$480.15 to be exact (on sale, you know).

Has anyone else heard/seen this set and any opinions on same?
Here's a link I hope works:

B&N HPL book

FWIW,

-Cathexis

It is only $395 direct from the publisher.

[www.centipedepress.com]


Which reminds me that I still want to pick up the Conversations with the Weird Circle book.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 4 Sep 11 | 05:56PM by BeneathTheEarth.

I have seen the Blackwood book in this series...but unfortunately, these volumes are just ever so slightly beyond my monetary reach....

I'm sure there are far less expensive ways to gather every bit of content in them....



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 4 Sep 11 | 06:45PM by K_A_Opperman.

I'm sure there is. Centipede is pretty much for book collectors.

A 1200 page volume seems unwieldy to me at any rate. They should have made it two volumes of the fiction.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 4 Sep 11 | 06:51PM by BeneathTheEarth.

I'd rather somebody put out--REASONABLY PRICED!!!---facsimile editions of The Outsider and Others and other early Arkham House publications.

Arkham House could just reprint them for themselves?

I personally prefer to read while lying down, with my chosen tome supported on my chest...I suspect that if I attempted to read the above-mentioned volume in this way, I would end up like a certain gentleman who was executed during the Salem witch trials..."more...weight"... Not only would I be broke, I'd be dead, too!

Except for the revised books of HPL, and I think the letters, Arkham House has never reprinted anything.

K_A_Opperman Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I personally prefer to read while lying down, with
> my chosen tome supported on my chest...I suspect
> that if I attempted to read the above-mentioned
> volume in this way, I would end up like a certain
> gentleman who was executed during the Salem witch
> trials..."more...weight"... Not only would I be
> broke, I'd be dead, too!

Not quite. Though a hefty volume, The Outsider and Others (and, for that matter, Beyond the Wall of Sleep) are a long way from the weight of a similar volume today. The weight of the paper, for one thing, is different; and even the binding is somewhat lighter. It isn't exactly a convenient read from that position, I'll grant you; but the Barnes & Noble book (for example) is actually likely to be less comfortable. (Beyond the Wall of Sleep, given the wartime restrictions, used an even lighter paper, reducing weight farther yet.)

The problem with these volumes, of course, is the often severely corrupt texts, as with "At the Mountains of Madness" or "The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath", etc. But the Finlay dust jacket would be nice to have on the shelf; and even a facsimile of such an historic collection would be worth getting....

Ah, you are right, jd! I remembered I have a copy of "Great Tales of Terror and the Supernatural" published in 1944. It is 1080 pages, yet not a 'crushing' read (I have a certain Poe volume which I find suffocating for more than its claustrophobic horror...). It's pages are remarkably thin--sometimes I'm afraid I'll rip them accidentally! On the inside, it says: "THIS IS A WARTIME BOOK / the text is complete and unabridged, / but every effort has been made to comply with / the Government's request to conserve essential materials." Interesting bit of history, I suppose.

Yes, I have a later copy (printed in the 1970s, I believe) of that anthology, and even there the paper is extremely light. I know precisely what you mean about being concerned about tearing them.

On the early Arkham Lovecraft volumes: though I don't own copies of them, I have on occasion requested them through interlibrary loan, usually specifying the xerox'd edition put out by Books for Libraries (if I remember correctly; it has been some years since I last dealt with this); on the one occasion I didn't include that in the request, they actually sent me a copy of the original of The Outsider and Others... and not on a "library use only" basis, either; I was allowed to take it home for six weeks! I couldn't believe they actually sent the thing; but then I've received other, much rarer volumes from them before. At any rate, it was nice to have for a while, even if I did send them a note saying essentially: "I really appreciate it, but DON'T EVER DO THIS AGAIN!!!!"....

On the subject of the thread... While the Centipede Press books are far beyond my budget these days, I personally have no problem with such elegant productions for those who want a volume like this on their shelves. If the material is available in affordable form for general consumption, why shouldn't the collectors be able to acquire such a volume, with specially-commissioned artwork, fine bindings, and the like? The only complaint I have with such books is when they are the only edition made available of a particular writer or work. That sort of thing does seem wrong to me, simply on a selfish level of being able to read a work for a reasonable price; but even there it is a decision between writer and publisher which is perfectly reasonable in and of itself.

You're saying HPL had a say in this product?

...it is a decision between writer and publisher...

jdworth Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> On the subject of the thread... While the
> Centipede Press books are far beyond my budget
> these days, I personally have no problem with such
> elegant productions for those who want a volume
> like this on their shelves. If the material is
> available in affordable form for general
> consumption, why shouldn't the collectors be able
> to acquire such a volume, with
> specially-commissioned artwork, fine bindings, and
> the like? The only complaint I have with such
> books is when they are the only edition made
> available of a particular writer or work. That
> sort of thing does seem wrong to me, simply on a
> selfish level of being able to read a work for a
> reasonable price; but even there it is a decision
> between writer and publisher which is perfectly
> reasonable in and of itself.

I agree completely. I think some publishers are being short-sighted when they concentrate on pricey collector's editions at the expense of affordable mass market ones. An author's work must be readily available before a critical mass of readership demand can develop (as happened to Lovecraft, Howard and Tolkien--yes, they appeared in hardcovers initially, but it was the cheap paperback editions which drove their fanbases into the stratosphere). Ubiquity usually stimulates demand (always assuming the author is one of quality!)

I am thankful for publishers such as Wordsworth Editions, who put out paperback collections of supernatural fiction at a very affordable price.

Quote:

The only complaint I have with such books is when they are the only edition made available of a particular writer or work.

Is Centipede the publisher who is supposed to be releasing the complete poems in prose of CAS? If so, then does that mean we'll have the choice of either dropping three figures on that book, or completely forgoing it?

Gill Avila Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> You're saying HPL had a say in this product?
>
> ...it is a decision between writer and
> publisher...

'Twould make an interesting situation, no?

No, obviously with that last comment, I am referring to modern writers and their books being published, rather than the deceased. But I see no problem with either being published in such editions, as long as the work is also more widely available. Of course, with a book which is first published in such a format, the publisher will (quite sensibly) want to wait until the books sell out before releasing a more affordable edition, in most instances, but even there this is not always the case.

In the case of the CAS prose poems... I have no idea, having been out of touch concerning such news for a while now. However, given the availability of most (if not all) this material elsewhere (are there pieces which have not seen publication elsewhere? my memory fails me on that one), even that is at most a bit of a hassle, likely not even that, as they are likely to be published in a more affordable format a little further down the line. As concerns the popular release of such... save for those of us who are such fans of CAS to begin with, the number of people who would go for the prose poems is likely to be rather small, so a large following for that is not to be looked for (though possible); therefore it would seem destined to be a "niche" volume to begin with; and we have had a proliferation of publishers of such. The main problem there, I think, is likely to be getting advance news of a more affordable edition, and that is likely to be supplied here....

My understanding is that, whatever new edition of the prose poems appears, it is supposed to include a few things that were not published in the Arkham House edition.

As for the niche aspect, I figure that, if Necronomicon Press could do a cheap (in every sense of the word) edition, then, ideally, so can someone other than the likes of Centipede (perhaps the company chose that name because none of their books would cost less than a dollar per centipede leg?) can? Anyway, as you say, we'll see.

And none of this excuses the inexcusable omission of the prose poems from the "complete" poetry of CAS volumes by Hippocampus. If they'd done the right thing from the start, then this particular facet of the discussion wouldn't even be necessary.

Absquatch Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The only complaint I have with such books is when
> they are the only edition made available of a
> particular writer or work.
>
> Is Centipede the publisher who is supposed to be
> releasing the complete poems in prose of CAS? If
> so, then does that mean we'll have the choice of
> either dropping three figures on that book, or
> completely forgoing it?

Not necessarily. They will be doing an omnibus of Donald Wandreis two novels any day now, and the pre-order price is supposed to be in the mid-two figures.

That's good to know, Martinus; thanks. I'll be looking forward to more news of the prose-poems later, as well as news of "your" edition (I seriously almost consider it to be such!) edition of Lovecraft via Barnes & Noble. I'll leave the Centipede Lovecraft to those who have deeper pockets.

Sometimes Centipede puts out paperback versions of their books. They tend to cost $60 or so though...

Thanks, Martin. I had heard about the Wandrei, but (a) I had not heard the price; and (b) the entire thing had slipped my mind at the moment. It's been a while since I visited the Centipede website but, yes, as I recall, there are lower-priced editions there as well. The Masters of Horror series are among the higher-end of their spectrum, if I recall correctly.

I also read either in a chair or on my back (in bed at night).
I have no patience for over-stuffed sofas or squeaky divans.
Large and heavy HC's are perfect for the chair as long as the
spine is supple enough to stay open without wrestling with it.
In fact, my favorite dictionary for years was an old Webster's
Collegiate of my mothers' whose cover had fallen off - No matter
how you put it on one knee or thigh it would stay softly,securely
enscounched and ready at a moment's notice while reading CAS or
anything with archane language. When we moved my dear Wifey
chucked it out, "It was all beat up!" <sigh>

Paperbacks are for the bed, not because they are lighter but because
they're small enough to be held splayed open with the thumb and fingers
of one hand. The other hand is needed for a bedtime snack of course.
From this I have decided that crumbs in the bed are the price paid for
learning and culture.

-Cathexis

A quick perusal of the Centipede site shows the least expensive titles to be around fifty dollars.

I will once again state my loathing for these limited edition, over-priced rip-off houses. And yes, I know that I don't have to patronize them, that if I don't like capitalism I can move to Cuba, etc., etc. Believe me, I patronize such places only as a dead last resort.

Absquatch Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> That's good to know, Martinus; thanks. I'll be
> looking forward to more news of the prose-poems
> later, as well as news of "your" edition (I
> seriously almost consider it to be such!) edition
> of Lovecraft via Barnes & Noble. I'll leave the
> Centipede Lovecraft to those who have deeper
> pockets.

Heheh... thanks! :) The latest I heard is that the corrected printing will be in B&N warehouses this week. However, there are no guarantees that there aren't old copies floating around.

K_A_Opperman Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I personally prefer to read while lying down, with
> my chosen tome supported on my chest...I suspect
> that if I attempted to read the above-mentioned
> volume in this way, I would end up like a certain
> gentleman who was executed during the Salem witch
> trials..."more...weight"... Not only would I be
> broke, I'd be dead, too!


That is funny! And in fact Amazon lists the shipping weight as 9.4 lbs! (BTW Amazon's is $346.50, it's cheaper than from the publisher.)

A large heavy hard back book does not make a comfortable reading experience for me either. The other thing that can make it even worse is if they use a small font and/or a hard to read font style. It's hard to tell from the blurry page pictures on the centipede site, but that may be the case here also.

You can't give me poorly designed books like that. Let alone paying a few hundred dollars for it. They would just sit on my shelf never read. Those books are just for show not for reading. YMMV



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 5 Sep 11 | 12:50PM by Tantalus.

Martinus,

If you're willing I would like to know about this "Martinus version"
as well as just what is being corrected. I have the current complete
works from B&N as advertised here:

HPL/B&N

Thanks in advance,

- Cathexis

Quote:

Ken K.
I am thankful for publishers such as Wordsworth Editions, who put out paperback collections of supernatural fiction at a very affordable price.

Yes, Ken is right. For those of you who don't know, the Wordsworth Mystery and the Supernatural books are definitely worth looking into. They cover a wide range of supernatural fiction, and I believe many of them are first time complete collections of some authors' work--and all extremely affordable.

Those Wordsworth books are definitely worth their words... (an incredibly corny thing to say--but I couldn't help it! I've been waiting to say that forever!)

Quote:

Cathexis
Paperbacks are for the bed, not because they are lighter but because
they're small enough to be held splayed open with the thumb and fingers
of one hand. The other hand is needed for a bedtime snack of course.
From this I have decided that crumbs in the bed are the price paid for
learning and culture.

So very true. I have paid this price heavily.

Concerning Centipede Press: While I only own one of their books (W. H. Pugmire's The Tangled Muse) I have seen a few others. The concerns about typeface, poor design, etc., certainly don't fit. A great deal of care goes into these, not to mention the artwork, which is usually specially commissioned for them -- these are not simply about the text, but are intended as art books as well, and such things tend to always run rather high due to the cost both of the original art and the level of reproduction. They are very sturdy books, solid, and very, very attractive, and reflect the care and craftmanship which goes into them from initial conception on.

As noted, these are not intended as books simply to read, but to enjoy as fine examples of the bookmaker's art as well, and that they are. Which leads to my response to Absquatch's comments. You've said this sort of thing several times in various places, and no one can argue with a point of personal distaste. I will simply say that I disagree with you, and feel that, though I myself am unlikely to be able to afford such things, or at least afford them very often, I see absolutely nothing to complain about because there are such things for those who want and can afford them. The creation of a beautiful book, whatever the price, doesn't bother me, any more than the creation of any other piece of good or fine craftmanship would. If anything, I'm glad such things are out there, and I take pleasure in them when I have the opportunity. To my mind, there is plenty of room for all varieties of book publishing, from the shoddily-manufactured pieces which fall apart within a few weeks or months, to those which are in themselves pieces of art which may last for centuries. Having the good fortune to own a tiny number of these latter, I'm very glad that someone is still doing such things today. I am by no means a collector in the usual sense -- far from it -- but I do appreciate such things for what they are, and for the things they offer which the others do not and, by definition, simply cannot; but each has its place, and is worthy (to my mind) of respect.

Hear, hear! The only part of your reply with which I do not agree is your inclusion of "the shoddily-manufactured pieces which fall apart within a few weeks or months" - I see absolutely no reason for such things to exist. Unfortunately, there are a lot of these books on the market, nor does their price always reflect the sloppiness of their production value. Some POD hardcovers are utter rubbish their publishers (and authors) should be ashamed to sell.

I agree with you about the quality of the Centipede deluxe editions - they are extremely well made. Jerad Walters lavishes considerable care on his books and clearly loves the works he is printing/reprinting. To cite two titles I have on my shelves, aside from the fine production values, let alone the fine production values, the Michael Shea and Reggie Oliver volumes are well worth the asking price merely in terms of the amount of fiction included.

What is frustrating is that many of Centipede's titles are not available from any publisher in any other format.

Jim

jdworth wrote earlier, before taking up the cudgels:

Quote:

The only complaint I have with such books is when they are the only edition made available of a particular writer or work. That sort of thing does seem wrong to me, simply on a selfish level of being able to read a work for a reasonable price [...]

I have no idea why you are debating with me on this subject--force of habit, perhaps?

I intended the statements you find objectionable to fall entirely within the context of the statement you made earlier, and which I quote above. In other words, while it is true that I do not care for such limited edition "quality" presses, I couldn't care less whether they exist, or whether people are willing and able to spend hundreds of dollars on collectors' item books. I have a serious problem with them only when the titles are, as Jim says, not available from any other publisher in any other format.

Now, to supply the context of my original remarks that you omitted: I am objecting to such a publisher being the exclusive current publisher of CAS's prose poems.

And now, while we're at it, let's supply the context you omitted from my comments that are specifically critical of Centipede Press. I posted them after reviewing the site and not being able to find anything there priced less expensively than a $50 paperbound book. It was the fifty-or sixty-dollar paperbound books which prompted that particular post, and not the "art books". If you are now going to defend fifty-dollar paperbound books as "examples of the bookmaker's art", then, well, feel free, but don't expect to be taken seriously.

Jim:

Apologies, as I was editing my reply just as I saw your recent response, below.

Anyway, I understand your point, but I would say that the fault lies equally with the small presses. I can see no justification for fifty- or sixty-dollar paperbound books (and this applies to mainstream academic presses, as well, who are some of the worst offenders in this regard). I dearly love books, but, if times for print materials are really so hard that publishers can try to justify such prices even for paperbound works, then perhaps print does have to die.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 6 Sep 11 | 07:31AM by Absquatch.

Absquatch Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I have a serious problem with them only when the
> titles are, as Jim says, not available from any
> other publisher in any other format.

Which is a problem that needs to be laid at the door of other publishers. For the most part, the majors have failed to bring these works into print or back into print, leaving the small presses to take these risks.

When Bob Leman's and Jane Rice's books appeared from Midnight House some years ago, we had hoped that the welcome with which their announcement had been greeted would prompt someone to reissue them as readily accessible, affordable paperbacks within a few years. Instead, both books went out of print quickly and . . . stayed out of print. I have received queries about Bob Leman's book at least once a quarter for the last ten years, and all I can do is say "We are working on it", and point them towards the magazines and anthologies reprinting the tales individually. This is very frustrating.

We can all hope and pray that, as happened with Centipede's huge Kuttner/Moore collection, some other publisher will start reissuing less expensive trade editions of some of these books. I regret that Centipede's own trade paperback line did not seem to do well enough to be maintained, as I had hoped to see some of their smaller books printed in this format as well.


Jim

cathexis Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Martinus,
>
> If you're willing I would like to know about this
> "Martinus version"
> as well as just what is being corrected. I have
> the current complete
> works from B&N as advertised here:
>
> HPL/B&N
>
>

The book you've got is riddled with errors -- in fact, it may be the worst-proofed book in Lovecraftian publishing. My errata list is available here: [www.hplovecraft.com]

All the errors on that list (except one that I discovered too late) will be corrected in the new printing, which should be distinguishable by some sort of acknowledgement of my input on the copyright page.

Jim:

I understand your point, but I would say that the fault lies equally with the small presses. I can see no justification for fifty- or sixty-dollar paperbound books (and this applies to mainstream academic presses, as well, who are some of the worst offenders in this regard). I dearly love books, but, if times for print materials are really so hard that publishers can try to justify such prices even for paperbound works, then perhaps print does have to die.

I did not address the paperback aspect because I have not seen them, save briefly, on the website itself. I don't recall whether or not they also included original artwork, were designed for longevity, etc., and until I do know the answer (which I could probably find out by looking at the site again, something I simply have lacked a moment to do properly) am not prepared to give an opinion on these. However, the latter part of your earlier statement was worded in such a way as to have a broader application, hence my addressing it as I did.

As for why I argue with you on this, I'm not at all sure it is an argument; it is a response of one perspective to another. You dislike such things intensely; I don't. I've had the advantage of seeing some of their books firsthand, and have been impressed; you aren't. I'm not attempting to change your (or anyone's) mind, but putting my own experiences and views out there for consideration; people will come to their own conclusions in their own fashion.

Jim: when I referred to such shoddy things, I was thinking in particular of books of an earlier era (of which I also have quite a few), things which can last a long time if handled gingerly, but which were designed as "reading matter" of the moment, for cheap consumption. These, too, have their place, in my view, same as the penny dreadfuls did, as they provided cheap entertainment for the majority. Literarily speaking, they may be pure (or nearly pure) garbage, but they do have their place in the spectrum and, again in my view, we (collectively) might be just a little poorer without even that bit of the variety. I would prefer it that they be produced better, and for modern publishing I don't see a reason to issue shoddy product costwise; but if it provides a pleasurable reading experience for some, then it has served its purpose, however much I personally would prefer they be of higher quality.

jdworth:

My point is simply that we don't have differing perspectives over the main issue at hand, which is whether it is a good thing when the high-priced collectors edition publishers essentially monopolize the market. It is the latter fact that I "intensely" dislike.

Martinus Wrote:
>
> The book you've got is riddled with errors -- in
> fact, it may be the worst-proofed book in
> Lovecraftian publishing. My errata list is
> available here:
> [www.hplovecraft.com]
> 0-%20Errata.PDF
>
> All the errors on that list (except one that I
> discovered too late) will be corrected in the new
> printing, which should be distinguishable by some
> sort of acknowledgement of my input on the
> copyright page.

Do we have a date for this new printing yet?

Absquatch Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> jdworth:
>
> My point is simply that we don't have differing
> perspectives over the main issue at hand, which is
> whether it is a good thing when the high-priced
> collectors edition publishers essentially
> monopolize the market. It is the latter fact that
> I "intensely" dislike.

My apologies. The tone of some of the statements made above seemed (to me, at least) to have a broader scope, objecting to such houses, at least by implication, in general, rather than just in the area of their "monopolizing".

However, when it comes to the CAS prose-poems, I doubt this will be the case for any length of time either, even should they only be out in such an edition initially. Though Smith isn't garnering the sort of attention Howard or Lovecraft do (yet), there is a growing appreciation of his work among fans of the fantastic, and there are enough small presses out there which do produce affordable books, that someone is highly likely to fill that gap in reasonably short order....

I'm not sure what prose poem volume is being alluded to, but there is a very affordable paperback volume (I don't know about complete) of CAS's prose poems: "A Phantasy and Other Prose Poems," from Dodo Press, available on Amazon.

All I know is, if I buy it, "The Flower Devil" had better be in it, or someone will have to be sacrificed to the Voorqual....



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 6 Sep 11 | 04:49PM by K_A_Opperman.

jdworth:

Quote:

My apologies. The tone of some of the statements made above seemed (to me, at least) to have a broader scope, objecting to such houses, at least by implication, in general, rather than just in the area of their "monopolizing".

No apologies needed. I did mention having a general dislike for such publishers, but I tried to make clear here--and could no doubt have done a better job--that what mainly concerned me was the prospect of seeing CAS's poems in prose relegated exclusively to such publishers.

As for the prose poems, themselves, I hope that you are right in your forecast.


K_A_Opperman:

If I am remembering correctly, Dodo is a print-on-demand outfit, and has come in for harsh words here. I recommend researching this forum and elsewhere before buying.

Absquatch--thanks for the advice. By the way--this is probably a stupid question--but are all the prose poems in the complete poetry volumes? And are they really complete in the strict sense?

No problem, K_A_.

As for CAS's prose poems, actually, none of them are in Hippocampus's so-called "complete poetry of" volumes, and this is a real sore point with me, and with others, as well, I imagine.

The primary edition of CAS's prose poems remains the Arkham House/Donald Sidney Fryer edition, but, to remain true to the theme of the thread, it is out of print and ridiculously over-priced in the used booksellers' market. I have a mildewed, stinky copy--for some reason, most used booksellers don't seem to think they need to report about odor as part of a book's condition--for which I paid far too much money on eBay, and which I ought to have returned.

The only other edition of the prose poems of which I am aware is the Necronomicon Press chapbook, which I have never seen. From the look of the photos I've viewed of it, however, the book appears to be as cheaply done as most of the others in that series (Aside: It seems hard to find a happy medium between the overly cheap and the overly elaborate in the world of fandom press, I think).

Finally, my understanding--and others here should correct me if I am wrong--is that anyone who owns the Arkham House volume and Strange Shadows (another over-priced book) owns all of CAS's prose poetry. I hope that a more recent edition, and an affordable one, will one day gather them all in one place.

No prose poems in the complete poetry? And I suppose they are probably left out of the complete fiction as well.... (could be wrong). These are unhappy facts, Absquatch.

One is included in the Complete Fantasies: "From the Crypts of Memory", as an appendix to vol. 1. I don't believe any others are, however. I don't recall what the proposed table of contents of India and Irony includes, but I don't recall them being there either....

Incidentally, the Necronomicon Press volume is also something which has become quite high secondhand. I would love to see a good, affordable edition of all these pieces made available, even though I have the volumes mentioned above, simply because I think some of these are among his best writing....

The English Assassin Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Martinus Wrote:
> >
> > The book you've got is riddled with errors --
> in
> > fact, it may be the worst-proofed book in
> > Lovecraftian publishing. My errata list is
> > available here:
> >
> [www.hplovecraft.com]
>
> > 0-%20Errata.PDF
> >
> > All the errors on that list (except one that I
> > discovered too late) will be corrected in the
> new
> > printing, which should be distinguishable by
> some
> > sort of acknowledgement of my input on the
> > copyright page.
>
> Do we have a date for this new printing yet?

It's supposed to be in warehouses this week. Unfortunately, I don't know of any other way of distinguishing it from the error-riddled printings than that mention of my name on the copyright page. I suspect that since B&N apparently counts it as just a new printing, it'll have the same ISBN as the printing you don't want.

I own precisely one CAS prose poem--"The Mortuary," in "The Emperor of Dreams." Not the easiest part of the CAS canon to collect...

Incidentally, I think there are a couple of good Lovecraft prose poems that I don't have in print, either--I am thinking of "What the Moon Brings," and "Ex Oblivione" (if memory serves me)--I liked those quite a bit, wherever I read them. I may try my hand at one tomorrow while at jury duty (ugh!)--never have written one before. Really, it's an overlooked form, for reasons I well understand--but it is brimming with untapped potential! Good thing CAS churned out quite a few of them--along with 'quite a few' poems and fictions as well....

K_A_Opperman Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I'm not sure what prose poem volume is being
> alluded to, but there is a very affordable
> paperback volume (I don't know about complete) of
> CAS's prose poems: "A Phantasy and Other Prose
> Poems," from Dodo Press, available on Amazon.
>
> All I know is, if I buy it, "The Flower Devil" had
> better be in it, or someone will have to be
> sacrificed to the Voorqual....

After seeing what Dodo Press did to the Arabian Nights of Sir Richard Burton, I wouldn't touch their books with a ten-foot pole. The production value is abysmal.

Will keep that in mind, Martinus!--I was only casually mentioning them; I knew nothing about them. Now I know better.

K_A_Opperman Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>
> Incidentally, I think there are a couple of good
> Lovecraft prose poems that I don't have in print,
> either--I am thinking of "What the Moon Brings,"
> and "Ex Oblivione" (if memory serves me)--I liked
> those quite a bit, wherever I read them.

They were available in the Ballantine Adult Fantasy volume The Doom That Came to Sarnath, as well as in Miscellaneous Writings; they are also available in the B&N volume, if memory serves....

jdworth Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> K_A_Opperman Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> >
> > Incidentally, I think there are a couple of
> good
> > Lovecraft prose poems that I don't have in
> print,
> > either--I am thinking of "What the Moon
> Brings,"
> > and "Ex Oblivione" (if memory serves me)--I
> liked
> > those quite a bit, wherever I read them.
>
> They were available in the Ballantine Adult
> Fantasy volume The Doom That Came to Sarnath, as
> well as in Miscellaneous Writings; they are also
> available in the B&N volume, if memory serves....

They are indeed in the B&N edition. Here is S. T.'s introductory note for "What the Moon Brings": "The last of Lovecraft's four prose-poems,this work was written on June 5, 1922. A somewhat nebulous tale about the terror inspired by the moon, it appears to be largely inspired by a dream, or at any rate incorporates a considerable amount of dream-imagery. The story was first published in the National Amateur (May 1923), in the same issue that contained 'Hypnos.'"

It's interesting to group the tales that Grandpa wrote in 1921-1922. The dream-like narrative (whether or no these are "dream stories" is prevalent, and it appears that Lovecraft was in a sort of transitional phase as a writer. These were also the years wherein he was commissioned to pen his two serial tales for Home Brew, and in September of 1922 Lovecraft wrote "The Hound," which (despite the wise reflections of such Lovecraft scholars as S. T. Joshi and J. D. Worthington) I still refuse to believe was an instance of Lovecraft mocking his own work or style. He was finding himself as a writer, and experimenting with forms and narrative voice -- quite brilliantly, so he was.

"I'm a little girl."
--H. P. Lovecraft, Esq.

FWIW,

The copy I bought just this April or May includes the line,
"This 2010 edition published by Barnes & Noble, Inc."
If they consider a corrected text to be a new edtion than
you could possibly assume that *any* edition with a 2011
or later date must be the newer corrected one regardless of
whether they note the corrections or not.

It could be possible that this other line that appears on
the copyright page might give us a clue as to why so many
typos, "Printed and bound in China."

Perhaps some here have been to this site:

Engrish

Cathexis

cathexis Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> FWIW,
>
> The copy I bought just this April or May includes
> the line,
> "This 2010 edition published by Barnes & Noble,
> Inc."
> If they consider a corrected text to be a new
> edtion than
> you could possibly assume that *any* edition with
> a 2011
> or later date must be the newer corrected one
> regardless of
> whether they note the corrections or not.

True. However, I know for a fact that my name is mentioned on the copyright page, so that should be a safe way to distinguish it.

>
> It could be possible that this other line that
> appears on
> the copyright page might give us a clue as to why
> so many
> typos, "Printed and bound in China."
>

LOL! :D

Back to the original topic.. I was able to pick up the Centipede HPL for $295 plus postage a couple years back. If you trawl the Internet long enough you can find them for a bit less than full retail. The book is gorgeous, and the companion volume of photos is also quite nice. However, as some have speculated, the thing would be virtually impossible to read anywhere except a desk or lectern. It's approaches 10 pounds in weight, and is also quite bulky. It's a thing of beauty, but a somewhat smaller volume (or volumes) with identical production values (perhaps leather-bound) would've been more elegant and, more importantly, practical. I'm not in the market for the others in the "Masters of the Weird Tale" series, if that tells you anything..

Jerad seems to be offering newer titles in this series as either the bulky one-volume edition or as two smaller editions, as has been offer'd for the Karl Wagner edition. He sent me a gift copy of the Kuttner MotWT and it is much leaner than ye others. I have the Lovecraft, Blackwood and Hodgson volumes, and they are indeed beautiful. I prefer the large bulky books, which are easily read when sitting at a table. They have an overall effect for me, the book design, the wonderful art, the feel of the bindings, &c. Just got a copy of Laird Barron's THE LIGHT IS THE DARKNESS, an amazingly beautiful book, in its leather-bound edition, and holding that book is an extremely sensual experience. I'll have my own first leather-bound collection out next month. These printings are for collectors only, or people who are lucky enough to have $$$. There are some people who will not read the novels of Stephen King unless they can own them in super-expensive super-limited editions. I've never understood this mentality. It's like the collectors who have chided me for actually reading my old Arkham House books, which they feel should be kept under glass and never touched. I find this absurd--books are meant to be read.

"I'm a little girl."
--H. P. Lovecraft, Esq.

wilum pugmire Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> There are some
> people who will not read the novels of Stephen
> King unless they can own them in super-expensive
> super-limited editions.

Some of us will not read the novels of Stephen King, period.

Quote:

wilum pugmire
It's like the collectors who have chided me for actually reading my old Arkham House books, which they feel should be kept under glass and never touched. I find this absurd--books are meant to be read.

I agree!

Quote:

Jojo Lapin X
Some of us will not read the novels of Stephen King, period.

One needs at least to give King a chance. No, his work does not match the aesthetic many weird fiction readers prefer--but he offers a different experience. It cannot be denied that he is an accomplished novel writer--in my (very limited) experience, he writes stories that can keep one interested until the end. And not all writers have the ability to sustain something for so long with such apparent ease.

However, there're bad things I could say, too--but these are probably anticipated by the anti-King crowd, which I imagine is strong here. All I'm saying is don't rule him out completely until you've read one (or two, or three) of his novels. "The Shining" is not bad.

Now, his pal Straub, however--I can't stand that guy's work.

But if we go back in time a bit, to the preceding generation of horror novelists, we encounter Matheson, which makes for a good read, in my opinion. "Hell House," anyone? "I Am Legend"?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 30 Sep 11 | 02:20PM by K_A_Opperman.