Derleth Letter (1953) about Lovecraftiana

ARKHAM HOUSE: PUBLISHERS
Director August Derleth
SAUK CITY, WISCONSIN
22 November, 1953

Dear Phil,
All thanks for yours of’ 16 November. The British edition of CASE OF CHARLES DEXTER WARD has been sent to you. … {ellipsis original} Both those "bound" SHUNNED HOUSE items are Barlow's bindings, yes. The pasted-on copyright notice should appear in all copies of the book or sheets leaving these premises, solely as a matter of oopyright protection of the story. ... {ellipsis original} Of the sets, I should think about 10 complete sets are available, and fragments of others. … {ellipsis original} In re SHUNNED HOUSE, most of these original sets were destroyed long ego, hence their scarcity. … {ellipsis original} About INNSMOUTH - as far as I know, none of HPL’s corrections was {sic} ever made; the book was bound without them. My own copy of INNSMOUTH has HPL’s corrections lettered in.

You may be interested to know that last weekend, while rummaging among Lovecraftiana inherited from Barlow, and soon en route Brown University's Loveereft collection, I came upon notesfor {sic} a story titled THE SURVIVORwhich HPL never lived to write; the notes and tentative outline were clear enough to warrant my doing the story as a collaboration. I have three other such outlines, and may do these too, time permitting. THE SURVIVOR, happily, is done in first draft.

Every good wish to you.
Cordially,
August Derleth

_____

The seller states:

Signed Letter from August Derleth to Phil Garland - 22 November, 1953
on Arkham House stationary

Phil Garland was a noted poet, wit, scholar, bibliographer, raconteur,and collector, from the Pacific Northwest. He was one of the prime movers of the "Non-Profit Press" in Tacoma, and their publications "Kai Lung: Six" and "Hornblower One More Time" are popular, collectible books even now. At the time of this letter Phil was also actively building a legendary Lovecraft collection that was later sold thru "International Bookfinders, Inc" - please see my ebay listing! This half-page letter though fairly brief contains much interesting information regarding "The Shunned House" printed by W. Paul Cook, and an unfinished H. P. Lovecraft story fragments...

"You may be interested to know that last weekend, while rummaging among Lovecraftiana inherited from Barlow...I came upon notes for a story titled "The Survivor" which HPL never lived to write;...the notes and tentative outline were clear enough to warrant my doing the story as a collaboration.."The Survivor", happily, is done in first draft".

As evidenced in this description, August Derleth was a man of immense energy! He could manage Arkham House, ship books, answer letters, teach, write newspaper column, and in the matter of just a few days complete a 1st draft of the story Lovecraft left in only fragmentary form!

Very interesting letter! Signed.