Myrta Alice Little

This note from Dave G.:


See what you're missing when you haven't joined the Lovecraft Google group? :)
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No one remembers Myrta!


Myrta Little lived in New Hampshire, and is one of my favorite Lovecraft gals that no one remembers. Ol' Howard was crashing at her family farm in 1921 and 1922 but after her marriage in 1923, she drops off the radar.


Yes, she's mentioned briefly in Joshi. She was a Amateur Press member (an officer for a while too, if I recall). He visited her at least twice, based on SL1.


As far as anyone knows, only one letter from HPL to Little exists - it ran in LS#26.


Joshi paints her as an unsuccessful writer based on the lack of materials in Brown, but I've had access to some archival newspaper material and she actually did quite well: at least 8 short stories ran in newspaper syndication plus one that was anthologized. Plus pieces in The Tryout (of course).


Most of her published stuff is 100% fluff, but she was, in the short-term, more successful that HPL.


And yes, she visited Tryout Smoth with HPL and arranged the tour of Haverhill Historical Society with HPL. She was a direct descendant of Josiah Bartlett, which had a lot of pull in genealogical circles and she was able to have the museum opened even though it was closed that day.