August Derleth to Samuel Loveman On HPL

Text by Auftion House:

August Derleth: Four Typed Letters Signed to Samuel Loveman of the "Lovecraft Circle", including: Typed Letter Signed "August Derleth", with envelope, one page, 8.5" x 6.25", Sauk City, Wisconsin, February 20, 1948, Arkham House stationery. The text reads: "Dear Sam Loveman, Under separate cover I'm sending you a copy of The Arkham Sampler Number 1. In our second issue we are publishing A Memoir of Lovecraft by Rheinhart Kleiner. Despite the fact that we cannot as yet pay for material, I am wondering whether you could be prevailed upon to set down your own memories of HPL - our second issue carries letters from him referring to your friendship with him and with Hart Crane during the writing of The Bridge - for us to publish in some succeeding issue? Let me know, please. Best Wishes always, Cordially, August Derleth."

[And:]

Typed Letter Signed "August Derleth", with envelope, one page, 8.5" x 6.25", Sauk City, Wisconsin, February 26, 1948, Arkham House stationery. The text reads: "Dear Sam Loveman, All thanks for the card. The reminiscence you mention sounds like just the thing, and I'd like to use it in the Sampler. Do take your time going over it, and expand it to any length you like, for copy for number 3 won't be going in until May or thereabouts. Best wishes always. Cordially, August Derleth."

[And:]

Typed Letter Signed "August Derleth", with envelope, one page, 8.5" x 6.25", Sauk City, Wisconsin, April 17, 1948, Arkham House stationery. Derleth thanks Loveman in this letter for "your memoir of HPL, which seems to me very good, and which I'll use in the next issue of The Arkham Sampler (out in July).

[And:] Typed Letter Signed "August Derleth", with envelope, one page, 8.5" x 6.25", Sauk City, Wisconsin, April 23, 1971, Arkham House stationery. In this letter, Derleth recommends that the New York Public Library may be able to purchase Loveman's collections of Clark Ashton Smith letters. Also, Derleth asks Loveman of the whereabouts of "HPL's letters to you" and wonders "[w]hatever became of them?" According to H. P. Lovecraft scholar S. T. Joshi, Loveman, a Jew himself, burned many of his letters from Lovecraft when he learned of Lovecraft's anti-semitism. Minor toning to the 1948 letters, and each with two vertical mailing folds. The 1971 letter has one crease at the upper right corner and one horizontal mailing fold, else all are in fine condition or better. A small but great collection of correspondence between two giants in the world of Lovecraftiana. From the Robert and Diane Yaspan Collection.