I know that CAS did some illustrations for HPL's "The Lurking Fear" when it first appeared in HOME BREW (and was later reprinted in facsimile by Necronomicon Press). I can't find any of these online. How many illustrations did he do? And might somebody send them to Boyd so he can post them on this site? I'm very curious to see them.

Roger

There are a total of eight drawings used in the HOME BREW printing of "The Lurking Fear," although he did one other, "Gryphon Gazing Upon the Gulf," which is now in private hands. I'll try to scan the HB illos for Boyd. A couple of them were included in HPL's THE DARK BROTHERHOOD (Arkham House, 1966) as illos for John Vetter's article on HPL's illustrators. I may include these in an article on CAS' artwork in LOST WORLDS.
Best, Scott

Will these be posted?

Ludde Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Will these be posted?


Thanks for the reminder, I'll try to scan the published drawings this week. I can't post "Gryphon Gazing Upon the Gulf," though, without the owner's permission, and anyway I really want to include that one in my Smith biography or LOST WORLDS.
Best,
Scott

"Gryphon Gazing Upon the Gulf". What is that?? Is it from The Lurking Fear, or is it a separate "griffin" illustration? There is a Gifford and a Gerrit in the story.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 19 Jan 05 | 02:30PM by Ludde.

To answer my own question:

Taken from As I Remember Klarkash-Ton by George F. Haas.

"Gryphon Gazing On the Gulf. A pen-and-ink drawing to illustrate Lovecraft's "Lurking Fear" in Home Brew in 1923. Depicts a gryphon with outspread wings gazing into a deep gulf with lightning striking from a huge black cloud. 4½" X 8¾". This is one of a set done by Klarkash-Ton and is one of the drawings not used. Lovecraft himself saw this drawing and liked it. In a letter to Klarkash-Ton of March 25, 1923, he said: "And the 'Lurking Fear' illustrations! I have already told you how the gryphon gazing on the gulf impressed me ."


And here is a sonnet:


Clark Ashton Smith

Empress with eyes more sad and aureate
Than sunset ebbing on a summer coast,
What gold chimera lovest thou the most--
What gryphon with emblazoned wings elate,
Or dragon straying from the dim estate
Of kings that sway the continents uttermost
Of old Saturnus? Or what god, or ghost,
Or spacial demon for thy spirit's mate
Art fain to choose? Howbeit, in thy heart,
Though void as now to vision and desire
The days and years deny thee, shall abide
The passion of the impossible, the pride
Of lust immortal for the monstrous ire
And pain of love in scarlet worlds apart.

19 April, 2004 12:11AM
Quote Scott Connors: "There are a total of eight drawings used in the HOME BREW printing of "The Lurking Fear," I'll try to scan the HB illos for Boyd."

19 January, 2005 03:08PM
Quote Scott Connors: "Thanks for the reminder, I'll try to scan the published drawings this week."

Will these actually be posted? Or have you, honestly, decided to hold onto them for other use?

The problem is that my scanner is kaput, so I have no way of posting them at the present time. However, once I get a new scanner, and make a dent in the huge backlog of work that built up while I was curled into a fetal position during my recent depressive episode, I still intend to post them. Of course, I'm not the only person out there with a copy of either the Necronomicon Press LURKING FEAR or of THE DARK BROTHERHOOD, feel free, guys! :)

Scott

In that case I can see that the obstacle to posting is much more complex than just a broken scanner. Sorry to hear about that. Deep depressions are difficult to handle, and can make a mess of outside cares. With much inner work and long patience it is possible to steer out of it and get back on track.

Still, I don't suppose that the scanner was broken since April 2004. There is some strange air about the quick promisses you so easily have tossed forward recurrent times, and that so far disappointingly have shown to be empty. Like you said them without real intention. And time doesn't really seem to be an issue here, with the amount of it you have for posting on The Eldritch Dark. You have no obligation to scan these drawings; But I am a person of very strong principle, I always quickly do what I promise others (even if I am deeply depressed I don't make promisses I can't keep), and I have the same high expectation of others. I am allergic to draggling promises. That's how I am. Stern and conscientious. You may have a more relaxed laid-back attitude in such matters.

When the comment below was posted I had a strong feeling it somehow was a case of projection, and I still wonder;

28 November, 2004 09:49PM
Scott wrote:
Quote: "...there is a particular class of collector for whom I have nothing but scorn. This is the troll who refuses to make his treasures available to other interested parties."

I wouldn't consider Scott akin to one such troll. He has been more than helpful to me, and I am acutely aware how one's ill health can impact upon one's life and promises. I always accept Scott's word; he has been nothing less than a friend, a gentleman and a scholar.

If anything, I have advised him on occasion in the past to take things easy and not to overstrain himself with the amount of work he commits himself to on top of his demanding and fulltime job.

Hope you don't mind me making my feelings known, Scott.

*Author of Strange Gardens [www.lulu.com]


*Editor of Calenture: a Journal of Studies in Speculative Verse [calenture.fcpages.com]

*Visit my homepage: [voleboy.freewebpages.org]

I agree with everything Phillip has written. The scorn poured by Ludde onto Scott's head was uncalled for.

Let me understand how this works: while working full time in the healthcare field, editing the journal LOST WORLDS, an issue of STUDIES IN WEIRD FICTION, and the essay collections A CENTURY LESS A DREAM and THE FREEDOM OF FANTASTIC THINGS; co-editing Smith's SELECTED LETTERS, a volume of Smith's SF tales, and Smith's complete fiction in the first accurate texts most of us will have ever seen; writing multiple articles for encyclopedias and magazines; writing a column for WEIRD TALES; writing the full-length Clark Ashton Smith biography; and assisting numerous people with their Smith and related projects Scott just happened to delay scanning a few illustrations he promised a few years ago.

So what?

He is a man of his word, and will get to it eventually; but with all of these things on his plate he just might have larger priorities - such as an occasional good night's sleep, I would warrant - that get in the way of his doing it.

No one has any right or just cause to confront him about such a petty matter in this accusatory manner. I doubt Scott will ask for an apology, but I think he deserves one.

Jim

Well, I am working this over in my head. I don't know if I should apologize or not.

Here is just a detail question (not completely decisive to my own view of my delivered hard criticism). I don't have a scanner; Is it a working effort to take a booklet from the shelf and scan a few pictures? I imagine not. It seems more like a pasttime dallying. Does it take more time than writing a post here?

Ludde,

I can share your enthusiam for the pictures, but considering Scott's history here he doesn't owe us or you anything.


And regarding your question, it depends on how big the pictures are from the book. I have been scanning several books lately for my thesis and some are oversized and take an hour or two of editing to get them in the correct format. Minor details like this are a pain in the ass when you have larger and better things to be doing.

Scott, Ludde is very alone here in his attitude. I started this thread, it was merely a question, and I know I will see these pieces eventually here or elsewhere and it isn't something I spend much time thinking about!

Scott is a hero to all CAS fans thanks to his many efforts past and present. I don't understand Ludde's angry rant, but you run into this type of person now and then as we know.

Roger

I thank all of you who spoke up for me. I didn't want to say anything myself, since if I've learned anything from the conduct of a certain individual on another list (Jim knows of whom I write) is not to respond to such remarks. I still intend to make those drawings available when I get a new scanner, or maybe I'll lend my copy of the NP LURKING FEAR to someone nearby with a scanner who can do them. In the meantime I thank all of you for your patience.

Scott

Since after some consideration I think that my criticism of Scott may have been inappropriately put, and since this has become an infected issue, drawing others in, I will do what I can to amend it. Furthermore I have no desire to be around here on this fine website as a cause of nuisance to a major number of individuals.

First let me try to explain some of my emotional investment in this. I have for several years much wanted to see these pictures especially. The Lurking Fear is one of my most favorite Lovecraft stories, and I have been very curious about Smith's interpretations. And when Scott said he would send them over, I became happy as a dog running round in circles. When nothing came of it I became disappointed. Then after a year, when Scott again said he would send them over within a week, I became equally happy again, getting myself all excited and ready for those "blasphemies" appearing before my eyes. I waited and waited, checking the the Art section over and over. This time I became even more dissapointed, and annoyed.
Now, I may have overreacted emotionally, and the cause of this probably lies in dissapointments of close ones in my early life. It is a reactive side that is largely unconscious, stirred up when others dissapoint, and which I have little control over. I am sorry that this side of me was drawn into this forum, and that it was directed on you Scott. Compare it to a waft of Namirrha if you will.

If it is as complicated to scan as NightHalo decribes then I can better understand a delay. I had the impression that it was easier, simply laying down the picture on the screen and sending over like a fax, and that it was not done simply because of "not feeling up to it" or forgetting. Then I was wrong about that cause.

I have learned through my experience and studies of psychology that when you feel strong contempt or hatred towards individuals with certain character traits, it is usually because they reflect the same or a similar weakness in yourself. This is why I, in this context, wondered about the remark about troll. (And yes, my own annoyance may reflect similar weaknesses in myself, although these only come to form in other more private areas.)

I don't know Scott as person. It is impossible to do through a forum. The mind, and the intentions behind our actions, is a complex thing, and I can't for certain fully see and tell those of another person. I had a hunch. But I couldn't prove, and I couldn't know for certain. Therefore, in retrospect, I think I did wrong to formulate those accusations. I think it would have been OK to have approached it differently, and to have put forth my wonderings as more gentle questions. Since Scott presents himself through his real name and person on this forum, it is extra important to be mindful of what one says, lest loosely grounded accusations without proof hurt the person's reputation. Therefore also I think it was wrong of me to fire those accusations. Sorry Scott.

I have said all I can say. I will not get into further arguments over this.

Ludde,
Send me your address off list and I will make you photocopies of the illustrations. I warn you that they are somewhat crude, and may be a bit of a disappointment. If you can scan them and post them on the site, I would be grateful.
Best wishes,
Scott

Thank you for your offer! :)

Scott Connors Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Ludde,
> Send me your address off list and I will make
> you photocopies of the illustrations. I warn you
> that they are somewhat crude, and may be a bit of
> a disappointment. If you can scan them and post
> them on the site, I would be grateful.
> Best wishes,
> Scott

Since I think Ludde said earlier that he doesn't have a scanner, I could volunteer to scan the images for inclusion at the site if he, say, later forwards the photocopies to me. (I scanned and OCR'd the Weird Tales version of "The Quest Of The Gazolba" a few years back that Ron Hilger graciously copied to me.) Give me hint if there's a need for this.

Juha-Matti Rajala