Friday, January 25, 2008

Lovecraft's Legacy: 1970's Letter Cache of James Merritt to Samuel Loveman &c



[H. P. Lovecraft] James D. Merritt. Archive of Letters to Lovecraft Friend Samuel Loveman Regarding Merritt's Proposed Lovecraft Biography. The archive presented here is composed of the following manuscript material, all from James D. Merritt to Samuel Loveman dated between 1971 and 1976:
Typed Letter Signed "James D. Merritt", with envelope, one page, December 18, 1971, plain paper. Letter of introduction from Merritt to Loveman, in which Merritt states that "I'm writing a biography of H. P. Lovecraft and I would be very, very grateful if you would let me talk with you about him.
Typed Letter Signed "Jim", with envelope, two pages, May 24, 1972, plain paper. Social letter. Merritt won the "Outstanding Teacher of the Year Award" at Brooklyn College, where he taught English.
Typed Letter Signed "Jim Merritt", with envelope, one page, January 13, 1972, plain paper. Birthday greetings to Loveman.
Typed Letter Signed "Jim Merritt", with envelope, one page, n.d. [envelope postmarked November 13, 1972], plain paper. Social letter involving a problem at Merritt's house.
Typed Letter Signed "Jim Merritt", with envelope, one page, February 4, [1976], plain paper. Merritt writes that his "HPL book got derailed because of Decamp's. I've completed nine of twelve chapters and am simply going to hold it for a bit longer. Decamp's sold fairly well but was not much liked and I am positive that mine will have a market and a place if I let the air clear a little bit."
Autograph Letter Signed "Jim Merritt", with envelope, two pages, n.d. [envelope postmarked January 17, 1976], plain paper, ink. Social note about Merritt's vacation to the South. Includes a self-addressed postcard from Merritt.
Typed Letter Signed "Jim", with envelope, one page, n.d. [envelope postmarked February 17, 1976], plain paper. Merritt writes that "the book is going along and will turn out very nicely I think."
A unique archive of letters from the author of a proposed Lovecraft biography that never saw publication to one of Lovecraft's "Circle." Merritt was an English professor at Brooklyn College. All letters in fine or better condition. From the Robert and Diane Yaspan Collection.

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