird Tales magazine!
Similar in format to our Weird Writings of REH volumes. A 2 volume set featuring high quality scans in facsimile form of all of Lovecraft's material from the original run of Weird Tales magazine. V1 is an oversize book covering the 1923 and 1924 'bedsheet' issues, V2 contains the 'regular' sized issues from 1924 to 1952.

EXCLUSIVE LIMITED EDITION of 200 copies:
$175 (+$10 s&h*)

*Within North America. Contact us for overseas shipping rates.

www.girasolcollectables.com

[Odalisque]

Looks to be a pair of lovely objects... But, as you say, expensive.

[Andrea Bonazzi]

The last expensive book that I bought, some months ago, in pre-order (now I'm completely broke... I can't spend anymore a single cent.) Very curious to see the original WT illustrations on the facsimile pages: some of them rather mediocre, but others are unexpectedly notable. There are some letters, poetry, and even Harry Houdini's stories in the first volume (don't know why are included).

[G. S. Carnivals]

Quote Originally Posted by Andrea Bonazzi

There are some letters, poetry, and even Harry Houdini's stories in the first volume (don't know why are included).

"Imprisoned with the Pharaohs" was ghostwritten by Lovecraft. I personally don't know of any other Houdini pieces that might stem from Lovecraft's hand.

[Odalisque]

Quote Originally Posted by G. S. Carnivals

Quote Originally Posted by Andrea Bonazzi There are some letters, poetry, and even Harry Houdini's stories in the first volume (don't know why are included). "Imprisoned with the Pharaohs" was ghostwritten by Lovecraft. I personally don't know of any other Houdini pieces that might stem from Lovecraft's hand.

As far as I know, the only other piece of writing that links Lovecraft and Houdini never appeared in Weird Tales. It's an essay entitled "The Cancer of Superstition" (the title is self-explanatory) which Houdini commissioned Lovecraft and C M Eddy Jr (author of "The Loved Dead") to write. The essay was never completed -- if I remember rightly because Houdini died, and his widow was unwilling to fund the project. The Essay first appeared (I think) in "The Dark Brotherhood". A much shorter version (without C M Eddy's contributions, I assume) was included in the "Collected Essays".

I write all of that without checking my facts, but I think I'm correct. You can tell that I used to write "The Red Brain's Trust" for Dagon fanzine, can't you? ;)

[Aetherwing]

Yes indeed--this would be very nice for any collection. Thanks for the link, Ben.

Quote Originally Posted by Odalisque

As far as I know, the only other piece of writing that links Lovecraft and Houdini never appeared in Weird Tales.

Hello, Pet!

All the Lovecraft/Houdini discussion has jogged a bizarre sort of memory from over twenty years ago. It seems that I can recall reading some crazy story in which Lovecraft was a character. He was bopping around Providence, being eccentric & Anglophilic while corresponding madly and running afoul of Nazi agents (?!?!). I'm almost certain that at some point in this ridiculous sounding story that Houdini, Bob Howard, Frank Long and others that I mercifully cannot recall band together to save HPL from the sinister clutches of the Aryan menace.

Alright. I concede that it definitely falls within the realm of possibility that my febrile imagination concocted this entire plot. I'd swear I can remember reading this, though, in a hardback book at my local library when I was 16 or so. I have no idea who might have written it (if it really exists), and furthermore am not sure WHY someone would have written it. I cannot remember anything concerning style or flair, but I must say that this mishmash of characters and situations sounds pretty bad.

C'mon, folks--real or not? Am I loony or otherwise?

Quote Originally Posted by Odalisque

I write all of that without checking my facts, but I think I'm correct.

In my experience, you are seldom wrong about such things, Pet.

[Evans]

Would that be Richard Lupoff's Lovecraft's Book? I think that had Lovecraft being approached by fascists.

[Odalisque]

Quote Originally Posted by Evans

Would that be Richard Lupoff's Lovecraft's Book? I think that had Lovecraft being approached by fascists.

I think it would!

And a special "Hi!" to Mr Aetherwing!

[Andrea Bonazzi]

Besides HPL's "Imprisoned with the Pharaohs", the other stories by Harry Houdini in Volume I are "The Spirit Fakers of Hermannstadt" part 1 (March 1924) & part 2 (April 1924), and "The Hoax of the Spirit Lover" (April 1924), both (erroneously) reported on the Index page as 'ghost-written for Houdini'.

Quoting from S.T. Joshi's H.P. Lovecraft: A Life (p. 329):
[...] "The Spirit Fakers of Hermannstadt" (March, April, and May-June-July 1924) and "The Hoax of the Spirit Lover" (April 1924) -- were also published. These latter two were ghostwritten by unknown hands, perhaps Walter B. Gibson, the prolific pulp-writer and editor (later to be known as the creator of The Shadow).

[Odalisque]

Quote Originally Posted by Andrea Bonazzi

Besides HPL's "Imprisoned with the Pharaohs", the other stories by Harry Houdini in Volume I are "The Spirit Fakers of Hermannstadt" part 1 (March 1924) & part 2 (April 1924), and "The Hoax of the Spirit Lover" (April 1924), both (erroneously) reported on the Index page as 'ghost-written for Houdini'. Quoting from S.T. Joshi's H.P. Lovecraft: A Life (p. 329): [...] "The Spirit Fakers of Hermannstadt" (March, April, and May-June-July 1924) and "The Hoax of the Spirit Lover" (April 1924) -- were also published. These latter two were ghostwritten by unknown hands, perhaps Walter B. Gibson, the prolific pulp-writer and editor (later to be known as the creator of The Shadow).

"The Spirit Fakers of Hermannstadt" and "The Hoax of the Spirit Lover" were ghost written for Houdini... Just not ghost written by Lovecraft. I've yet to see any suggestion that Lovecraft wrote either story.

No doubt, if there was reason to think that Lovecraft might have written these stories, they would have been included in "The Horror in the Museum".