S.T. Joshi's excellent "abridged" H.P. Lovecraft biography, "Lovecraft: A Life", will be expanded/unabridged in two volumes as "I Am Providence"! This version will be published by Hippocampus Press in 2010!

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Hippocampus Press
2010
-I Am Providence: The Life and Times of H. P. Lovecraft (2 vols)

[www.hippocampuspress.com]

Hmmm... HPL: A Life is amazing, but is this just a case of milking the cthuloid-cow to death? How much of the new unabridged edition will really be new or just reformatted old stuff?

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How much of the new unabridged edition will really be new or just reformatted old stuff?

An excellent question, especially with regard to that inveterate re-packager, Joshi. Two volumes to cover the life of a forty-six-year-old man who spent most of his time indoors, writing? I have my doubts about this project, as well.

It will be much larger than the original. About a 3rd of the original book was cut. Now it will all be restored.

STJ once told me that he cut most of the info on Lovecraft's apa activities for the Necronomicon Press editions. There have also been many new discoveries in Lovecraft research in the past ten years, some of which are covered in the afterword to the 2004 edition of the Necronomicon Press text, to the extent that he will need to rewrite certain parts of the biography.

Thanks for the additional information. I had no idea that the original mid-90's version had to be abridged for publication. I can't say that I am salivating over the prospect of more information about Lovecraft's APA activities, as I found that part of the one-volume edition to be a snore, myself--by far the dullest section of the volume--but, of course, others may differ.

As an addendum, let's hope that Joshi re-writes his absurd and ignorant comments on CAS's fiction, while he's at it!

Finally, the sordid details of Lovecraft's sex life! At least that is what I am expecting.

Jojo Lapin X Wrote:
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> Finally, the sordid details of Lovecraft's sex
> life! At least that is what I am expecting.


Squid-sex, maybe?

You do understand what Lovecraft's fear of "fish" really signifies, do you not?

Bad title change-- the equivalent of Thoreau: The Bluebird Carries the Sun on His Back (a biography)

make that the SKY on his back... tsk-tsk.

Actually looking at the last mail from Hippocampus I'm more interested in 'The Conspiracy Against the Human Race' by Thomas Ligotti (2010) and the Lovecraftian Lexicon (Nov) of course.

"The Magnificent Ambersons" of biographies, apparently. The "wise" edition is best except for Arthur Leeds fanatics.

Well, if they meant to reprint this anyway, I guess they might as well add all the extra stuff and do it "right". I can't imagine many people who already own the biography will buy the expanded edition, though. THAT would be a hardcore HPL/Joshi fan!

What recommends Joshi's biography "H.P. Lovecraft: A Life" in the first place? Besides being full of details from Lovecraft's life?

The book has received some hard criticism. As I understand it, Joshi has difficulty holding an objective perspective, adding his own very personal opinions, and moralizing over Lovecraft. And lacking respect towards Lovecraft's person, in telling of private and personal things in a detached and degrading way that a friend never would have done, and which certainly would have offended Lovecraft had he been alive (compare this to the way Dr. Farmer tells of Smith's life; even if he reveals some weakness of Smith's, it is still told from a perspective of genuine respect and integrity).


For example, the review "Difficult mixed bag - comprehensive but needs editing" at Amazon. http://www.amazon.com/H-P-Lovecraft-S-T-Joshi/dp/0940884887/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1252079007&sr=1-1


This certainly repels me. For the time being, for biographical details, I am content with reading Lovecraft's own letters and the book "Lovecraft Remembered".