"Trust me, this book makes a mind-blowing addition to your weird fiction criticism collection." --- Ross E. Lockhart, editor of The Book of Cthulhu "As a writer in this tradition, I devour books about the Mythos. . . [A Look Behind the Derleth Mythos] is the finest such book that I have ever read." --- Wilum H. Pugmire, author of Some Unknown Gulf of Night and Uncommon Places An instant classic when first released, John D. Haefele's critically acclaimed account of the birth of the Cthulhu Mythos is now back in a completely revised trade paperback edition overflowing with fascinating new insights and discoveries. In 1939, the prolific Wisconsin writer August Derleth launched Arkham House, one of the most influential small presses in the history of publishing. Its mission: to preserve in the permanence of hardcovers the writings of Derleth's late friend, the legendary horror fantasist Howard Phillips Lovecraft (1890-1937). During three decades of editing and storytelling, Derleth became the major player in the explosive growth of the "Cthulhu Mythos" into a worldwide cultural phenomenon. Does the Cthulhu Mythos owe its existence to the Lovecraft Mythos -- or is the parallel fictional world of the Derleth Mythos even more influential? Comparatively shallow works such as S. T. Joshi's The Rise and Fall of the Cthulhu Mythos are filled with misconceptions and tell only a small part of this hotly controversial story. Now join Haefele as he digs far deeper, unearthing important layers of the saga neglected by past scholars. A Look Behind the Derleth Mythos answers numerous questions with fresh evidence and thunderous revelations, covering in unprecedented detail everything from the notorious Black Magic Quote to Derleth's infamous "posthumous collaborations" with Lovecraft. One of the most striking books of criticism ever written on the works of H. P. Lovecraft, A Look Behind the Derleth Mythos is a riveting chronicle no fan of Cthulhu, Yog-Sothoth and Nyarlathotep should miss!

James A. Bailey and P. T. Barnum first joined forces to produce a double show in 1881--a royal coupling--inaugurating the "Golden Age" of the American circus. This book details some of the activity leading up to that notable landmark in amusement history, particularly during the decade of 1871-81. Complete with notes, bibliography, index, and contemporaneous illustrations.

"The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown." --H. P. LOVECRAFT, "Supernatural Horror in Literature" Howard Phillips Lovecraft forever changed the face of horror, fantasy, and science fiction with a remarkable series of stories as influential as the works of Poe, Tolkien, and Edgar Rice Burroughs. His chilling mythology established a gateway between the known universe and an ancient dimension of otherworldly terror, whose unspeakable denizens and monstrous landscapes--dread Cthulhu, Yog-Sothoth, the Plateau of Leng, the Mountains of Madness--have earned him a permanent place in the history of the macabre. In Tales of the Cthulhu Mythos, a pantheon of horror and fantasy's finest authors pay tribute to the master of the macabre with a collection of original stories set in the fearsome Lovecraft tradition: ¸ The Call of Cthulhu by H. P. Lovecraft: The slumbering monster-gods return to the world of mortals. ¸ Notebook Found in a Deserted House by Robert Bloch: A lone farmboy chronicles his last stand against a hungering backwoods evil. ¸ Cold Print by Ramsey Campbell: An avid reader of forbidden books finds a treasure trove of deadly volumes--available for a bloodcurdling price. ¸ The Freshman by Philip José Farmer: A student of the black arts receives an education in horror at notorious Miskatonic University. PLUS EIGHTEEN MORE SPINE-TINGLING TALES!

Beginning with The Return of Hastur, which Derleth completed posthumously from H.P. Lovecraft's notes, these stories masterfully expand the horrific cycle of the Cthulhu mythos and its monstrous pantheon.

"Haefele's interpretations are sure to spark debate among scholars of this influential author. Lovecraftians won't want to miss this one." --Publishers Weekly An In-Depth Look Behind the Supernatural Horror Writings of the Great H. P. Lovecraft! Story by Story. Concept by Eldritch Concept. Howard Phillips Lovecraft (1890-1937) emerged from the American pulp magazines of the 1920s and 30s as the major writer of supernatural horror of the twentieth century. Today, his ideas permeate the culture -- literature, film, graphic novels, and gaming all bear the signs of his Arkham cycle. Lovecraft's "The Call of Cthulhu" -- taken alone -- one of the most influential short stories of all time. Tracing the development of HPL's fictional universe, John D. Haefele ranges from childhood readings of the Arabian Nights to the seismic encounter with the works of Edgar Allan Poe. Major discoveries such as Lord Dunsany, the Welsh mystic Arthur Machen and Robert W. Chambers with his noxious collection The King in Yellow hone Lovecraft's sensibilities. His dreams and nightmares over his lifetime underlie the great tales, so much so that HPL wrote, "I wonder, though, if I have a right to claim authorship of things I dream?" In pulps such as Weird Tales and Astounding Stories he spun his dark narratives alongside Clark Ashton Smith's cycles of Zothique and Hyperborea -- Robert E. Howard and the creation of the barbaric figure of Conan of Cimmeria -- and a young acolyte of Lovecraft named Robert Bloch, today famed for the novel Psycho. Haefele's revolutionary ways of looking at HPL's work defy generations of critical orthodoxy. New ideas -- but when you check the stories, suddenly evident and logical. His 2013 essay "Shadow out of Hodgson" broke the news that William Hope Hodgson inspired many aspects of HPL's major story "The Shadow out of Time" The late Hodgson expert Sam Gafford conceded, "I am inclined to agree that Lovecraft revised some of his concepts for the story after reading Hodgson. . . a masterful case. . . ." After a lifetime of studying and appreciating Lovecraft, John D. Haefele finally sits down and does an unprecedented excavation of the texts, revealing years of startling discoveries, smashing the tame boilerplate criticism of recent decades. You won't find a more masterful handling of the case of Howard Phillips Lovecraft.

An omnibus volume contain two chilling tales of mythic horror--based on the cycle of tales created by the late H. P. Lovecraft--features "The Whippoorwills in the Hills," in which the hideous deity Yog-Sothoth stalks the forests of New England, "the Sandwin Compact," and "The Seal of R'lyeh," as well as the novel The Trail of Cthulhu. Original.

Horror novelist Peter Straub creates highly personalized fiction with an allusiveness and ambiguity that deny the genre's explicit nature. For him, the Gothic style is to be created and recreated in a changing world--Faustian pacts, buried secrets, haunted places, ghosts, vampires and succubi take on strange new shapes and effects. Stephen King describes Straub's style as "a synthesis of horror and beauty." Drawing on interviews with Straub and featuring an exclusive interview with King, this study explores the work of the author who has been called "a writer of rare wit and intelligence in a field beset with cynical potboilers" (Douglas E. Winter, Washington Post, October 14, 1984).