Re: New edition of HPL from Oxford University Press
Posted by:
Platypus (IP Logged)
Date: 5 June, 2014 10:57PM
jdworth, most of the "errors" you list are bogus; and I may say more about that. A few of the errors you list are genuine - and I may say more about that too, since these errors do not demonstrate the superiority of typescripts over pulp texts as you and Joshi claim (these errors did not originate in the pulp texts, which have the correct readings). However, since you have shown at least a few genuine errors, it is time for me to keep my promise and show that Joshi is not error-free either.
So here's a partial list of some Joshi’s errors in the 9 stories published by Luckhurst. I am using as “the Joshi text†the corrected B&N edition, which Joshi has publicly claimed as his most-definitive text to date, and does in fact correct various errors in the Penguin editions; though it does in many cases introduce new errors of its own. I precede each list with a paragraph summarizing the history of the source texts, so they can be placed in proper context.
THE HORROR AT RED HOOK (“RED HOOKâ€): To my knowledge, it is the original WEIRD TALES text of this story that has the best claim to represent HPL’s final wishes. Derleth’s 1965 text (in DAGON & OTHER MACABRE TALES) relied not on WEIRD TALES, but apparently on a pre-publication typescript (probably the same one relied on by Joshi), which may be the source of certain mis-readings. Joshi corrects some of Derleth’s misreadings, but retains others. Note that, since Derleth’s text is not based on WEIRD TALES, when it independent support’s WEIRD TALES’ reading, we can take this as strong confirmation that it reflects the text HPL submitted for publication. I am aware of no adequate evidence that the text was revised after publication. Some Joshi errors in this story are:
[1] RED HOOK, Throughout [B&N pp.318, 319, 322, 325, 330]: All 5 instances of the word “shew†or shewed†[Joshi] should be “show†or “showed†[Derleth, Weird Tales, Luckhurst]. Note that since it was Derleth’s habit to retain most spellings of his source texts, we can assume that whatever surviving typescript he relies on usually says “show†as well. There is nothing about the context – a story about an Irish-American policeman in modern Brooklyn – that suggests that the archaic form “shew†is even appropriate here. Note that Joshi’s use of such spelling does not necessarily reflect ANY source text – it is merely his policy to consistently use this spelling, no matter how inappropriate the context.
[2] RED HOOK Ch1, para. 3 [B&N p.315]: “of restful†[Joshi] should be “of a restful†(“to invite a padded cell instead of a restful rusticationâ€) [Weird Tales, Dereth]. Joshi’s error here seems to have originated in the Penguin editions; it is not present in his oldest texts.
[3] RED HOOK Ch2, para.1 [B&N p. 316]: “in Beardsley’s†[Joshi, Derleth & Luckhurst] should be “in Aubrey Beardsley’s†(“leering with concealed rottenness as in Aubrey Beardsley’s best mannerâ€). [Weird Tales]. I no reason to doubt that Weird Tales reading reflects the copy HPL submitted. The other artist mentioned in this sentence, Gustave Doré, is also fully named, and there seems no reason to single out Beardsley for last-name-only treatment.
[4] RED HOOK Ch3, para. 1 [B&N p.318]: “old world†[Joshi, Derleth & Luckhurst] should be “Old World†(“he had sailed for the Old World and remained out of sight for eight yearsâ€). [Weird Tales] It is proper to capitalize "Old World" when, as here, it refers to the Eastern Hemisphere (just as the Western Hemisphere is the "New World"). There is no need, after HPL’s death, to reintroduce errors from some surviving, non-final typescript, which, in all probability, does not match the corrected version sent to the publisher.
[5] RED HOOK Ch4, para.3 [B&N p.322]: “new friends†[Joshi, Derleth, Luckhurst] should be “few friends†(“finally astonished his few friends by renovating and redecorating his Flatbush mansionâ€) [Weird Tales]. Suydam has no new friends mentioned in the text except the cultists; whose astonishment (if any) Malone and the narrator are not privy to. However, he does have a few (old) friends who have been mentioned previously in the text: the “rare acquaintances†who occasionally visit his home in Ch.3,Para.1; or the “humiliated friends†who see him prowling about in subway stations in Ch.3,Para.2. Also, as the second half of the sentence makes clear, the social revival, which he is only just about to launch, does not begin by making any new friends, but merely (at first) by reconnecting with relatives and old acquaintances. These are the ones who are now astonished.
[6] RED HOOK Ch.5.Para.1 [B&N p.324]: “old world†[Joshi, Derleth, Luckhurst] should be “Old World†(“headed for the widening water spaces that led to Old World wondersâ€) [Weird Tales]. The Cunard Liner is headed, not into to the past, but to the Eastern Hemisphere (Europe, etc).
[7] RED HOOK Ch.7,Para.3 [B&N p.330]: “which†[Joshi, Derleth, Luckhurst] should be “when†(“gloated over a minor sadist cult *when* they might have proclaimed a horror from the universe’s very heart.â€) [Weird Tales]. It is not the cult, but that which it worships, that is the ultimate in horror.
The WEIRD TALES (1928) text of "THE CALL OF CTHULHU" ("CTHULHU") is an excellent text overall. BEWARE AFTER DARK (1929) is not based on the WEIRD TALES text, but apparently on an earlier typescript. Derleth's text is based closely on WEIRD TALES, fixing an obvious typo or two; and its unclear if its other very minor changes are corruptions, or if Derleth is following a HPL-corrected copy (I have not so far been able to conclude this, nor entirely rule it out, from the nature of the changes). Joshi uses the Derleth text as a base text, and makes various changes to it based on WEIRD TALES and BEWARE AFTER DARK, and some changes of his own. He now claims the text is based on the typescript, but since he originally claimed it was based on WEIRD TALES and that no typescript was available, my guess is that any resemblance to the typescript is purely coincidental.
[8] CTHULHU's sub-title hinting at the narrator's death [Joshi, Luckhurst], was not a subtitle in the oldest and most-authentic texts [Weird Tales, Beware After Dark, Derleth] but a note inconspicuously positioned (without titular capitalization of words), like a footnote, at the bottom of the first page or column. Note that pro-Joshi agitators have used the presence of a "subtitle" as a test of authenticity; but it never had a "subtitle" (as such) during HPL's life.
[9] CTHULHU Ch.1 at para.10 [B&N p.358]: "titan" [Joshi] should be "Titan" ("dream of great Cyclopean cities of Titan blocks") [Weird Tales, Derleth, Beware After Dark, Luckhurst]. Consistency of capitalization is one of Joshi's policies, but he does not seem to appreciate how it can subtly alter emphasis and meaning. Without capitalization, "titan" merely means "very big"; but "Titan" more explicitly recalls the Titans of myth - an appropriate analogy here, as the city was indeed created by primordial gods of Chaos.
[10] CTHULHU Ch.1, last para. [B&N p.362]: “stopped he†[Joshi] should be “stopped the†(“only a miracle can have stopped the medical fraternity") [Weird Tales, Beware After Dark, Derleth].
[11] CTHULHU at 2d para. after 2d "Ph'nglui..." chant in mid-Ch.2 [B&N p.365]: “incongruous with†should be “incongruous in†(“incongruous in its diminutivenessâ€) [Weird Tales, Beware After Dark, Derleth].
[12] CTHULHU, at 2d para. after 2d "Ph'nglui..." chant in mid-Ch.2 [B&N p.365]: “Bacchanal†[Joshi] should be “bacchanale†(“from left to right in endless bacchanaleâ€) [Weird Tales, Derleth] or perhaps "Bacchanale" [Beware After Dark]. The word "bacchanale" refers to a type of wild musical dance, & is also used by HPL in "The Hound" ("a bacchanale of bats"); whereas HPL typically uses "bacchanal" to refer to a participant or celebrant (ie. "satyrs and bacchanals" in "THE MUSIC OF ERICH ZANN"). Joshi apparently decided it was a misspelling and fixed it.
[13] CTHULHU at 8th para. following 2d "Ph'nglui..." chant in mid Ch.2 [B&N p.367]: “Black Winged Ones†[Joshi, Beware after Dark] should be “Black-winged Ones†[Weird Tales, Derleth]; alternatively, if you think Beware After Dark is the better text (I don't) then one should follow it by omitting the word "green" [omitted in Beware After Dark] from a later phrase, at 4th para. from end of tale, "green, bat-winged mocking imps of Tartarus" ["green" is included in Weird Tales, Derleth, Joshi, Luckhurst]. Regardless of whether Weird Tales of Beware After Dark is the better source, this may be a coordinated change, so by mixing and combining readings from both texts, Joshi creates for the first time the suggestion that these two references may describe different creatures, one mostly black, the other mostly green.
[14] CTHULHU Ch.2 at 3d para.before "That is not dead..." couplet [B&N p.367]: “but Their mode†[Joshi] should be “for Their mode†(“They knew all that was occurring in the universe, for Their mode of speech was transmitted thoughtâ€) [Weird Tales, Derleth, Beware After Dark, Luckhurst]. "But" makes no sense here.
[15] CTHULHU Ch.2 at 1st para.before "That is not dead..." couplet: [B&N p.368]: “dim aeras†[Joshi] should be “dim eras†(“idols brought in dim eras from dark starsâ€) [Weird Tales, Beware After Dark, Derleth]. Joshi apparently changed it to "aera" after observing that HPL occasionally used the "late-Latin" form "aera" when goofing around in private letters. However, "era" was his consistent choice for fiction, as well as being supported by the early published sources. (And, while I don’t think it matters, I doubt the surviving typescript says any different).
[16] CTHULHU Ch.3, in the NZ article (past its midpoint) [B&N p.372]: “shewed†[Joshi] should be “showed†(“The Emma’s men showed fightâ€) [Weird Tales, Beware After Dark, Derleth, Luckhurst]. This is supposed to be a transcript of a modern newspaper article! This is merely a particular eggregious example. The archaism "shew" does not appear at all in Weird Tales, Beware After Dark, or Derleth texts of CTHULHU, all 4 appearances of the verb in this tale should use the modern spelling. Nor is there any reason the archaic spelling should be used The narrator is neither a poet nor an antiquarian, and has no affinity for the poet Wilcox (the one character in this tale whom one might expect to use archaisms).
"THE COLOUR OUT OF SPACE" ("COLOUR") was published in 1927 in AMAZING STORIES, and HPL later told Barlow that he had thrown out the manuscript after obtaining a printed copy. In the early 30s, F.Lee Baldwin planned to publish it as a pamphlet, and for this purpose prepared a typescript, probably from the magazine text. HPL made revisions to this typescript, signed off on it, and sent it to Baldwin. Derleth's text is clearly derived from AMAZING STORIES (it has word-divisions originating in line-breaks in the pulp text), yet it just as clearly incorporates revisions that must have come from HPL. Hence it may be based on the Baldwin typescript, or on a hand-corrected copy of the magazine. Joshi claims to have use the Baldwin typescript, but also shows some contempt for it as a source (which may mean that Derleth's public-domain text has already followed it closely) . I have yet to check this typescript, but in the meantime, I am going to count Joshi in error whenever Derleth and AMAZING STORIES agree against him. The contempt he has expressed for the Baldwin typescript is such that I see no reason to assume it supports Joshi's variant readings; but I am open to new information.
[17] COLOUR, throughout [B&N pp.598, 601 (x2), 610, 613, 614]: The archaic form "shew" appears nowhere in Derleth and AMAZING STORIES, which always use "show", "showing", etc. (and I am sure the Baldwin typescript is no different). Joshi however, changes it to "shew" etc., throughout (per his policy), which must be considered a corruption: the narrator is modern, and archaisms have no particular appropriateness here.
[18] COLOUR at para.7 [p.596]: Joshi has combined paragraph 7 & 8 into one long paragraph. There should be a paragraph break after "...not knowing why." [Amazing Stories, Derleth, Luckhurst]. Note that the paragraphs are divided by subject matter. Para.7 concerns his search for Ammi; para.8 concerns his initial attempts to converse with Ammi; and para.9 begins Ammi’s tale. There is no evidence here that ASTOUNDING is chopping up paragraphs merely because they are long.
[19] COLOUR at para.14 [Joshi's para.13; B&N p.598]: "space where" [Joshi] should be "space, except where" ("around the dwindling brown lump near the well was a vacant space, except where the earth had caved in") [Amazing Stories, Derleth, Luckhurst]. This is a new error originating in corrected B&N edition.
[18] COLOUR at para.16 [Joshi's para.15, B&N p.599]: "predecessor had been" [Joshi] should be "predecessor" ("which proved, however, as baffling in the laboratory as its predecessor.") [Amazing Stories, Derleth, Luckhurst]. Perhaps Joshi felt the added words were gramatically necessary (but they're not).
[19] COLOUR at para.19 [Joshi’s 18, B&N p.600]: “heaven†[Joshi] should be capitalized (Nahum “thanked Heaven that most of the other crops were in the upland lotâ€) [Amazing Stories, Derleth, Luckhurst]. The consistent non-capitalization of “heaven†is one of Joshi’s policies of standardized usage; which unfortunately negates the function of capitalization as a tool to express emphasis and/or some special meaning. In this case, HPL used capitalization to suggest personification, or, more specifically, that “Heaven†is in this instance a polite substitution for “God†(often used by those too well-bred to take His name in vain). Note that Nahum is religious (see para.35 [Joshi’s para.34, B&N p.605] “he had always walked uprightly in the Lord’s ways so far as he knewâ€). Joshi also wrongly removes the capitalization from “thank Heaven†[so in Amazing Stories, Luckhurst, Derleth] in para.57[Joshi’s para.56, B&N 613].
[20] COLOUR at para.21[Joshi’s para.20, B&N p.600]: “shying away of the horses†should be “shying of horses†(“But the shying of horses near Nahum’s house had now become an acknowledged thingâ€) [Amazing Stories, Derleth, Luckhurst]. The definite article (“theâ€) is not appropriate since no particular horses are being referred to – horses generally are shying near Nahum’s, hence the general acknowledgement. Compare the similar observation near the end at para 63[62]: “Horses – the few that are left in this motor age – grow skittish in the silent valley…â€. The word “the†appears in all Joshi texts, but “away†apparently got added some time in the 90s.
[21] COLOUR at para. 25 [Joshi’s para.24, B&N p.602]: “The Dutchman’s breeches became†[Joshi] should be have scare quotes around “Dutchman’s breeches†(“The “Dutchman’s breeches†became a thing of sinister menaceâ€). [Amazing Stories, Derleth, Luckhurst]. Without the scare quotes, the text becomes a source of unintentional humor.
[22] COLOUR at para 27 [Joshi’s para.26, B&N p.602]: “the trouble†[Joshi] should be “this trouble†(“the milk began to be bad. Then Nahum had the cows driven to the uplands, after which this trouble ceasedâ€) [Amazing Stories, Derleth, Luckhurst] Although this specific trouble just mentioned ceases, the general trouble just keeps getting worse and worse.
[23] COLOUR at para.29 [Joshi’s para.28, B&N p.603]: “hue†[Joshi] should be “hues†(“Even the flowers whose hues had been so strange were greying nowâ€) [Amazing Stories, Derleth, Luckhurst]. As paragraph 25[24] made clear, multiple “colours†and “prismatic variants†were involved, though there may have been a single “primary tone†underlying them.
[24] COLOUR at para.42[Joshi’s para.41, B&N p.608]: “gettin’ to hev†[Joshi] should be “gittin’ to hev†(“her face is gittin’ to hev that colour sometimes toward nightâ€) [Amazing Stories, Derleth, Luckhurst].
[25] COLOUR at para. 60 [Joshi’s para.59, B&N p.614]: “nighted†[Joshi] should be “blighted†(“He did not wish to cross the blighted, wind-whipped woods aloneâ€) [Amazing Stories, Derleth, Luckhurst]
[26] COLOUR at para.61[Joshi’s para.60, B&N p.614]: “over half a century†should be “forty-four years†(“It is forty-four years since the horror happenedâ€) [Amazing Stories, Derleth, Luckhurst]. The story was published in 1927, and the horror occurred in the summer of 1883. I don’t know where Joshi got his alternate reading from, but, hypothetically, even if HPL did agree to update the language, so that a publication in the mid 30s could seem current, that purpose was completely foiled when that mid-30s publication failed to appear. To present this as the “definitive text†of a story that everyone knows only appeared once during the author’s lifetime, in 1927, only makes it seem as though the author cannot do basic math.
THE DUNWICH HORROR (“DUNWICHâ€) appeared in WEIRD TALES in 1929, the only appearance during the author’s life. Derleth’s text appears not to be based on WEIRD TALES but on a presumably-earlier typescript. Since we know that surviving typescripts do not necessarily contain the author’s final revisions (as in the case of MOUNTAINS below), and since HPL never complained of any butchery in the pulp text, we should give WEIRD TALES primary respect, absent some special reason to believe it is in error. Also, when WEIRD TALES and Derleth agree, we can take this as independent confirmation that WEIRD TALES accurately reflects what HPL sent them. Joshi claims his text follows HPL’s typescript, presumably the same one used by Derleth. On Derleth’s authority, it does appear that the surviving typescript does indeed use the spelling “shew†in most case; so I won’t count this as an error against him, though (on the authority of Weird Tales) neither do I think it can be counted as an error against Luckhurst.
[27] DUNWICH Ch.2 at para.5 [B&N p.638]: “inflict†[Joshi] should be “afflict†(“Odd wounds […] seemed to afflict the visible cattleâ€) [Weird Tales, Derleth, Luckhurst].
[28] DUNWICH Ch2 at para.7 [B&N p.638]: “dark trunks†[Joshi, Derleth, Luckhurst] should be “dark blue trunks†(“a pair of dark blue trunks or trousersâ€) [Weird Tales]. That this is not in the surviving typescript should not dissuade us; the typescript that should matter is the one that was sent to Weird Tales, and that obviously contained this word.
[29] DUNWICH Ch5 at para.1 [B&N p.644]: “of Arkham†[Joshi] should be “at Arkham†(“the Library of Miskatonic University at Arkhamâ€) [Weird Tales, Derleth, Luckhurst]
[30] DUNWICH Ch9 at para4 [B&N p.659]: “one†[Joshi, Derleth, Luckhurst] should be “ones†(“rehearsed the formulae he had memorized, and clutched the paper containing the alternative ones he had not memorizedâ€) [Weird Tales]. “Formulae†is plural, hence context seems to confirm Weird Tales that the alternatives should also be plural.
THE WHISPERER IN DARKNESS (“WHISPERERâ€) was published in WEIRD TALES in 1931, the only publication to appear in HPL’s life. Derleth appears to have based his text on a pre-existing typescript, perhaps not necessarily the same one he submitted to Weird Tales. Hence, the Weird Tales text is probably the best guide to HPL’s final wishes, though Derleth is probably a fair guide to HPL’s early-draft spellings, and possibly those he submitted as well. In any event, when Weird Tales and Derleth agree, we can take this as a strong confirmation that this reflects the readings of the text as HPL authorized it for publication. This is one text where Joshi is sometimes more correct than Derleth or Luckhurst, but only because he has made changes to deference to the pulp text. In other words it is NOT (as he is now claiming) because typescripts are more reliable than pulps.
[31] WHISPERER, throughout: The verb “shewâ€, “shewingâ€, “shewed†etc. [Joshi] occurs several times in this tale, in text and letters, but all other sources say “show†etc. [Weird Tales, Derleth, Luckhurst]. Since it was Derleth’s policy to preserve spellings from his source texts (as he did with “shew†in the Dunwich Horror and elsewhere), and since both Akeley and the narrator are modern characters, it is fair to conclude that “shew†(etc.) is a corruption here.
[32] WHISPERER Ch.2, Akeley Letter at 5th para. [B&N p.675]: “had nearly†[Joshi, Derleth, Luckhurst] should be “has nearly†(“I have run it on the machine for some of the old people up here, and one of the voices has nearly scared them paralyzedâ€) [Weird Tales]. The plu-perfect is clearly inappropriate here, since the old folks can hardly have become paralyzed by the voice on the record before Akeley played it .
[33] WHISPERER Ch.4, Akeley’s 3d (Wednesday) letter, at para.3 [p.692]: “knots†[Derleth, Joshi, Luckhurst] should be “knot†(“pyramided fleshing rings or knot of thick, ropy stuffâ€) [Weird Tales]. In other words, their head resembles many rings of rope, but amounting to a single knot.
[34] WHISPERER Ch.7 at para.1 [B&N p.706]: “some faint†[Derleth, Joshi, Luckhurst] should be “some very faint†(“There likewise appeared to be some some very faint, half-imaginary rhythm or vibration in the airâ€) [Weird Tales].
[35] WHISPERER Ch.7 at para.4&5 [B&N p.707]: “record†[Joshi] should be “records†in both paragraphs (“kodak prints and records?†and “take out the letters and pictures and recordsâ€) [Weird Tales, Derleth, Luckhurst]. Joshi has evidently changed the text based on his understanding that there is in fact only one phonograph record. However, the Whisperer is not Akeley; he knows of only one record for certain, but wants all records however many there may be. His use of the plural is a slip-up and subtle clue.
[36] WHISPERER Ch.7 at para.22 [B&N p.711]: “presented†[Joshi] should be “represented†(“there are four different sorts of beings represented in those cylinders up thereâ€) [Weird Tales, Derleth, Luckhurst].
[37] WHISPERER Ch.7 at para.27 [B&N p.712]: “sound-box began†[Joshi, Derleth, Luckhurst] should be “sound-box suddenly began†(“the machine with the tubes and sound-box suddenly began to speakâ€) [Weird Tales]
[38] WHISPERER Ch.7 at 3d-to-last para. [B&N p.714]: “that cosmic†[Joshi] should be “that strange cosmic†(“must indeed be true that strange cosmic linkages do existâ€) [Weird Tales, Derleth, Luckhurst]. Note that nobody doubts the non-strange variety of cosmic linkage, like light from distant galaxies reaching our eyes.
AT THE MOUNTAINS OF MADNESS (“MOUNTAINSâ€): There are roughly 5 drafts of this text: (1) HPL’s handwritten manuscript superceded by; (2) an early typescript prepared by Barlow, superceded by; (3) the draft HPL submitted to ASTOUNDING STORIES, which does not survive, but which even Joshi admits must have contained revisions by HPL; (4) the ASTOUNDING STORIES text, in 3 installments, which alters and somewhat abridges the non-extant submitted draft, excising approximately 3,800 (or more?) words, mostly from the 3d installment; and (5) HPL’s laboriously hand-corrected copy of ASTOUNDING, which restores 3,800 words to the text, rejoins hundreds of paragraphs, and makes other corrections and changes. Derleth’s text follows the hand-corrected copy. Joshi criticises Derleth for doing so, and instead creates a text of his own by combining various readings from all surviving drafts (note again that the draft HPL submitted does not survive). I unfortunately don’t have any original source texts, other than the Derleth texts. However, since faithfulness to HPL’s final draft is precisely what Joshi criticises Derleth for, we can take Derleth’s readings as definitive, absent better information. The examples below are merely illustrative.
[39] MOUNTAINS Ch.1 after Poe-poem at 7th para. [Joshi’s 6th para, B&N p.729]: “lingulae†[Joshi] should be “linguellae†(“such mollusks as linguellaeâ€)[Derleth, Lukchurst]. Joshi admits that in says “linguellae†even in HPL’s manuscript, but Joshi changed it based upon a mistaken belief that “linguellae is a mis-spelling of “lingulaeâ€. Actually, they are entirely different types of fossil animal. The “lingula†(plural, lingulae) is/was a type of brachiopod, whereas the linguella (plural, linguellae) was a sea slug and type of mollusk. (Luckhust, in his notes, swallows and repeats Joshi’s misinformation, but at least he had the sense to leave the “misspelling†alone and print what HPL wrote). The “lingula†is not (strictly speaking) even a Cambrian-era fossil (as is required for this context), though it does have an older Cambrian-era relative which is more properly called a “lingulella†(which is still a brachiopod and an entirely different creature from the mollusk “linguellaâ€, also Cambrian-era).
[40] MOUNTAINS Ch.1, last para. [B&N p.730]: “Nature†[Joshi] should be “nature†(“certain contradictions in nature and geological period which whetted his curiosityâ€) [Derleth, Luckhurst]. In other words, the evidence presents contradictory evidence as to varied natures, and varied geological periods. Capitalizing “Natureâ€, as though she were a unique or personified entity, is not appropriate here. HPL does occasionally capitalize “Nature†(usually to suggest personification) and one of Joshi’s policies is to insist he do so more often, based upon some silly idea that he ought to be consistent. Note that Joshi is probably not following any source here – he apparently did a text search for “nature†in his files, and replaced them with “Nature†except when blatantly wrong even to him.
[41] MOUNTAINS Ch.2, at para.20 [Joshi’s para.18, B&N p.735]: “mososaur†[Joshi] should be “mosasaur†(“great mosasaur skull fragmentsâ€) [Derleth, Luckhurst]. Named after the Mosa river, where this fossil was first found.
[42] MOUNTAINS Ch.4, at para.1 [B&N p.750]: “frightful mountain wall†[Joshi] or “awful mountain wall†[Luckhurst] should be “mountains of madness†(“—and to that other thing beyond the mountains of madness.â€) [Derleth]. Joshi, in his essay, “Textual Problems in Lovecraftâ€, gives the full history of this passage. The manuscript (earliest draft) says “mountains of madnessâ€; the (surviving) typescript says “frightful mountain wallâ€; apparently that did not satisfy HPL either, because ASTOUNDING STORIES has “awful mountain wallâ€, probably reflecting the (non-extant) draft HPL submitted, though Joshi prefers the theory is that the ASTOUNDING editor changed it (why would he?). But it barely matters, because in HPL hand-corrected copy of ASTOUNDING, HPL crosses out “awful mountain wall†and replaces it with “mountains of madnessâ€, returning to his original reading. Thus, if the final wishes of the author are the criteria, “mountains of madness†is correct. But Joshi disregards these final instructions based on some theory that Joshi knows better than HPL what HPL really wanted. I will leave it to jdworth to defend this idea, and the specifics of the theory, if he thinks he can do so with a straight face.
[43] MOUNTAINS Ch.7 at para.15 [B&N p.775]: “molecular disturbance†[Joshi] should be “molecular and atomic disturbance†(“The Old Ones had used curious weapons of molecular and atomic disturbance against the rebel entitiesâ€) [Derleth, Luckhurst].
[44] MOUNTAINS Ch.9, 5th para from end [B&N p.789]: “a vaulted†[Joshi, Luckhurst] should be “a long, vaulted†(“About 9:30 p.m., while traversing a long, vaulted corridorâ€) [Derleth].
THE DREAMS IN THE WITCH-HOUSE (“DREAMSâ€) was first published in WEIRD TALES (1933); and HPL griped in his letters about some misprints, such as “magical love†for “magical loreâ€. Derleth’s text is clearly derived from WEIRD TALES (its spellings mostly reflect Weird Tales style sheet rather than HPL’s habits), but a number of deliberate changes and corrections suggest Derleth was work from HPL’s hand-corrected copy (‘jail’/’jailer’ becomes ‘gaol’/gaoler’, ‘love’becomes ‘lore’; ‘human element’ becomes ‘known element’, ‘hearty-sleeping form’ is fixed to ‘heavily-sleeping form’. Derleth was not in the habit of making these sorts of changes on his own, and must be working from HPL’s hand-corrected magazine copy. At least one of Derleth’s readings may be a transcription error (“country records†should presumably be “county recordsâ€); but it otherwise must be respected as a source of HPL’s final wishes (at least until the hand-corrected magazine copy shows up). Joshi, claiming to working from the handwritten manuscript, confirms the correctness of most of the listed changes. Joshi does however, have his own unique readings; which, even if derived from a typescript, must be considered errors if the author’s final wishes are allowed to control. In a lot of cases Joshi restores words and phrases from early drafts, which were probably exised by HPL (Joshi, to my knowledge, does not even claim these readings match the typescript). A few examples follow:
[45] DREAMS, in Title, at para.4, and at 9th para from end [B&N 857 860, 885], : “Witch House†[Joshi] should be “Witch-House†[Weird Tales, Derleth, Luckhurst]. I don’t usually quibble about things as trivial as Joshi’s hyphenation changes, but here he is altering the title as chosen by HPL. He gets this reading from the handwritten draft, but I am told that even a surviving unpublished typescript has the hyphens added in by hand (by HPL of course – who else would do it?).
[46] DREAMS at para.8 [B&N 861]: “was already on†[Joshi] should be “was on†(“it now appeared that the purpose of those surfaces concerned the side he was on.â€) [Weird Tales, Derleth, Luckhurst]. The word “already†adds nothing to the intended meaning here; it is merely a bit of early-draft-redundancy that got edited out.
[47] DREAMS at para.18 [Joshi’s para.17, B&N 864]: “abhorrent†[Joshi] should be “absorbing†(“monstrous visions. Those visions, however, were of absorbing convincingnessâ€) [Weird Tales, Luckhurst, Derleth]. HPL has just described the visions “as monstrousâ€, and does not need to repeat the idea following “howeverâ€. This is a later-draft improvement, suggesting that Gilman is being lured as well as repelled.
[48] DREAMS at para.26 [Joshi’s para.25, B&N p.867]: “the maddening confusion†should be “the confusion†(“that faint suggestion of sound which once in a while seemed to trickle through the confusion of identifiable soundsâ€) [Weird Tales, Derleth, Luckhurst]. The extra word “maddening†is a mere distraction here, since the focus should be on the new sound. The reader already knows Gilman has nervous issues.
[49] DREAMS at para.66 [Joshi’s para.64, B&N p.878]: “shrieking twilight abysses†should be “shrieking abysses†(“Again the infinitude of shrieking abysses flashed past him, but in another secondâ€). The phrase “twilight abyssesâ€, “roaring twilight abysses†and “shrieking twilight abysses†is repeated throughout the tale, and yet another instance here is not necessary.
[50] DREAMS at para.66 [Joshi’s 64, B&N p.878]: “grimacing crone […] pajama sleeve†[Joshi] should be “grinning crone […] pajama sleeves†(“Into this the grinning crone started, dragging Gilman after her by his pajama sleeves.â€) [Weird Tales, Derleth, Luckhurst]. Keziah has no reason to be making faces here; a fixed expression better suits the context. Note also that dragging someone by a single pajama sleeve is not very secure.
[51] DREAMS at 14th para. from end [B&N p.884]: “the missing Ladislas Wolejko†[Joshi] should be “the missing child Ladislas Wolejko†[Weird Tales, Derleth, Luckhurst]. Unlike so many of the words and phrases that Joshi reinserts, the word “child†here is a helpful reminder to the reader; as “little Ladislas†has been mentioned only once, several paragraphs earlier, and the mother’s last name has been mentioned only once as well.
THE SHADOW OVER INNSMOUTH (“INNSMOUTHâ€) was published as a pamphlet by Visionary Publishing in 1936. IIRC, someone up-thread tried to discredit this source by saying it was so bad it had to be printed with an errata sheet. What they failed to mention was that the errata sheet was prepared by HPL himself, so that, while this may make a lousy reading copy, it is an excellent source for the author’s final wishes. I do not have this source but I understand that Derleth follows Visionary, and Luckhurst apparently follows Derleth. Joshi says he reverts to an earlier typescript, but the differences are trivial, and I shall only list a few. A heavily-abridged version appeared posthumously in WEIRD TALES, and seems to derive from the same typescript used by Joshi.
[52] INNSMOUTH Ch.2 at para.1 [B&N p.815]: “half-illegible†[Joshi, Weird Tales] should be “half-legible†[Derleth, Luckhurst]. Eliminates a useless syllable.
[53] INNSMOUTH Ch.2 at para.17 [B&N p.819]: “telling†[Joshi] should be “tolling†(“I knew that those hoarse strokes were tolling the hour of elevenâ€) [Derleth, Luckhurst]
[54] INNSMOUTH Ch.3 at para.13 [B&N p.828]: “Otaheité†[Joshi] should be “Othaheite†[Derleth, Weird Tales, Luckhurst]. This looks like a Joshi change, based on his idea of the “correct†spelling. But then, why not go all the way and call it “Tahiti� Otherwise, there is no “correct†Roman-lettered spelling for indigenous names of places that pre-existed European discovery. Hence he might as well accept the spelling actually used by HPL (and the pronunciation used by Zadoc).
THE SHADOW OUT OF TIME (“TIMEâ€): The manuscript of this tale was given as a gift to Barlow after Barlow typed it. After that, HPL used Barlow’s typescript (non-extant) as his working copy. At some point a typescript was submitted to ASTOUNDING, but no typescript of any kind survives. After its appearance, HPL felt confident it had not been intentionally abridged; and trusted himself to make a few hand-corrections without the need to check against any typescript or manuscript, (the manuscript was still with Barlow, and a typescript (no longer extant) was then in Derleth’s hands, but both these drafts had, in any event, been superceded by the draft, also non-extant, that he sent to be published). Derleth used HPL’s hand-corrected copy as the basis of his own text. Joshi largely ignores the author’s final wishes, and reverts to the abandoned hand-written draft that HPL left with Barlow 18 months prior to publication. Only a few examples of this bizarre decision are listed below.
[55] TIME Ch.1 at para.8 [Joshi’s para.3, B&N p.949]: “shewing it […] to any quarters†[Joshi] should be “showing it […] in any quarters†(“showing it, with suitable comment, in any quarters where it will be likely to accomplish goodâ€) [ASTOUNDING, Derleth, Luckhurst]. A “quarter†is a place, not a person; so there can be no good reason alter the final-draft reading. As to the verb “shewâ€, Derleth and ASTOUNDING has Peaslee use “show†throughout, and even (at least in this instance) in HPL handwritten manuscript. Peaslee is supposed to be an extremely modern and prosaic narrator – neither poet nor antiquarian; there is no artistic point to having him use archaisms.
[56] TIME Ch.1, 4th-to-last para.[B&N p.953] : “an hypodermic†[Joshi, ASTOUNDING] should be “a hypodermic†[Derleth]. This is trivial, but I mention it for 4 reasons: First because Joshi admits that HPL crossed out “an†on his corrected copy of ASTOUNDING and replaces it with “a†but does not explain why he fails to follow HPL’s directions; second because it shows that HPL desired to have Peaslee use a modern idiom, regardless of what HPL’s own habits may have been (which is also relevant to “shewâ€); third, because it shows HPL’s purpose was continued revision, not the reconstruction of some lost early draft; and fourth, to show the triviality of some of the changes that HPL considered more important than altering ASTOUNDINGS’ paragraphing (assuming he wanted such alterations at all).
[57] TIME Ch.5, following McKenzie Letter at 4th para [Joshi’s 2d para., B&N p.978]: “of sufficiently light draught†[Joshi] should be “sufficiently small†(“a tramp steamer sufficiently small to get up the riverâ€) [Derleth, Luckhurst]. Both variants are missing from ASTOUNDING, which simply reads “a tramp steamer to get up the riverâ€. According to Joshi, HPL inserted the words “sufficiently small†on his hand-corrected copy. Joshi refuses to follow this instruction, deriving his alternate reading from the early, abandoned, handwritten manuscript. Joshi’s alternate reading is in no way superior, it is merely more wordy. Smaller boats have an easier time on rivers, and not necessarily only because of lighter draughts – other dimensions can matter too.
[58] TIME Ch2 at para.10 [Joshi’s para.4, B&N p.966]: “around†[Joshi] should be “about†(“These objects moved intelligently about the great roomsâ€) [ASTOUNDING, Derleth]. The final draft better reflects the intended meaning – the objects are not circling the great rooms, merely moving within them
[59] TIME, Ch.6 at para.30 [Joshi’s para.14, B&N p.983]: “corridor thirty feet tall†[Joshi] should be “corridor thirty feet wide and thirty feet tall†(“a Cyclopean corridor thirty feet wide and thirty feet tall, paved with octagonal blocksâ€) (ASTOUNDING, Derleth].
[60] TIME, Ch.6 at 10th para from end [Joshi’s 5th para from end, B&N p.986]: “God’s name†[Joshi] should be “Heaven’s name†(“What in Heaven’s name could all this mean?â€) [ASTOUNDING, Derleth, Luckhurst]. HPL usually liked to have his well-bred characters swear by “Heaven†rather than abusing God’s name directly (not to be religious, but merely to be classy), just as he often liked to mock his ill-bred characters by having them swear by “Gawdâ€. Joshi here merely reverts to an early-draft reading.
[61] TIME, Ch.6 at 9th para. from end [Joshi’s 4th para. from end, B&N p.986]: “before†[Joshi] should be “below†(“I knew what lay below me, and what had lain overheadâ€) [ASTOUNDING, Derleth]. Peaslee’s destination does indeed lie below him, and the succeeding paragraphs make clear.
[62] TIME, Ch.8 at para.15 [Joshi’s para.6, B&N p.993]: “screwed up†[Joshi] should be “collected†(“in the dark, I collected my courageâ€) [Astounding, Derleth, Luckhurst] HPL generally tries to avoid colloquialisms. Joshi merely replaces his final choice with an early draft reading.
[63] TIME Ch.8 at para.16 [Joshi para.7, B&N p. 993]: “almost collapsed†[Joshi] should be “collapsed†(“I looked for an instant, then collapsedâ€) [Astounding, Derleth]. Within the next 2 sentences it is made clear that the narrator does indeed collapse (“I sank wholly to the floorâ€) – there is nothing “almost†about it.
The above is only a partial list of variants, but I have tried to pick the more-interesting ones. One thing that happens a lot (though I have listed few examples) is where Joshi re-inserts unnecessary words and phrases that got edited out of earlier drafts, probably by HPL himself. These extra phrases are invariably of such a nature that they add nothing to the story worth having. I will leave it to jdworth to argue for the necessity of specific examples – I prefer not to waste more words on them.