I happened to browse Hippocampus Press' website and, surprise surprise, I spot they've finally re-published the Complete Poetry & Translations in paperback

[www.hippocampuspress.com]

It took far too long, but it gives those of us who missed it last time round to nab this item again. I thought I'd let you know. It seems like their international shipping prices have also come down from whence last I looked, so I might be able to afford it this time. Anyway, I thought I'd let those who care know.

I don't think it is actually out yet -- at the last minute some previously unknown (but published) poems by CAS were located, but that's a good reason for delay.

That is good news - even better if they include the prose-poems too :)

I can't spot where it says pre-order on the page, but there's a lot of text so I've probably missed it. Anyway, I'll be please to finally get hold of these, especially the translations.

Martinus Wrote:
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> I don't think it is actually out yet -- at the
> last minute some previously unknown (but
> published) poems by CAS were located, but that's a
> good reason for delay.


S. T. mentions these new poems in my latest YouTube video with him -- he is quite excited about the discovery of these poems! I think they still hope to bring out the volumes this year.

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

wilum pugmire Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>
> S. T. mentions these new poems in my latest
> YouTube video with him -- he is quite excited
> about the discovery of these poems! I think they
> still hope to bring out the volumes this year.

Yes I saw that! :) The discoverer is an FB friend of mine, so I actually knew it first. :)

All good news - I could do wih a few months of not spending money on books!

I'm SO glad I actually get to get my hands on these poems, and with new additions! I just regret not being able to get a hold of hardcover editions, they would go great with the Nightshade volumes.

Greetings, Eldritch Fans!

I was indeed wondering whether this "Complete Poetry and Translations" reprint does in fact include :

- Poems in Prose,

- The Fugitive Poems, (the six booklets)

I was unable to locate a TOC of the first edition. I assume that some Eldritch Dark members would have a copy in their hands and may feel inclined to share this dark secret with the rest of us KlarkAshton pilgrims...

Thank you in advance for your time.

The Poems in Prose were not included. They will be reprinted in the mammoth CAS collection forthcoming from Centipede Press.

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

wilum pugmire Wrote:
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> The Poems in Prose were not included. They will
> be reprinted in the mammoth CAS collection
> forthcoming from Centipede Press.

"Mammoth CAS collection?!" I was under the impression that this was going to be a relatively cheap, which, considering Centipede's prices, I assumed relatively slim volume of prose poems, art and other odds and ends... Am I wrong?

The English Assassin Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> wilum pugmire Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > The Poems in Prose were not included. They
> will
> > be reprinted in the mammoth CAS collection
> > forthcoming from Centipede Press.
>
> "Mammoth CAS collection?!" I was under the
> impression that this was going to be a relatively
> cheap, which, considering Centipede's prices, I
> assumed relatively slim volume of prose poems, art
> and other odds and ends... Am I wrong?

Probably under $100, but it will contain the prose poems, the essays, letters, memoirs by others, and 50 pages of art, so it will probably be quite large.

Martinus Wrote:
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> Probably under $100, but it will contain the prose
> poems, the essays, letters, memoirs by others, and
> 50 pages of art, so it will probably be quite
> large.

It does sound great, although I have to say I'm starting to feel the strain to my financial sanity caused by the terrifying new cosmic perspective I have gained while absorbing/affording CAS' oeuvre... Will it ever end, I wonder... In fairness this is probably more of a luxury than an essential (only because I'm lucky enough to own Nostalgia of the Unknown already), although it seems a pity that CAS' prose-poems will be locked away in a luxury item. I hope Joshi includes a few in the Penguin collection. Will any prose-poems not included in Nostalgia of the Unknown be included or is it too soon to say?

Apparently, the only prose-poem not included in Nostalgia of the Unknown is Sadastor, already present in The Collected Fantasies, Vol. 1.

As for myself, not owning Nostalgia, I wonder if I should go for the Arkham Poems in Prose, going for around $200 here and there...

Hard financial times for us CAS fans!

The English Assassin Wrote:
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>I hope Joshi includes a few
> in the Penguin collection.

He will. :)

> Will any prose-poems
> not included in Nostalgia of the Unknown be
> included or is it too soon to say?

I have checked the prose poem section, but I don't recall what is included. Were the prose poems from Strange Shadows included in Nostalgia of the Unknown? If no, then this book will have "new" stuff. Also, this book will not use the versions used in Nostalgia of the Unknowbn, IIRC. (Scott, is that right?)

No doubt I'll get this Centipede Press book, with the (in)
Complete Poetry and Translations that I will order sometime over Xmas I hope, that should fix me for CAS for sometime to come. I am quite excited re the Penguin collection. I'd love to hear what is being considered... Maybe we should start our own wish list... Anyway, I hope Joshi doesn't compartmentalize the prose and poetry too strictly. Ideally I'd like to see CAS' poetry and prose given equal place, even placed alternately like the Dedalus Books anthology of Russian Decadence, rather than have a few poems tucked away at the back.

Greetings all,

I am extremely tempted to go for this set.

However, I already own the Hippocampus book The Last Oblivion, which claims to collect the best fantastic poems of CAS (and a great book it is too). I've long been famailir with Smith's short stories, but this was my first introduction to the poetry and I was quite bowled over by much of it.

My question is a subjective one maybe, but would it be worth the upgrade to the Complete Poetry & Translations? Or am I not missing out on that much, if the bulk of cosmic CAS goodness rests within the pages of The Last Oblivion?

Draugen Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>
> My question is a subjective one maybe, but would
> it be worth the upgrade to the Complete Poetry &
> Translations?

Yes.

Seconded.

Thanks guys. Why am I not suprised! Got Nostalgia for the Unknown on order, and will have to look in to getting the Complete Poetry after that. Actually, the idea of reading the translation of Baudelaire is a very appealing one.

Joshi is coming over to my pad for din-din to-morrow (Friday, 7 December 1712) and we'll be doing a YouTube vlog, so I'll try to get him to tell as much as possible about ye Penguin CAS edition.

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

wilum pugmire Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Joshi is coming over to my pad for din-din
> to-morrow (Friday, 7 December 1712) and we'll be
> doing a YouTube vlog, so I'll try to get him to
> tell as much as possible about ye Penguin CAS
> edition.

Please tell him also, if you have not already done so, to include scribblings and drawings by Lovecraft and CAS, however crude they be, in the upcoming Lovecraft/Smith Letters.

S. T. said last night that if there are doodles or drawings in the letters of either CAS or HPL. they will be reproduced in the books along with the text. The Penguin Classics edition of CAS is yet a long way off, according to what he said in our YouTube video of last night.

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

That was good to hear, Wilum. The first sentence that is! Your second sentence means that CAS will be continue to be unknown to the masses, the cultural artistic bereavement will prolong. Well, at least the initiative step has been taken.

"The big three" of Weird Tales: Lovecraft, Howard, and Smith. Lovecraft and Howard are household names. Everyone knows who they are, even the man in the street who doesn't read. Smith is only known to us visiting this forum, and to a few more. He ought to be very famous. By now there should have been a large industry around him; films based on his works, documentaries, his name mentionen in reverie and awe by Presidental speeches at national celebrations.

To watch the new video with S. T., you can go to my "wilum pugmire" YouTube channel, or the name of the video is "S. T. Joshi Sings for Your Holiday" (I coerced him into singing "Silent Night" with me). The Lovecraft/Smith letters will be delayed until late next year--it turned out to be a bigger project than they anticipated.

The Penguin Classics Clark Ashton Smith is scheduled for March 2014. Penguin has demanded that the majority of the collection be Smith's fiction, as they feel that poetry is unpopular and doesn't sell (they want a volume that will sell, obviously). The book's scheduled title is THE DARK EIDOLON AND OTHER FANTASIES. It will be 80% fiction (and that will include a section of the prose-poems) and then 20% poetry. They want S. T. to write an extensive Introduction as they feel that Smith is so unknown, and so that will be excellent. Fiction will be presented in chronological order rather than divided into mystical realms, &c. So, an unfortunate wait, but it will be FABULOUS when it's publish'd!

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



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 9 Dec 12 | 12:57PM by wilum pugmire.

That sounds excellent. Actually I think 20% poetry is pretty good going to be honest for a commercial edition.

Oh, I wish I still had the photos of a CAS painting I copied from an Ebay auction. I've lost them. I think it must have been "A Jungle of the Indies". Well, it sounds on the video as if it is Joshi who is opposed to using CAS's artwork, not the Penguin staff (I doubt if they have even seen any of it). If Joshi had seen those photos he might have been inspired into some ideas for a colorful and lush CAS-art cover.

However, I am honestly not convinced a CAS cover, even at its best, would be the most commercially successfull to use. For this first Penguin book of Clark Ashton Smith, I think the most important thing is that it sells as much as possible. I would be willing to sacrifice for that. Not a cheap sensationalist cover that attracts only the rabble, but still something that will draw a large audience. It is very important.

(Oh my, what has it all come down too?! Has my soul finally turned into a speculative materialistic dealer? :/ *shuddering*)

"The City of the Singing Flame", I regret they will only use the first half in Penguin. I have always seen the first and second parts together as one whole story, and I found both parts equally good. I think Arkham House made a mistake when they cut it in half, and removed the second part for the A Rendevous In Averoigne book. I really can't understand it. They form an integrated story together.

Glad to hear about the Lovecraft/Smith letters; that was what I suspected. Rather do it well worked through, than rushed.

Sorry, I hadn't done my homework, to remember that "Beyond the Singing Flame" initially was written as a sequel. But when published together, CAS had melded them and changed the above title into another chapter called "The Third Venturer". I think the second half perfectly complements the first.

Knygatin Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Sorry, I hadn't done my homework, to remember that
> "Beyond the Singing Flame" initially was written
> as a sequel. But when published together, CAS had
> melded them and changed the above title into
> another chapter called "The Third Venturer". I
> think the second half perfectly complements the
> first.

AFAIK, it wasn't Smith who did the melding, so it is completely irrelevant: From elsewhere on this site:

<<The latter story is now almost inextricably linked to its inferior sequel, "Beyond the Singing Flame" (a linkage introduced by editor Walter Gillings in 1940, and perpetuated ever since), while the text of "The Vaults of Yoh-Vombis" was more heavily edited for publication than any other story by Smith.>>

Martinus Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

> AFAIK, it wasn't Smith who did the melding, so it
> is completely irrelevant: From elsewhere on this
> site:
>
>

I fail again. Good chapter-title though by that Walter Gillings fellow.

Solved.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11 Dec 12 | 09:34AM by Knygatin.

It's shipping!

Any knowledge of the print run of this one? I'm hoping it's on the generous side, because I can't see me having the money to do it this side of February/March at the earliest... Also, will it be available via Amazon et al of just via Hippo. Press?

EDIT: No need to answer my last question (or maybe not any of them) - I see it is available in three separate orders on Amazon, which is nice as I can more easily justify getting it a volume at a time!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2 Jan 13 | 01:59PM by The English Assassin.

Well, I just got my copy! The Fugitive Poems seem to be there. What a wealth of poetry! Too bad, really, that the Poems in prose are not included, as it is a small body of work, they could have been...

The first two volumes are CAS own work, while the third tome consists of translations from the French and the Spanish. (I don't think I ever noticed his Beaudelaire translations in book form before, though.)

All in all, a worthy upgrade to the Arkham 'Selected Poems'... Recommended!

I've finally got them... only dipped in, but first impressions are very good - of course! I still wish I got the hardbacks when they came out, but these little beauties will do nicely. Hats off to Hippocampus for getting these out!

The English Assassin Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I've finally got them... only dipped in, but first
> impressions are very good - of course! I still
> wish I got the hardbacks when they came out, but
> these little beauties will do nicely. Hats off to
> Hippocampus for getting these out!

The pb's have more in them, so I got them both...

Wish I could do the same, but finances have gone into the sub-sub-sub-basement of late, so it simply isn't feasible for me.... dammit!

jdworth Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Wish I could do the same, but finances have gone
> into the sub-sub-sub-basement of late, so it
> simply isn't feasible for me.... dammit!

You sounded so very busy earlier. Hope it stabilizes upwards.

...also, you can get them one at the time at Amazon or from Hyppocampus... Easier on the wallet!
Cheers!

I've picked up copies of both the hardbacks and the paperbacks, but then I feel it's safe to say that I'm in the opening stages of a concordance of Smith's poetry. The only thing currently stopping work on it is the Lovecraft poetry concordance, which has been worked on on and off for a fair while now, and that I hope to have camera-ready (so to speak) sometime in 2014 at the latest.

The Smith concordance will be followed by a Howard poetry concordance.

I'm only just getting round to ordering these, money has been tight. Are the paperbacks an actual print run, or print on demand?

I'm not sure if the paperbacks are print on demand or not. I know the Wandrei concordance is print on demand, largely because there is such a small audience for it, but if the paperbacks are print on demand then (like with the concordance) the production standards are high.

Personally, while print on demand books have higher prices, due to a lack of discounts due to volume (one reason why the Penguin Classics have been, historically, affordable and almost ubiquitous), I find that, if the production standards are good there is no lessening of quality.

If its POD, they usually say 'Lighting Source' or some such on the last page, with a little barcode.

Personally I'm just not a fan of POD, in fact, in the vast majority of cases I strongly dislike them. Theres something cheaper about the feel, the paper seems different, it can be thin and goes wavey over time.. basically it feels like reading an assembled photocopy. I must own close to 30 POD books, some I never realised would be POD until they arrived in the post, to my disappointment.

Maybe thats just me. I have seen some decent ones that I was fairly happy with, and some presses are doing a good job with it, but even in those that are good, the same characteristics are there, albeit with much reduced symptoms. On the other hand, many books would be out of print without it and I have obtained some rare books this way, I appreciate that.

I admit I'm quite OCD about books, and should probably be ignored by those of a healthy disposition. Another example is that I won't buy the Night Shade 'Collected Fantasies' of CAS that are in print, because V1&2 are out of print. I would want the set. Having volume 3,4,5 on the shelf without 1 & 2 would be intolerable. So I stick to my much loved and battered Panther paperbacks for now.

POD books are mostly laser printed and I believe the process limits the choice of paper stock. Yes, I've got a few... I'm never hugely disappointed in their quality, but they're rarely objects of beauty either. I'm pretty sure all the Hippocampus Press paperback I own are POD. On the plus side they're usually well bound and durable.

Yes: the Hippocampus paperbacks are POD. It does mean there is less wastage, and less of a need for warehousing print runs, since the costs of storing books in a warehouse are one cost that has driven up book prices in the past, and have also historically resulted in publishers concentrating of quick-moving bestsellers over midlist titles (particularly recently, with the rise of the mentality that every title must make a profit).

What a good POD list can do, as with small presses like Hippocampus, is open up markets for niche titles which can find their own audiences with good, positive amounts of effort from authors and editors. It does mean, though, that the presses find it harder to afford both publicity and marketing, though the development of the internet has proved a leveller of sorts, allowing specific readers to be linked to specific titles in a way that I find fascinating and essential as an author of weird verse.