Saturday, October 31, 2009
Friday, October 30, 2009
Lovecraft and Orbs ...
Whisperer in the Darkness
They are more vegetable than animal, if these terms can be applied to the sort of matter composing them, and have a somewhat fungoid structure; though the presence of a chlorophyll-like substance and a very singular nutritive system differentiate them altogether from true cormophytic fungi. Indeed, the type is composed of a form of matter totally alien to our part of space - with electrons having a wholly different vibration-rate. That is why the beings cannot be photographed on the ordinary camera films and plates of our known universe, even though our eyes can see them. With proper knowledge, however, any good chemist could make a photographic emulsion which would record their images.
I've taken plenty of "orbs" with my digital camera.
I'm a chemist.
However, I'm not quite ready to reconcile my credulous curiosity with my incredulous skepticsm. For now, I'll continue to get excited when I see them.
If you take a picture of an orb this Halloween, enjoy!
Remember fondly those who have departed on - and quaff a sugary coffee for Mr. Lovecraft, too.
They are more vegetable than animal, if these terms can be applied to the sort of matter composing them, and have a somewhat fungoid structure; though the presence of a chlorophyll-like substance and a very singular nutritive system differentiate them altogether from true cormophytic fungi. Indeed, the type is composed of a form of matter totally alien to our part of space - with electrons having a wholly different vibration-rate. That is why the beings cannot be photographed on the ordinary camera films and plates of our known universe, even though our eyes can see them. With proper knowledge, however, any good chemist could make a photographic emulsion which would record their images.
I've taken plenty of "orbs" with my digital camera.
I'm a chemist.
However, I'm not quite ready to reconcile my credulous curiosity with my incredulous skepticsm. For now, I'll continue to get excited when I see them.
If you take a picture of an orb this Halloween, enjoy!
Remember fondly those who have departed on - and quaff a sugary coffee for Mr. Lovecraft, too.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Rare Roy Squires Item
Interior Illos are of the items for sale.
This item Starts at $50
_____
From the seller:
Beyond the Bibliographies, Catalog 7
1st / Only Edition, 1st / Only Printing
Roy A. Squires, Glendale, California: 1973
24 pages, illustrated
Wraps
Guaranteed Vintage and Authentic
From the Personal Stash of Teny Rule (Zuber) Fisher
From the estate of Mrs. Thelma Rule comes this treasured find. A very rare book indeed. It's not on Bookfinder. It's not on Amazon, at least not any are available there. And the only photo I can find of it on the web is one I put up a month or so back when I first began researching it. Google searches tell me 3 libraries in the world hold this rare volume, but the same vehicle only lists 2 libraries – Brown University and the University of California at Santa Barbara. Nothing out there for price comparison. Opening bid is same as for two Squires volumes of Robert E. Howard poetry I just listed. As rare as it is, I believe it to be a quite reasonable opening bid.
Contents of this volume, in case there's anyone reading this who doesn't already know, appear largely to be an offering of items for sale from the collection of H.P. Lovecraft and Clark Ashton Smith. Items are described in great detail and provenance given. Roy A. Squires often notes in the descriptions when he has personal knowledge or a personal experience relating to an HPL or CAS item's provenance or history. Item 102 also involves Edgar Allen Poe. No date is given in the printing, but it is 1973 as determined by both research and the fact that “A Song of the Naked Lands” was available when this was printed but “The Gold and the Grey” was not yet printed. Guaranteed vintage, authentic, first and only edition.
Condition: Fairly pristine. Minor aging to cover only. Inside, including illustrations, crisp and bright. Has a couple of corner bumps. No rips, tears, or marks. Collector owned and collector worthy.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Horror in music is still as easy as H.P.
Lovecraft is a resonating wave. He's rock and roll.
— Neil Gaiman, "Concerning Dreams and Nightmares," The Dream Cycle of H.P. Lovecraft: Dreams of Terror and Death
http://www.sfbg.com/entry.php?entry_id=9332&catid=107&volume_id=452&issue_id=456&volume_num=44&issue_num=04
Howard Phillips Lovecraft (1890-1937) attributes most of his fiction's cosmology to the apocryphal Necronomicon, an ageless sort of anti-Bible that describes a universe of unfathomable strangeness superimposed over our own. ..... The first instance of Lovecraft's legacy infiltrating rock music seems to be with the late-1960s psychedelic folk outfit known as, appropriately enough, H.P. Lovecraft.
More at link
— Neil Gaiman, "Concerning Dreams and Nightmares," The Dream Cycle of H.P. Lovecraft: Dreams of Terror and Death
http://www.sfbg.com/entry.php?entry_id=9332&catid=107&volume_id=452&issue_id=456&volume_num=44&issue_num=04
Howard Phillips Lovecraft (1890-1937) attributes most of his fiction's cosmology to the apocryphal Necronomicon, an ageless sort of anti-Bible that describes a universe of unfathomable strangeness superimposed over our own. ..... The first instance of Lovecraft's legacy infiltrating rock music seems to be with the late-1960s psychedelic folk outfit known as, appropriately enough, H.P. Lovecraft.
More at link
ADAM BYRNE
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/herocomplex/2009/10/adam-byrne-conjures-up-the-dark-magic-of-hp-lovecraft.html
This is the second installment of our new series Artist at Work, where we put the spotlight on a single artist and have a conversation about craft, inspiration and process. Last time it was Dean Haspiel, an established star of the New York scene, but for this edition the focus is on a building success story here in Southern California: Adam Byrne, whose vivid work on "The Strange Adventures of H.P. Lovecraft" has caught the eye of a lot of industry observers (myself included) as well as the attention of Ron Howard and Imagine Entertainment, who are now developing the property as a film.
More at the link
This is the second installment of our new series Artist at Work, where we put the spotlight on a single artist and have a conversation about craft, inspiration and process. Last time it was Dean Haspiel, an established star of the New York scene, but for this edition the focus is on a building success story here in Southern California: Adam Byrne, whose vivid work on "The Strange Adventures of H.P. Lovecraft" has caught the eye of a lot of industry observers (myself included) as well as the attention of Ron Howard and Imagine Entertainment, who are now developing the property as a film.
More at the link
Special tour will explore Lovecraft's favorite Providence haunts
http://www.warwickonline.com/pages/full_story_news/push?article-Special+tour+will+explore+Lovecraft-s+favorite+Providence+haunts%20&id=4076507&instance=home_news_right
Participants will see the site of his former home, as well as locales mentioned in “The Case of Charles Dexter Ward,” “The Haunter of the Dark,” “The Shunned House” and “The Call of Cthulhu.”
Following the tour, which begins at 1 p.m. and lasts for approximately 90 minutes at the Bell Street Chapel in Providence, participants will be treated to a special screening of films called "RIIFF Bloody Shorts of Horror" inspired by Lovecraft’s stories, including "The Music of Erich Zann," directed by Jared Skolnick.
Participants will see the site of his former home, as well as locales mentioned in “The Case of Charles Dexter Ward,” “The Haunter of the Dark,” “The Shunned House” and “The Call of Cthulhu.”
Following the tour, which begins at 1 p.m. and lasts for approximately 90 minutes at the Bell Street Chapel in Providence, participants will be treated to a special screening of films called "RIIFF Bloody Shorts of Horror" inspired by Lovecraft’s stories, including "The Music of Erich Zann," directed by Jared Skolnick.
RUSSIAN COPY H.P. LOVECRAFT DARK WANDERER
RUSSIAN COPY H.P. LOVECRAFT DARK WANDERER
2004
From seller:
(Those who know Russian may know more - and please comment).
Дагон Dagon
(переводчик: Людмила Володарская ) (translator: Ludmila Volodarskaya) Рассказ Story c. c. 17-22 17-22
Говард Филлипс Лавкрафт Howard Phillips Lovecraft Показания Рэндольфа Картера Indications Randolph Carter
(переводчик: О. Мичковский ) (translator: A. Michkovsky) Рассказ Story c. c. 23-30 23-30
Говард Филлипс Лавкрафт Howard Phillips Lovecraft Безымянный город Unnamed city
(переводчик: Тамара Казавчинская ) (translator: Tamara Kazavchinskii) Рассказ Story c. c. 31-44 31-44
Говард Филлипс Лавкрафт Howard Phillips Lovecraft Праздник Holiday
(переводчик: Людмила Володарская ) (translator: Ludmila Volodarskaya) Рассказ Story c. c. 45-54 45-54
Говард Филлипс Лавкрафт Howard Phillips Lovecraft Цвет из иных миров Color Out of Space
(переводчик: Елена Любимова ) (Translator: Elena Lyubimov) Рассказ Story c. c. 55-82 55-82
Говард Филлипс Лавкрафт Howard Phillips Lovecraft Зов Ктулху Call of Cthulhu
(переводчик: Елена Любимова ) (Translator: Elena Lyubimov) Рассказ Story c. c. 83-113 83-113
Говард Филлипс Лавкрафт Howard Phillips Lovecraft Данвичский кошмар Dunwich nightmare
(переводчик: Людмила Володарская ) (translator: Ludmila Volodarskaya) Повесть Story c. c. 114-157 114-157
Говард Филлипс Лавкрафт Howard Phillips Lovecraft Шепчущий во тьме Whisperer in Darkness
(переводчик: Елена Любимова ) (Translator: Elena Lyubimov) Повесть Story c. c. 158-224 158-224
Говард Филлипс Лавкрафт Howard Phillips Lovecraft Грезы в ведьмовском доме Dreams in the witch house
(переводчик: Людмила Володарская ) (translator: Ludmila Volodarskaya) Повесть Story c. c. 225-264 225-264
Говард Филлипс Лавкрафт Howard Phillips Lovecraft Скиталец тьмы Dark Wanderer
(переводчик: Олег Алякринский ) (translator: Oleg Alyakrinskiy) Рассказ Story c. c. 265-292 265-292
Говард Филлипс Лавкрафт Howard Phillips Lovecraft Морок над Инсмутом Morok over Insmutom
(переводчик: А. Сталь ) (translator: A. Steel) Повесть Story c. c. 293-369 293-369
Говард Филлипс Лавкрафт Howard Phillips Lovecraft За гранью времен Over the edge time
(переводчик: Василий Дорогокупля ) (translator: Basil Dorogokuplya) Повесть Story c. c. 370-448 370-448
Говард Филлипс Лавкрафт Howard Phillips Lovecraft Хребты безумия Mountains of Madness
(переводчик: Валерия Бернацкая ) (Translator: Valeria Bernatskaya) Повесть Story c. c. 449-560 449-560
Говард Филлипс Лавкрафт Howard Phillips Lovecraft Жизнь Чарльза Декстера Варда Life of Charles Dexter Ward
(переводчик: Людмила Володарская ) (translator: Ludmila Volodarskaya) Повесть Story c. c. 561-691 561-691
Говард Филлипс Лавкрафт Howard Phillips Lovecraft Тварь на пороге Thing on the Doorstep
(переводчик: Олег Алякринский ) (translator: Oleg Alyakrinskiy) Рассказ Story c. c. 692-724 692-724
Говард Филлипс Лавкрафт Howard Phillips Lovecraft Сверхъестественный ужас в литературе Supernatural Horror in Literature
(переводчик: Людмила Володарская ) (translator: Ludmila Volodarskaya) Статья Article c. c. 725-803 725-803
Говард Филлипс Лавкрафт Howard Phillips Lovecraft Грибы с Юггота. Mushrooms Yuggoth. Сонеты Sonnets
(переводчик: О. Мичковский ) (translator: A. Michkovsky) Стихи Lyrics c. c. 804-822 804-822
Людмила Володарская Ludmila Volodarskaya Примечания Notes Комментарии Comments c. c. 823-852 823-852
Хорхе Луис Борхес Jorge Luis Borges "The Are More Things" "The Are More Things"
(переводчик: Борис Дубин ) (translator: Boris Dubin) Рассказ Story c. c. 853-859 853-859
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
(1980) Roy Squires 15 1st Science Fiction Biblio. Lovecraft
Roy Squires 15 1st Science Fiction Biblio. Lovecraft
The First Science Fiction Bibliography Catalog 15. Roy Squires 1980. Contains a reprint of the 1st Science Fiction bibliograpy from 1935 and items offered for sale from the list. Those in the know are always seeking these catalogs for reference and such. Near Fine in softcovers.
Bid starts at $9.99
Monday, October 26, 2009
David J Williams III
This was sent via an email alert. It mentions HPL, and a collection by David J. Williams III. It turns out he is a Kentuckian! He also collected several autographed Lovecraft items, letters, postcards, and a manuscript.
The link, I later found, is here:
http://www.lib.k-state.edu/depts/spec/rarebooks/collections/williams/index.html
The email newsalert:
Fri Oct 23 08:50:26 2009 Pacific Time
Kansas State University Librarian Says Horror Stories Have Long Been Part of American Culture; Recommends Some Scary Titles for Halloween
MANHATTAN, Kan., Oct. 23 (AScribe Newswire) -- The horror story has long been a part of Americana, according to Kansas State University's Roger Adams, an associate professor and rare books librarian at K-State's Hale Library.
"'The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,' published in 1820, is generally recognized as the first American horror story," Adams said. "However, 'Wieland,' written in 1798 by Charles Brockden Brown, is most certainly the first American Gothic novel in a genre that was invented by English author Horace Walpole with the publication of 'The Castle of Otranto' in 1764. 'Wieland' is largely forgotten in popular culture, but the popularity of 'The Legend of Sleepy Hollow' is so great that it continues to be a source of inspiration for filmmakers and authors."
Adams, who works with Hale Library's Richard L.D. and Marjorie J. Morse department of special collections, knows about the horror genre. He assists with K-State's David J. Williams III Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Collection. Acquired in 2006, the collection has more than 3,500 books and magazines and is now almost 50 percent cataloged.
"Williams mostly collected what he enjoyed reading, but he also collected works by important American authors that he didn't necessarily enjoy, such as contemporary horror author Stephen King, for example," Adams said. "Most notably, Williams collected everything by and about horror fiction writer H.P. Lovecraft, as well as many works by Lovecraft's contemporaries August Derleth, Robert Howard, Clark Ashton Smith and Robert Bloch."
"As a publisher, Williams became acquainted with many writers and Bloch, the author of 1959's 'Psycho,' became a friend. So, a lot of these books are presentation copies from the authors to Williams and are not only signed but have nice inscriptions to him," Adams said.
Williams died in 2000 and was collecting up until his death.
"We are continuing to purchase works by American horror writers published after 2000 to keep the collection relevant and useful for future generations of scholars," Adams said. "The most significant addition we've made in the horror genre is 'The Raven' by Edgar Allen Poe. The edition we acquired was published around 1866 and is the first separate American edition -- meaning it wasn't published in a magazine or as part of a collection of stories -- and the first to be illustrated."
If looking for a good scary book for Halloween, Adams said some of his favorites include:
- "Stir of Echoes" by Richard Matheson, published in 1958. "This follows an average guy and his ability to communicate with the spirit world -- very creepy stuff," Adams said.
- "Carrie" by Stephen King, published in 1974. It was not only King's breakout novel, but it was the first American horror novel to have a female protagonist, according to Adams.
- "Dracula" by Bram Stoker, published in 1897. "This is 'the' vampire book," Adams said. "Once again, forget just about everything you've learned about Dracula from movies. The Dracula of this book eats babies."
- "The Haunting of Hill House" by Shirley Jackson, published in 1959. "This is the haunted house that makes other haunted houses afraid. Not even Chuck Norris would spend a night in Hill House," Adams said.
- Poe's "Tales of Mystery and Madness," released in 2004, and Poe's "Tales of Death and Dementia," released in 2009 and both illustrated by Gris Grimly. "Poe is the first American master of the horror genre and both of these volumes are exceptionally illustrated by Gris Grimly," Adams said. "'The Masque of the Red Death,' released in 1842, and 'The Cask of Amontillado,' released in 1846, are my two favorite Poe stories."
- "The Annotated H. P. Lovecraft," published in 1997. "Lovecraft is the modern American master of horror who continues to influence scores of horror and supernatural writers," Adams said.
- - - -
CONTACTS:
Source: Roger Adams, 785-532-7455, rcadams@k-state.edu
News release prepared by: Beth Bohn, 785-532-6415, bbohn@k-state.edu
The link, I later found, is here:
http://www.lib.k-state.edu/depts/spec/rarebooks/collections/williams/index.html
The email newsalert:
Fri Oct 23 08:50:26 2009 Pacific Time
Kansas State University Librarian Says Horror Stories Have Long Been Part of American Culture; Recommends Some Scary Titles for Halloween
MANHATTAN, Kan., Oct. 23 (AScribe Newswire) -- The horror story has long been a part of Americana, according to Kansas State University's Roger Adams, an associate professor and rare books librarian at K-State's Hale Library.
"'The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,' published in 1820, is generally recognized as the first American horror story," Adams said. "However, 'Wieland,' written in 1798 by Charles Brockden Brown, is most certainly the first American Gothic novel in a genre that was invented by English author Horace Walpole with the publication of 'The Castle of Otranto' in 1764. 'Wieland' is largely forgotten in popular culture, but the popularity of 'The Legend of Sleepy Hollow' is so great that it continues to be a source of inspiration for filmmakers and authors."
Adams, who works with Hale Library's Richard L.D. and Marjorie J. Morse department of special collections, knows about the horror genre. He assists with K-State's David J. Williams III Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Collection. Acquired in 2006, the collection has more than 3,500 books and magazines and is now almost 50 percent cataloged.
"Williams mostly collected what he enjoyed reading, but he also collected works by important American authors that he didn't necessarily enjoy, such as contemporary horror author Stephen King, for example," Adams said. "Most notably, Williams collected everything by and about horror fiction writer H.P. Lovecraft, as well as many works by Lovecraft's contemporaries August Derleth, Robert Howard, Clark Ashton Smith and Robert Bloch."
"As a publisher, Williams became acquainted with many writers and Bloch, the author of 1959's 'Psycho,' became a friend. So, a lot of these books are presentation copies from the authors to Williams and are not only signed but have nice inscriptions to him," Adams said.
Williams died in 2000 and was collecting up until his death.
"We are continuing to purchase works by American horror writers published after 2000 to keep the collection relevant and useful for future generations of scholars," Adams said. "The most significant addition we've made in the horror genre is 'The Raven' by Edgar Allen Poe. The edition we acquired was published around 1866 and is the first separate American edition -- meaning it wasn't published in a magazine or as part of a collection of stories -- and the first to be illustrated."
If looking for a good scary book for Halloween, Adams said some of his favorites include:
- "Stir of Echoes" by Richard Matheson, published in 1958. "This follows an average guy and his ability to communicate with the spirit world -- very creepy stuff," Adams said.
- "Carrie" by Stephen King, published in 1974. It was not only King's breakout novel, but it was the first American horror novel to have a female protagonist, according to Adams.
- "Dracula" by Bram Stoker, published in 1897. "This is 'the' vampire book," Adams said. "Once again, forget just about everything you've learned about Dracula from movies. The Dracula of this book eats babies."
- "The Haunting of Hill House" by Shirley Jackson, published in 1959. "This is the haunted house that makes other haunted houses afraid. Not even Chuck Norris would spend a night in Hill House," Adams said.
- Poe's "Tales of Mystery and Madness," released in 2004, and Poe's "Tales of Death and Dementia," released in 2009 and both illustrated by Gris Grimly. "Poe is the first American master of the horror genre and both of these volumes are exceptionally illustrated by Gris Grimly," Adams said. "'The Masque of the Red Death,' released in 1842, and 'The Cask of Amontillado,' released in 1846, are my two favorite Poe stories."
- "The Annotated H. P. Lovecraft," published in 1997. "Lovecraft is the modern American master of horror who continues to influence scores of horror and supernatural writers," Adams said.
- - - -
CONTACTS:
Source: Roger Adams, 785-532-7455, rcadams@k-state.edu
News release prepared by: Beth Bohn, 785-532-6415, bbohn@k-state.edu
Roy Squires catalog 2 Lovecraft Clark Ashton Smith
Roy Squires catalog 2 Lovecraft Clark Ashton Smith
Clark Ashton Smith - H.P. Lovecraft - Robert H. Barlow Catalog II. Roy Squires 1969. Nice catalog of rare Smith and Lovecraft items. Those in the know are always seeking these catalogs for reference and such. Good (filler or reading copy only, some ink marks on cover and interior.
Starting bid $9.99
Sunday, October 25, 2009
H. P. Lovecraft in THE NATIONAL AMATEUR (March 1935)
H. P. Lovecraft in THE NATIONAL AMATEUR (March 1935)
March 1935 issue of THE NATIONAL AMATEUR (Volume 57, Number 3)
Includes a column by Howard Phillips Lovecraft titled "Verse Department" that is nearly a page long.
Stapled wraps, 13 pages, in very good condition.
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Beast In the Cave - Insight
As many of you know, I collect ghost stories. I was at half-price bookstore today and got a copy of Scary Stories of Mammoth Cave. I'd never seen it before, but it looked too cool to pass up for $5.99 and I had a 15% off coupon.
It's by Colleen O'Connor Olson and Charles Hanion (2002, Cave Books Publishing).
Beast in the cave wasn't HPL's favorite, but it is one of mine. In the 1860 "A Guide manual to the mammoth cave of Kentucky, Charles Wright warned of straying (a very unlikely event even in 1860!) ..."A person lost in mammoth Cave, without any hope of escape, would undoubtedly die in a short period of time ...".
Olson goes on to quote "Beast" at length on page 3ff ! The words HPL uses is eerily similar to the 1860 version, "I was lost, completely, hopelessly lost ...".
In 1900 one Curtis G Lloyd (of Cincinnati) was exploring, and told his guide he was going off o his own. Lloyd was very familiar with the cave, but still got turned around - 12 hours later they found Lloyd only 50 yards from the exit, but he at least had presence of mind to stand still and wait. He'd strayed there smoking his stash of cigars.
I'd love to know if the Providence Journal carried this article, and maybe 10 year old HPL saw it? There is a very strong chance the the wealthy Lloyd family backed the botanical and other researches of Packard, but no smoking gun as of yet.
The most famous 19th century lost incident is recorded in Olson's book, and in an old text:
AN HISTORICAL AND DESCRIPTIVE NARRATIVE MAMMOTH CAVE OF KENTUCKY.
INCLUDING EXPLANATIONS OF THE CAUSES CONCERNED IN ITS FORMATION, ITS ATMOSPHERIC CONDITIONS, ITS CHEMISTRY, GEOLOGY, ZOOLOGY, ETC. FULL SCIENTIFIC DETAILS OF THE EYELESS FISHES. BY W. STUMP FOKWOOD, M.D., MEMBER or TDE AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION, OF THE MEDICAL AND CHIRURGICAL FACULTY OF MARYLAND, ETC. WITH ILLUSTRATIONS.
PHILADELPHIA: J. B. LIPPINCOTT & CO. 1870. p.24 ff
"It was while I owned the property that a nephew of mine, Mr. Charles F. Harvey (now a merchant in Louisville, Ky.), was lost in the Cave for thirty-nine hours. After he was found, I determined to have further explorations made."
The story goes that the Harveys stopped for water at a spring, the boy left his hat, went back, retrieved it, and made a wrong turn to catch up. 39 hours of searching, later, they found him. An addendum, perhaps apocryphal, had Harvey Jr banging rocks until the noise attracted the search party. The rescuers said, "Great idea to get our attention.". Harvey is said to have stated, "I didn't bang on the rocks for you to hear me, the silence was driving me mad."
Of course, rocks play a significant role in HPL's story for a different reason. However, in issues such as these, coincidences weigh slight, but they do weigh and pique the curiosity. These stories, orally or in text form at the library, might easily have been available to HPL.
OK, time for Chrispy to run off for food, and hopefully to watch Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein with Mrs. Chris, always a Halloween treat.
It's by Colleen O'Connor Olson and Charles Hanion (2002, Cave Books Publishing).
Beast in the cave wasn't HPL's favorite, but it is one of mine. In the 1860 "A Guide manual to the mammoth cave of Kentucky, Charles Wright warned of straying (a very unlikely event even in 1860!) ..."A person lost in mammoth Cave, without any hope of escape, would undoubtedly die in a short period of time ...".
Olson goes on to quote "Beast" at length on page 3ff ! The words HPL uses is eerily similar to the 1860 version, "I was lost, completely, hopelessly lost ...".
In 1900 one Curtis G Lloyd (of Cincinnati) was exploring, and told his guide he was going off o his own. Lloyd was very familiar with the cave, but still got turned around - 12 hours later they found Lloyd only 50 yards from the exit, but he at least had presence of mind to stand still and wait. He'd strayed there smoking his stash of cigars.
I'd love to know if the Providence Journal carried this article, and maybe 10 year old HPL saw it? There is a very strong chance the the wealthy Lloyd family backed the botanical and other researches of Packard, but no smoking gun as of yet.
The most famous 19th century lost incident is recorded in Olson's book, and in an old text:
AN HISTORICAL AND DESCRIPTIVE NARRATIVE MAMMOTH CAVE OF KENTUCKY.
INCLUDING EXPLANATIONS OF THE CAUSES CONCERNED IN ITS FORMATION, ITS ATMOSPHERIC CONDITIONS, ITS CHEMISTRY, GEOLOGY, ZOOLOGY, ETC. FULL SCIENTIFIC DETAILS OF THE EYELESS FISHES. BY W. STUMP FOKWOOD, M.D., MEMBER or TDE AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION, OF THE MEDICAL AND CHIRURGICAL FACULTY OF MARYLAND, ETC. WITH ILLUSTRATIONS.
PHILADELPHIA: J. B. LIPPINCOTT & CO. 1870. p.24 ff
"It was while I owned the property that a nephew of mine, Mr. Charles F. Harvey (now a merchant in Louisville, Ky.), was lost in the Cave for thirty-nine hours. After he was found, I determined to have further explorations made."
The story goes that the Harveys stopped for water at a spring, the boy left his hat, went back, retrieved it, and made a wrong turn to catch up. 39 hours of searching, later, they found him. An addendum, perhaps apocryphal, had Harvey Jr banging rocks until the noise attracted the search party. The rescuers said, "Great idea to get our attention.". Harvey is said to have stated, "I didn't bang on the rocks for you to hear me, the silence was driving me mad."
Of course, rocks play a significant role in HPL's story for a different reason. However, in issues such as these, coincidences weigh slight, but they do weigh and pique the curiosity. These stories, orally or in text form at the library, might easily have been available to HPL.
OK, time for Chrispy to run off for food, and hopefully to watch Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein with Mrs. Chris, always a Halloween treat.
H. P. Lovecraft in THE NATIONAL AMATEUR (June 1935)
H. P. Lovecraft in THE NATIONAL AMATEUR (June 1935)
June 1935 issue of THE NATIONAL AMATEUR (Volume 57, Number 4)
Includes a column by Howard Phillips Lovecraft titled "Lovecraft Offers Verse Criticism" that is one and a half pages long.
Stapled wraps, 19 pages, in very good condition.
Friday, October 23, 2009
H. P. Lovecraft in THE NATIONAL AMATEUR (Dec. 1934)
H. P. Lovecraft in THE NATIONAL AMATEUR (Dec. 1934)
December 1934 issue of THE NATIONAL AMATEUR (Volume 57, Number 2)
Includes a column by Howard Phillips Lovecraft titled "Verse Department" (signed "Howard P. Lovecraft") that is three quarters of a page long.
Stapled wraps, 22 pages, in very good condition.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Spider Silk Rug and more ...
Approaching him softly though without apparent furtiveness were five figures, two of which were the sinister old woman and the fanged, furry little animal. The other three were what sent him unconscious; for they were living entities about eight feet high, shaped precisely like the spiky images on the balustrade, and propelling themselves by a spider-like wriggling of their lower set of starfish-arms. ... Dreams in the Witch House
Chrispy is on a spider kick this week. Get ready to get freaked, becuase the image above is of a rug done in 100% spider web silk. Ia!!
From: http://pubs.acs.org/cen/newscripts/87/8741newscripts.html
During the rainy seasons of the past four years, scores of workers in Madagascar spent their days collecting more than a million female GOLDEN ORB SPIDERS (Nephila madagascariensis) from telephone and electrical wires. The collectors passed the arachnids to handlers, who placed them into harnesses and then drew out their silk on hand-cranked devices—all while trying not to get bitten by the maple-leaf-sized web weavers.
At this point, humans took over the weaving, making individual threads by twining together somewhere between 96 and 960 spider-silk filaments. From these emerged a beautifully patterned hand-woven 11- by 4-foot cloth that now stands as the world’s largest single textile made of spider silk.
_____
And what makes spider silk sticky? From the 14 September 2009 Chemical and Engineering News (p.28)
Adhesiver proteins ... the University of Wyoming ... discovered a pair of spider genes that code for adhesive glycoproteins ... the scientists went to great length ... catching spiders in barns and collecting 100 webs ... the researchers sequenced the sticky substnace by mass spectrometry ...
____
What would Lovecraft say?
Chrispy is on a spider kick this week. Get ready to get freaked, becuase the image above is of a rug done in 100% spider web silk. Ia!!
From: http://pubs.acs.org/cen/newscripts/87/8741newscripts.html
During the rainy seasons of the past four years, scores of workers in Madagascar spent their days collecting more than a million female GOLDEN ORB SPIDERS (Nephila madagascariensis) from telephone and electrical wires. The collectors passed the arachnids to handlers, who placed them into harnesses and then drew out their silk on hand-cranked devices—all while trying not to get bitten by the maple-leaf-sized web weavers.
At this point, humans took over the weaving, making individual threads by twining together somewhere between 96 and 960 spider-silk filaments. From these emerged a beautifully patterned hand-woven 11- by 4-foot cloth that now stands as the world’s largest single textile made of spider silk.
_____
And what makes spider silk sticky? From the 14 September 2009 Chemical and Engineering News (p.28)
Adhesiver proteins ... the University of Wyoming ... discovered a pair of spider genes that code for adhesive glycoproteins ... the scientists went to great length ... catching spiders in barns and collecting 100 webs ... the researchers sequenced the sticky substnace by mass spectrometry ...
____
What would Lovecraft say?
H. P. Lovecraft in THE NATIONAL AMATEUR (June 1933)
H. P. Lovecraft in THE NATIONAL AMATEUR (June 1933)
June 1933 issue of THE NATIONAL AMATEUR (Volume 55, Number 4)
Includes a column by Howard Phillips Lovecraft titled "Verse Criticism" (signed "Howard P. Lovecraft") that is nearly a page long.
Stapled wraps, 12 pages, in very good plus condition.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Giant Spider Discovered
A new "giant" orb spider was recently discovered in Africa and Madagascar. The females of the species have a leg span of up to 5 inches, and are thought to be the largest web spinning spider known to science. More at BBC News.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8316720.stm
Very Lovecraft: Live Theater
I hope someone can see this and review it. There's nothing quite as thrilling as Live Theater - support your local arts programs!
Thanks George I. !
Open Circle Theater Presents
Madness Out of Time
Running October 9 - November 14, Thu.- Sat. @ 7:30 Sun. @ 4pm
2222 2nd Ave., Suite 222Seattle, WA 98121(206) 382-4250
(http://www.octheater.com/findingoct.asp)
Show Summary (top)
Directed by
Gary Zinter
Written by
H.P. Lovecraft
Running Dates:
October 9 - November 14, Thu.- Sat. @ 7:30 Sun. @ 4pm
Description:
H.P. Lovecraft's only novella is brought to the stage in this world-premiere adaptation by area playwrights Dustin Engstrom & Ron Sandahl.
Something is desperately wrong with Charles Dexter Ward. Always a delver into the past, his search for info about an ancestor lead ultimately to madness, horror, and perhaps the extermination of all life on the earth.
A riveting night of mystery and horror by the acknowledged master of the macabre, H. P. Lovecraft.
WHAT: Madness Out of Time
The Case of Charles Dexter Ward
Thanks George I. !
Open Circle Theater Presents
Madness Out of Time
Running October 9 - November 14, Thu.- Sat. @ 7:30 Sun. @ 4pm
2222 2nd Ave., Suite 222Seattle, WA 98121(206) 382-4250
(http://www.octheater.com/findingoct.asp)
Show Summary (top)
Directed by
Gary Zinter
Written by
H.P. Lovecraft
Running Dates:
October 9 - November 14, Thu.- Sat. @ 7:30 Sun. @ 4pm
Description:
H.P. Lovecraft's only novella is brought to the stage in this world-premiere adaptation by area playwrights Dustin Engstrom & Ron Sandahl.
Something is desperately wrong with Charles Dexter Ward. Always a delver into the past, his search for info about an ancestor lead ultimately to madness, horror, and perhaps the extermination of all life on the earth.
A riveting night of mystery and horror by the acknowledged master of the macabre, H. P. Lovecraft.
WHAT: Madness Out of Time
The Case of Charles Dexter Ward
H. P. Lovecraft in THE NATIONAL AMATEUR (March 1933)
H. P. Lovecraft in THE NATIONAL AMATEUR (March 1933)
March 1933 issue of THE NATIONAL AMATEUR (Volume 55, Number 3)
Includes a column by Howard Phillips Lovecraft titled "Verse Criticism" (signed "Howard P. Lovecraft") that is over half a page long.
Stapled wraps, 12 pages, in very good plus condition.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Halley's Comet's Remains
The sky will light up overnight as Earth passes through debris left by Halley's Comet the next day or so. Our connection to HPL in the sky. :)
Here are some years we have historical records ...
A.D.: 66, 141, 218, 295, 347, 451, 530, 607, 684, 760, 837, 912, 989,
1066, 1145, 1222, 1301, 1378, 1456, 1531, 1607, 1682, 1759, 1835, 1910, 1986.
Here are some years we have historical records ...
A.D.: 66, 141, 218, 295, 347, 451, 530, 607, 684, 760, 837, 912, 989,
1066, 1145, 1222, 1301, 1378, 1456, 1531, 1607, 1682, 1759, 1835, 1910, 1986.
Not Lovecraft - but very horrific
Every year, me and Mrs. Chris go to see Louisville's Actor's Theater's production of Dracula. It wouldn't be October without it. It is a superb world-class production and we love to see the people scream when they get into it. It's in a very small, intimate theater of about 700 people, and the actors surround you and move in and out of the aisles, and sometimes through the air.
My other favortite place is Waverly Hills, which I've written about many times.
Now, the actors of the play went out to Waverly Hills and did a trailer. It gave me goosebumps, they did such a good job.
You may now return to your regular Lovecraft blog.
:)
My other favortite place is Waverly Hills, which I've written about many times.
Now, the actors of the play went out to Waverly Hills and did a trailer. It gave me goosebumps, they did such a good job.
You may now return to your regular Lovecraft blog.
:)
Eau de Cthulhu?
Black Phoenix Alchemy Labs has created a bunch of perfumes inspired by HP Lovecraft.
!!
Here's the link, if you dare ...
The world of Lovecraftploitation never fails to amaze!
Maybe they can make a few dollars!
!!
Here's the link, if you dare ...
The world of Lovecraftploitation never fails to amaze!
Maybe they can make a few dollars!
Monday, October 19, 2009
H. P. Lovecraft in THE NATIONAL AMATEUR (Dec. 1933)
H. P. Lovecraft in THE NATIONAL AMATEUR (Dec. 1933)
December 1933 issue of THE NATIONAL AMATEUR (Volume 56, Number 2)
Includes a column by Howard Phillips Lovecraft titled "Verse" (signed "H.P.Lovecraft") that is over one and half pages long.
Stapled wraps, 16 pages, in very good plus condition.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
H. P. Lovecraft in THE NATIONAL AMATEUR (Dec. 1935)
H. P. Lovecraft in THE NATIONAL AMATEUR (Dec. 1935)
December 1935 issue of THE NATIONAL AMATEUR (Volume 58, Number 2)
Includes a column by Howard Phillips Lovecraft titled "Some Current Amateur Verse" (signed "H.P.L.") that is one and half pages long.
Stapled wraps, 16 pages, in very good condition.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Another George Wetzel Item
LOVECRAFT COLLECTORS LIBRARY, AMATEUR JOURNALIST: 1955
Details
North Tonawanda, New York: SSR Publications, 1952-1955, 1955. Large octavo, seven volumes, mimeographed from typewritten copy, printed wrappers, stapled. First edition. Limited to 75 numbered sets, this being copy number 56. Joshi I-A-28-a, III-B-35, and II-C-27. A legendary -- and very fragile -- production, with covers and text paper on very poor pulp-like paper stock. As is usually the case, the text paper is darkened and covers are tanned, but this is a remarkable, nearly fine issue. Individual issues are hard to come by, are rare, especially in this condition.
From Joshi
Volume V:
THE AMATEUR JOURNALIST / HOWARD
PHILLIPS LOVECRAFT / VOLUME FIVE / THE
LOVECRAFT COLLECTORS LIBRARY / EDITED
BY GEORGE WETZEL / [Yule] / SSR / 1955
Perfect-bound: [a-b] [i] ii-iii [4] 5-17 [18] 19-21 [22] 23-33
IB4-36] .
[a]: half—title and copy number; lb]: blank; [i]: title; ii:
acknowledgments; iii: contents list; [4]: blank; 5-6: "The Simple
Spelling Mania"; 7-10: “President's ‘Message” (from The National
Amateur, ]July 1923); 11-12: "Amateur Criticism"; 13-14: “The
Symphonic Ideal"; 15-17: ”The Professional Incubus"; [18]:
blank; 19-20: "A Reply to The Liagerer"; 21: “Concerning Persia--in Europe”; [22]: blank; 23-24: "Les Mouches Fantastiques"; 25—33: “Looking Backward" (abridged); [34-36]:
Details
North Tonawanda, New York: SSR Publications, 1952-1955, 1955. Large octavo, seven volumes, mimeographed from typewritten copy, printed wrappers, stapled. First edition. Limited to 75 numbered sets, this being copy number 56. Joshi I-A-28-a, III-B-35, and II-C-27. A legendary -- and very fragile -- production, with covers and text paper on very poor pulp-like paper stock. As is usually the case, the text paper is darkened and covers are tanned, but this is a remarkable, nearly fine issue. Individual issues are hard to come by, are rare, especially in this condition.
From Joshi
Volume V:
THE AMATEUR JOURNALIST / HOWARD
PHILLIPS LOVECRAFT / VOLUME FIVE / THE
LOVECRAFT COLLECTORS LIBRARY / EDITED
BY GEORGE WETZEL / [Yule] / SSR / 1955
Perfect-bound: [a-b] [i] ii-iii [4] 5-17 [18] 19-21 [22] 23-33
IB4-36] .
[a]: half—title and copy number; lb]: blank; [i]: title; ii:
acknowledgments; iii: contents list; [4]: blank; 5-6: "The Simple
Spelling Mania"; 7-10: “President's ‘Message” (from The National
Amateur, ]July 1923); 11-12: "Amateur Criticism"; 13-14: “The
Symphonic Ideal"; 15-17: ”The Professional Incubus"; [18]:
blank; 19-20: "A Reply to The Liagerer"; 21: “Concerning Persia--in Europe”; [22]: blank; 23-24: "Les Mouches Fantastiques"; 25—33: “Looking Backward" (abridged); [34-36]:
Friday, October 16, 2009
Howard Lovecraft & The Frozen Kingdom
From Mr. Bruce Brown:
I am the author of Howard Lovecraft & The Frozen Kingdom.
It is an all ages introduction to the works of H.P. Lovecraft. It is available now for pre order through comic shops and also amazon.com and even ebay.
I came across your incredible blog and thought I'd share this with you.
It has received some great early reviews from Lovecraft & Comic sites.
If this may be something you may want to share on your blog; feel free to.
Regards,
Bruce
It is an all ages introduction to the works of H.P. Lovecraft. It is available now for pre order through comic shops and also amazon.com and even ebay.
I came across your incredible blog and thought I'd share this with you.
It has received some great early reviews from Lovecraft & Comic sites.
If this may be something you may want to share on your blog; feel free to.
Regards,
Bruce
Bruce, thank YOU for reading the blog.
(And everyone else)
I wish blogger had a better way to do things, because everyone's information is so valuable to readers. I'll share as I can, and try to get the word out.
I think we're in a unique time for Mr. Lovecraft and we may look back on this as a golden time of fun. :)
LOVECRAFT'S DAUGHTER: R. EVERTS V.1,2,3 STRANGE PRESS?
Recently seen on Ebay.
LOVECRAFT'S DAUGHTER by R.ALAIN EVERTS No pub Strange Press/EOD? All three issues in fine condition, A truly remarkable study of "Carol Weld who was in fact the daughter--albiet the step-daughter-- of Howard Phillips Lovecraft" Interviews and pictures of Sonia Greene Very In teresting.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Rare Item: Original Lovecraft Watercolor
An anonymous owner contacted me, Chrispy, and is allowing us all to see this important and wonderful item. It is a water color by Lovecraft's hands. Please respect the owner as to all ownership rights.
Here is the information as posted on the original auction house site.
[Lovecraft, H[oward] P[hillips].].
ORIGINAL DRAWING IN WATERCOLOR AND PENCIL of Lovecraft's 598 Angell Street residence, 6 1/4 x 7 3/4 inches, signed "HPL" in lower left corner;
TOGETHER WITH two black and white Velox reproductions of the preceding; TOGETHER WITH a 2 1/4" x 3 1/4" black & white photo negative by Richard L. Tierney of same house; TOGETHER WITH small white envelope with "The 598 Angell Street residence (photo credit: Richard L. Tierney)" typed on front along with some penciled notations addressed to=2 0printer concerning enlargement and placement in book of picture; TOGETHER WITH manila envelope containing all of the preceding, sent to "Mr. August Derleth / Sauk City / Wisconsin" with printed return address of Electrical Testing Laboratories of New York and handwritten above it, "H. Koenig."
The envelope is postmarked August 23, 1933.
598 Angell Street was the house into which the Lovecraft family moved in 1904 (from #454, where HPL was born) after suffering a serious financial reversal. It was a duplex shared with another family, a big step down for the Lovecrafts and a blow to the sensitive 14-year-old Howard. "This was probably the most traumatic event Lovecraft experienced prior to the death of his mother in 1921…. the loss of his birthplace, to one so endowed with a sense of place, was shattering." - Joshi, H. P. Lovecraft: A Life, p. 59. The colored sketch has a 12 mm tear at top edge and a 2 x 8 mm piece missing along top edge, affecting only the plain white background; manila envelope has top right corner torn off; all else very good.
Provenance: Koenig to Derleth / Derleth Papers. (#112454)
LOVECRAFT COLLECTORS LIBRARY
The covers are all nondescript, each with a different color paper cover.
LOVECRAFT COLLECTORS LIB V.1-7 STRANGE PRESS
Book Condition: Very Good. An offset reprint of the complete set of 7 volumes originally printed by SSR Publications between 1952 - 1955 in limited editions of 75 numbered copies each. All volumes in this set are reproduced from copy #70 of the originals, and while undated, this reprint series was apparently done in the 1970s, possibly for EOD mailings & is not listed in Joshi's bibliography. Some light dust soiling / age-tanning to covers, else all 7 are in very good condition Joshi I-A-28-a, III-B-35, and II-C-27.
per Indicks history of the Esoteric Order of Dagon
"EOD's lucky 13th (1975-76?) contained 847 pages. Of these, 227 pages consisted of generous reprint by two acolytes, Scott Connors and Randy Everts, of a classic Lovecraftian lode of information, namely George Wetzel's long out of print Lovecraft Collectors Library, which had originally been a seven-volume mimeographed set. In that same mailing, Everts also contributed a 34 page wraps/bound reprint of a 1910 book about Ambrose Bierce, and Connors added his own 3 page Dagonzine".
Volume I:
SELECTED ESSAYS I HOWARD PHILLIPS
LOVECRAFT I VOLUME ONE I THE
LOVECRAFT COLLECTORS LIBRARY I EDITED
BY GEORGE WETZEL I [publishers device] 1952 I
SSR PUBLICATIONS I North Tonawanda New
York
”Idealism and Materialism—A Reflection"; 19-
22: “A Confession of Unfaith“; 23-26: ”Nietscheism [sic] and
-Realism”; [27-28]: blank.
Volume ll:
SELECTED ESSAYS I HOWARD PHILLIPS
LOVECRAFT I VOLUME TWO I THE
LOVECRAFT COLLECTORS LIBRARY I EDITED
BY GEORGE WETZEL I [publisher's device]
1953 I SSR PUBLICATIONS I North
Tonawanda New York ·
“A Descent to Avernus"; 11-12: ”The Brief
Autobiography of an Inconsequential Scribbler"; 13: ”Anglo-
Saxondom"; 15-16: ”Revolutionary Mythology”; 17-18: ”The
Trip of Theobaldf; 19-[2s]; A; [26-28]: blank.
Volume III:
SELECTED POETRY I HOWARD PHILLIPS
LOVECRAFT I VOLUME THREE I THE
LOVECRAFT COLLECTORS LIBRARY I EDITED
BY GEORGE WETZEL I [publisher’s device]
1953 I SSR PUBLICATIONS I North
Tonawanda New York
”Bells"; 7-8: “The Voice"; 9-10: ”On the Death of a Rhyming
Critic"; 11: “Monos: An Ode"; 12: "lnspiration”; 13-17: "Hylas
and Myrrha, a Tale"; 17: "Ambition"; 18-20: ”The Bookstall";
20: “On Receiving a Picture of Swans"; 21-22: "To Edward John
Moreton Drax Plunkett, Eighteenth Baron Dunsany"; 23: "To
Mr. Lockhart, on His Poetry"; 24-25: “Autumn"; 26: “lterum
Conjunctae"; 26-27: [Editor’s note on Lovecraft’s "Archibald Maynwaring" pseudonym]; 27: "To the Eighth of November";
‘ 2.8: "The Pensive Swain"; [29-30]: blank
Volume IV:
SELECTED POETRY I HOWARD PHILLIPS
LOVECRAET I- VOLUME IV I THE LOVECRAET
COLLECTORS LIBRARY I EDITED BY GEORGE
WETZEL I [rule] I SSR [acknowledgments page:]
March, 1955
"A Cycle of Verse" (includes "Oceanus," p. 5; "Clouds," p. 5; "Mother
Earth," p. 6); 7-9: "Ver Rusticum"; 10: "Earth and Sky"; 11:
"Prologue" [to "Fragments from an Hour of Inspiration" by
Jonathan E. Hoag]; 11-12: "Solstice"; 12: "The Garden" (i.e., "A
Garden"); 13-15: "Nathicana"; 15: "The Poet of Passion"; 15-17:
“Lines for Poet’s Night at the Scribblers’ Club"; 18: "Cindy:
Scrub Lady in a State Street Skyscraper"; 18-19: "The Dead
Bookworm"; 20-21: "Ave atque Vale"; 22-23: "The Dream"; 24-
25: "Ye Ballade of Patrick von Flynn"; 2.6: "Pacifist··War Song-
191’7"; 27: "The Nymph's Reply to the Modern Business Man";
27-28: "Grace" (with introductory paragraph entitled “Ward
Phillips Replies"); 28-30: "To Greece, 191'7"; 30-32: "Lines on
the 25th Anniversary of the Providence Evening News, 1892-
1917"; 32: "Fact and Fancy"; [33-34]: blank.
Volume V:
THE AMATEUR JOURNALIST I HOWARD
PHILLIPS LOVECRAET I VOLUME FIVE I THE
LOVECRAFT COLLECTORS LIBRARY I EDITED
BY GEORGE WETZEL I I1‘ul€l I SSR I 1955
"The Simple Spelling Mania"; 7-10: "President's Message" (from The National
Amateur, Iuly 1923); 11-12: "Amateur Criticism"; 13-14: "The ·
Symphonic Ideal"; 15-17: "The Professional Incubus"; [18]:
blank; 19-20: "A Reply to The Liagerer"; 21: "Concerning
'Persia-—in Europe' "; [22]: blank; 23-24: ”L.·2s Mouckos
Pontostiques"; 25-33: ”Looking Baclward" (abridged); [34-36]:
blank.5.
Volume Six: COMMENTARIES. North Tonawanda, N.Y.:
SSR Publications, 1955. iii, [4-].37 pp.
Contains: E. A. Edkins, "idiosyncrasiesies of HPL," pp. 5-7;
james F. Morton, “A Few Memories,” pp. 8-9; Edward H. Cole,
"Ave atque Vale!” pp. 10-17; George Wetzel, “The Cthulhu _.,
Mythos: A Study,” pp. 18-27; Matthew H. Onderdonk, "'The
Lord of R’lyeh,” pp. 28-37.
THE BIBLIOGRAPHIES HOWARD
PHILLIPS LOVECRAET I VOLUME FIVE I THE
LOVECRAFT COLLECTORS LIBRARY I EDITED
BY GEORGE WETZEL SSR I 1955
Contains: George [T.] Wetzel, “Amateur Press Works," pp. v-
17; Robert E. Briney, “Professional Works and Miscellany," pp.
18-42.
A landmark in Lovecraft bibliography, giving the first
extensive listing of Lovecraft’s amateur press works. The
foundation for all subsequent work in the field.
See also lll—G-26.
LOVECRAFT COLLECTORS LIB V.1-7 STRANGE PRESS
Book Condition: Very Good. An offset reprint of the complete set of 7 volumes originally printed by SSR Publications between 1952 - 1955 in limited editions of 75 numbered copies each. All volumes in this set are reproduced from copy #70 of the originals, and while undated, this reprint series was apparently done in the 1970s, possibly for EOD mailings & is not listed in Joshi's bibliography. Some light dust soiling / age-tanning to covers, else all 7 are in very good condition Joshi I-A-28-a, III-B-35, and II-C-27.
per Indicks history of the Esoteric Order of Dagon
"EOD's lucky 13th (1975-76?) contained 847 pages. Of these, 227 pages consisted of generous reprint by two acolytes, Scott Connors and Randy Everts, of a classic Lovecraftian lode of information, namely George Wetzel's long out of print Lovecraft Collectors Library, which had originally been a seven-volume mimeographed set. In that same mailing, Everts also contributed a 34 page wraps/bound reprint of a 1910 book about Ambrose Bierce, and Connors added his own 3 page Dagonzine".
Volume I:
SELECTED ESSAYS I HOWARD PHILLIPS
LOVECRAFT I VOLUME ONE I THE
LOVECRAFT COLLECTORS LIBRARY I EDITED
BY GEORGE WETZEL I [publishers device] 1952 I
SSR PUBLICATIONS I North Tonawanda New
York
”Idealism and Materialism—A Reflection"; 19-
22: “A Confession of Unfaith“; 23-26: ”Nietscheism [sic] and
-Realism”; [27-28]: blank.
Volume ll:
SELECTED ESSAYS I HOWARD PHILLIPS
LOVECRAFT I VOLUME TWO I THE
LOVECRAFT COLLECTORS LIBRARY I EDITED
BY GEORGE WETZEL I [publisher's device]
1953 I SSR PUBLICATIONS I North
Tonawanda New York ·
“A Descent to Avernus"; 11-12: ”The Brief
Autobiography of an Inconsequential Scribbler"; 13: ”Anglo-
Saxondom"; 15-16: ”Revolutionary Mythology”; 17-18: ”The
Trip of Theobaldf; 19-[2s]; A; [26-28]: blank.
Volume III:
SELECTED POETRY I HOWARD PHILLIPS
LOVECRAFT I VOLUME THREE I THE
LOVECRAFT COLLECTORS LIBRARY I EDITED
BY GEORGE WETZEL I [publisher’s device]
1953 I SSR PUBLICATIONS I North
Tonawanda New York
”Bells"; 7-8: “The Voice"; 9-10: ”On the Death of a Rhyming
Critic"; 11: “Monos: An Ode"; 12: "lnspiration”; 13-17: "Hylas
and Myrrha, a Tale"; 17: "Ambition"; 18-20: ”The Bookstall";
20: “On Receiving a Picture of Swans"; 21-22: "To Edward John
Moreton Drax Plunkett, Eighteenth Baron Dunsany"; 23: "To
Mr. Lockhart, on His Poetry"; 24-25: “Autumn"; 26: “lterum
Conjunctae"; 26-27: [Editor’s note on Lovecraft’s "Archibald Maynwaring" pseudonym]; 27: "To the Eighth of November";
‘ 2.8: "The Pensive Swain"; [29-30]: blank
Volume IV:
SELECTED POETRY I HOWARD PHILLIPS
LOVECRAET I- VOLUME IV I THE LOVECRAET
COLLECTORS LIBRARY I EDITED BY GEORGE
WETZEL I [rule] I SSR [acknowledgments page:]
March, 1955
"A Cycle of Verse" (includes "Oceanus," p. 5; "Clouds," p. 5; "Mother
Earth," p. 6); 7-9: "Ver Rusticum"; 10: "Earth and Sky"; 11:
"Prologue" [to "Fragments from an Hour of Inspiration" by
Jonathan E. Hoag]; 11-12: "Solstice"; 12: "The Garden" (i.e., "A
Garden"); 13-15: "Nathicana"; 15: "The Poet of Passion"; 15-17:
“Lines for Poet’s Night at the Scribblers’ Club"; 18: "Cindy:
Scrub Lady in a State Street Skyscraper"; 18-19: "The Dead
Bookworm"; 20-21: "Ave atque Vale"; 22-23: "The Dream"; 24-
25: "Ye Ballade of Patrick von Flynn"; 2.6: "Pacifist··War Song-
191’7"; 27: "The Nymph's Reply to the Modern Business Man";
27-28: "Grace" (with introductory paragraph entitled “Ward
Phillips Replies"); 28-30: "To Greece, 191'7"; 30-32: "Lines on
the 25th Anniversary of the Providence Evening News, 1892-
1917"; 32: "Fact and Fancy"; [33-34]: blank.
Volume V:
THE AMATEUR JOURNALIST I HOWARD
PHILLIPS LOVECRAET I VOLUME FIVE I THE
LOVECRAFT COLLECTORS LIBRARY I EDITED
BY GEORGE WETZEL I I1‘ul€l I SSR I 1955
"The Simple Spelling Mania"; 7-10: "President's Message" (from The National
Amateur, Iuly 1923); 11-12: "Amateur Criticism"; 13-14: "The ·
Symphonic Ideal"; 15-17: "The Professional Incubus"; [18]:
blank; 19-20: "A Reply to The Liagerer"; 21: "Concerning
'Persia-—in Europe' "; [22]: blank; 23-24: ”L.·2s Mouckos
Pontostiques"; 25-33: ”Looking Baclward" (abridged); [34-36]:
blank.5.
Volume Six: COMMENTARIES. North Tonawanda, N.Y.:
SSR Publications, 1955. iii, [4-].37 pp.
Contains: E. A. Edkins, "idiosyncrasiesies of HPL," pp. 5-7;
james F. Morton, “A Few Memories,” pp. 8-9; Edward H. Cole,
"Ave atque Vale!” pp. 10-17; George Wetzel, “The Cthulhu _.,
Mythos: A Study,” pp. 18-27; Matthew H. Onderdonk, "'The
Lord of R’lyeh,” pp. 28-37.
THE BIBLIOGRAPHIES HOWARD
PHILLIPS LOVECRAET I VOLUME FIVE I THE
LOVECRAFT COLLECTORS LIBRARY I EDITED
BY GEORGE WETZEL SSR I 1955
Contains: George [T.] Wetzel, “Amateur Press Works," pp. v-
17; Robert E. Briney, “Professional Works and Miscellany," pp.
18-42.
A landmark in Lovecraft bibliography, giving the first
extensive listing of Lovecraft’s amateur press works. The
foundation for all subsequent work in the field.
See also lll—G-26.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Propnomicon
Thank you, "Scorpion" for this news article!
The blog Propnomicon is devoted to creating props based on Lovecraft's mythos, and one of its ongoing projects is to assemble the specimens, tools, and field notes that might have come out of the Miskatonic Antarctic expedition.
More:
http://io9.com/5379862/terrifying-souvenirs-from-the-mountains-of-madness/gallery/
1943 Bibliography
[Los Angeles]: An Acolyte Publication, 1943. Large octavo, pp. 1-12, mimeographed from typewritten copy, printed self wrappers, stapled. First edition. The first Lovecraft bibliography. Issued as part of a FAPA mailing, Winter 1943. Burgess, Reference Guide to Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror 372. Joshi III-B-22. Currey, p. 333. Covers tanned mailing folds still visible small tears on folds else a very good copy. Rare. have never seen another.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
More "alieness"
Viruses prey on marine floaters known as coccolithophores, which are characterized by their calcium carbonate plates. (Gephyrocapsa oceanica) has an enormous presence in the ocean as huge tidal masses, miles long and wide. So small yet so large.
What would Lovecraft say?
http://www.sciencenews.org/view/access/id/47766/title/feat_virosphere_opener.jpg
H. P. LOVECRAFT:MEMOIRS, CRITIQUES & BIBLIOGRAPHIES '55
The cover is posted as just plain paper, so no point in posting an image. The description by the seller (starting bid $129) is below.
SSR Publications, North Tonawanda, N. Y., 1955. Soft Cover. Book Condition: Near Fine. Limited. Size: 4to - over 9¾" - 12" tall. A fragile and rare book about a legend in the science fiction and fantasy genres, Howard Phillips Lovecraft: Memories, Critiques, & Bibliographies, published by SSR Publications, North Tonawanda, NY, 1955, edited by George Wetzel, 83 pages. Stapled manila wraps, mimeographed from typewritten copy, 8.1/2" x11" with title on right side of front cover running from bottom to top. This is one of 200 copies: "The majority of the material in this book is being simultaneously published as Volumes VI & VII of the Lovecraft Collector’s Library. The version of the Introduction in the Lovecraft Collector’s Library printing is extremely shortened and edited. It appears here in its original form. This volume has been published in an edition of 200 copies, in August 1955." Critiques include articles written by George Wetzel, Matthew Onderdonk, and Lin Carter. Memoirs include articles by E.A Edkins, James F. Morton, and Edward H. Cole. This version adds "HPL: The History" by Lin Carter and "The Research of a Biblio," an expanded version of the introduction by editor George Wetzel. Wetzel's bibliography (collected here) is "a landmark bibliography. The foundation for all subsequent work in the field." - Joshi III-B-35. Joshi III-C-26. Burgess, Reference Guide to Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror 372. A fine copy. Quite scarce. This is an excellent copy, clean and tight with only a few minor defects: corners creased a little, green endpapers yellowed around edges, and three darker stripes down the left side of the cover. This last is defect found in all copies as other descriptions I have read of copies for sale note this stripe.
SSR Publications, North Tonawanda, N. Y., 1955. Soft Cover. Book Condition: Near Fine. Limited. Size: 4to - over 9¾" - 12" tall. A fragile and rare book about a legend in the science fiction and fantasy genres, Howard Phillips Lovecraft: Memories, Critiques, & Bibliographies, published by SSR Publications, North Tonawanda, NY, 1955, edited by George Wetzel, 83 pages. Stapled manila wraps, mimeographed from typewritten copy, 8.1/2" x11" with title on right side of front cover running from bottom to top. This is one of 200 copies: "The majority of the material in this book is being simultaneously published as Volumes VI & VII of the Lovecraft Collector’s Library. The version of the Introduction in the Lovecraft Collector’s Library printing is extremely shortened and edited. It appears here in its original form. This volume has been published in an edition of 200 copies, in August 1955." Critiques include articles written by George Wetzel, Matthew Onderdonk, and Lin Carter. Memoirs include articles by E.A Edkins, James F. Morton, and Edward H. Cole. This version adds "HPL: The History" by Lin Carter and "The Research of a Biblio," an expanded version of the introduction by editor George Wetzel. Wetzel's bibliography (collected here) is "a landmark bibliography. The foundation for all subsequent work in the field." - Joshi III-B-35. Joshi III-C-26. Burgess, Reference Guide to Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror 372. A fine copy. Quite scarce. This is an excellent copy, clean and tight with only a few minor defects: corners creased a little, green endpapers yellowed around edges, and three darker stripes down the left side of the cover. This last is defect found in all copies as other descriptions I have read of copies for sale note this stripe.
Monday, October 12, 2009
More Fungii Not From Yuggoth
Seven new glowing mushroom species have been discovered in Belize, Brazil, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Japan, Malaysia and Puerto Rico.
More here:
http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2009/10/luminescent-mushrooms/
Chrispy will one day show off his fungus pix. In the meantime, as Halloween gets closer - beware the fungus! They may be watching, waiting, and ... ???
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Tillinghast Name (1933) in Providence
This item is fairly trivial, except that it shows the power of the Tillinghast name in Lovecraft's Providence.
_____
Providence RI Tillinghast, Stiles Co. Cotton Yarns 1933
The Tillinghast, Stiles Co.
1933
Old letterhead from The Tillinghast, Stiles Co. Cotton Yarns Providence, RI 1933. Document is original and in good condition. Measures 11 in. by 8 1/2 in.
Arkham ... uh, Brown University Research
What is Lovecraft's old, almost, alma mater up to today? Maybe his essence is still attending lectures with the ghost of Professor Upton?
Link:
http://particleastro.brown.edu/darkmatter.html
Science began as the human quest for knowledge and understanding. On a short-term scale, scientific research tells us what, when, where, and how. But as part of the big picture, the purpose of scientific inquiry is and always has been to answer the biggest question of all: why? ... more ...
Link:
http://particleastro.brown.edu/darkmatter.html
Science began as the human quest for knowledge and understanding. On a short-term scale, scientific research tells us what, when, where, and how. But as part of the big picture, the purpose of scientific inquiry is and always has been to answer the biggest question of all: why? ... more ...
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Where are the eldritich gods?
If Lovecraft were writing today, would he think of the eldritch gods as cyclopean, as gargantuan alien behemoths churning the waves or stomping about New England trampling rustics beneath their paws and claws?
Or would he reconsider that the truly alien is beyond our sight, but just as brain searing? Horton may have heard a Who, but just perhaps he also may have heard a piercing flute call from an sanity-void piping idiot from a dimension utterly small.
“It’s hard to explain such a huge number from any mathematical postulate or any physical principle,” says Greg Landsberg, a theoretical physicist at Brown University in Providence, R.I. “It’s a bit of an embarrassment for our field, because what it really means is, we don’t seem to understand gravity.”
Physicists now are beginning to realize that extra dimensions can be so small, trillions and trillions of times smaller than a millimeter. It will become pretty clear that large extra dimensions exist if a micro-sized black hole happens to appear in the Large Hadron Collider, or LHC, near Geneva. That’s because if gravity really is much stronger than expected at distances around a few micrometers or so, the LHC may be able to pack enough matter and energy into a small enough space that the system will automatically collapse into a black hole. But before anyone starts worrying about Geneva disappearing into a black hole, know that this gravitationally dense midget wouldn’t even cross the diameter of an atomic nucleus before disintegrating.
(So they hope!)
From:
September 26th, 2009; Vol.176 #7 / "Hunting Hidden Dimensions: Black holes, giant and tiny, may reveal new realms of space", Diana Steele (p. 22)
Or would he reconsider that the truly alien is beyond our sight, but just as brain searing? Horton may have heard a Who, but just perhaps he also may have heard a piercing flute call from an sanity-void piping idiot from a dimension utterly small.
“It’s hard to explain such a huge number from any mathematical postulate or any physical principle,” says Greg Landsberg, a theoretical physicist at Brown University in Providence, R.I. “It’s a bit of an embarrassment for our field, because what it really means is, we don’t seem to understand gravity.”
Physicists now are beginning to realize that extra dimensions can be so small, trillions and trillions of times smaller than a millimeter. It will become pretty clear that large extra dimensions exist if a micro-sized black hole happens to appear in the Large Hadron Collider, or LHC, near Geneva. That’s because if gravity really is much stronger than expected at distances around a few micrometers or so, the LHC may be able to pack enough matter and energy into a small enough space that the system will automatically collapse into a black hole. But before anyone starts worrying about Geneva disappearing into a black hole, know that this gravitationally dense midget wouldn’t even cross the diameter of an atomic nucleus before disintegrating.
(So they hope!)
From:
September 26th, 2009; Vol.176 #7 / "Hunting Hidden Dimensions: Black holes, giant and tiny, may reveal new realms of space", Diana Steele (p. 22)
Friday, October 09, 2009
More Alienness Amongst Us
I feel that much of what Lovecraft communicated via his fiction was our inadequacy at facing alienness. He had his personal trauma at facing human alienness, and that translated into encounters with cyclopean verminous things that propelled charatcers to madness.
I like to find and challenge my own psche with alieness, and so share with you dear, faithful readers.
Enormous sheets of a mucus-like material have begun forming more often, oozing into new regions.
The link:
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/10/091008-giant-sea-mucus-blobs.html
Maybe we'd better understand more about the aliens among us before we get a wild hair and traipse about Titan, Europa, or Mars? - Chrispy.
I like to find and challenge my own psche with alieness, and so share with you dear, faithful readers.
Enormous sheets of a mucus-like material have begun forming more often, oozing into new regions.
The link:
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/10/091008-giant-sea-mucus-blobs.html
Maybe we'd better understand more about the aliens among us before we get a wild hair and traipse about Titan, Europa, or Mars? - Chrispy.
John Derbyshire
Here's the link!
More from the Eldritch Swamp [John Derbyshire]
Thinking about H. P. Lovecraft now, I'm kicking myself for having totally left him out of my book. In his own fictional way, Lovecraft was a great apostle of gloom — a gloominary (p. 251 of Doomed).
More, click ...
Thursday, October 08, 2009
Lovecraft, Sugar, and Salt.
Those of us who are totally immersed and insanely absorbed into the trivia of HPL's life know he liked syrupy sweet coffee. Who knows if a writer's five senses affect or influence writing? I don't recall that Lovecraft ever wrote about coffee or sugar in his fiction, but his friends sure recalled his "caffe lovecraftia".
A letter to the editor of Chemical and Engineering News of 7 September 2009 discusses saltiness, sweetness, and taste bud receptors. I'll minimize the science-speak and say that both the size of the sodium chloride crystals (salt) and dilution amount highly influenced how the taste buds reacted to the solution.
I immediately thought of how my grandparents salted their watermelon to make it taste sweeter. It actually did work. As a chemist I wondered if the salt exploded the cell walls and released the fructose in an explosion of taste. Then later, I learned that salt (on the tongue) is a de-bitterizing agent. Small additions of salt make a bitter item less bitter. For instance adding it to broccoli, carrots, or tomato juice lessens the tartness and ascerbic taste of vegetables. Have you ever seen anyone salt the living daylights out of their food? (Grab the high blood pressure pills! But that's not the subject at hand.)
Very dilute concentrations of salt do not taste salty at all. They taste sweet. The sweetness sets of taste-buds which are scattered somewhat randomly over the surface of the tongue, and are referred to by the technobabblish term T1R2-T1R3. As the sensors on the taste bud activate, the dilute saltiness washes over and does not signal "saltiness" but douse mimic "sweetness".
I propose that Lovecraft used enormous amounts of sugar in his coffee as a response to the bitterness of the coffee available. Somewhere along the line, he developed a taste for coffee, but his impoverishment and availability of coffee in the restaurants he patronized forced him into using dreggishly bitter coffee. His antidote was not to get immune to the taste but probably to camouflage it with sugar – his only available antidote.
I'm become a bit of a wimp when it comes to coffee. I don't use sugar myself, and use artificial sweeteners. If you have never used an artificial sweetener, it comes as a shock. It has a repugnant aftertaste, but after a month of so, the tongue trains the brain to ignore the aftertaste and only recognize the sweetness. Now, sugary cokes (actually corn syrup fructose in the US) taste sweet and sticky to me, while artificial sweeteners taste sweet and light.
In addition, I only like fresh coffee. So at home, I grab it after it stops dripping, and remove it from the burner. If it gets cold, I microwave it, but the oils don't have a chance to break down. Again, it tastes sweeter to me when fresh.
One can imagine the late 1920's cafeteria. The coffee would bake into a syrup on slow moving days. They probably used very little chicory, and as the depression deepened into the 1930's, the coffee became cheaper, weaker, and probably the grounds were reused a few times to stretch it out?
OK, enough about Mr. Lovecraft and coffee for the time being. :)
A letter to the editor of Chemical and Engineering News of 7 September 2009 discusses saltiness, sweetness, and taste bud receptors. I'll minimize the science-speak and say that both the size of the sodium chloride crystals (salt) and dilution amount highly influenced how the taste buds reacted to the solution.
I immediately thought of how my grandparents salted their watermelon to make it taste sweeter. It actually did work. As a chemist I wondered if the salt exploded the cell walls and released the fructose in an explosion of taste. Then later, I learned that salt (on the tongue) is a de-bitterizing agent. Small additions of salt make a bitter item less bitter. For instance adding it to broccoli, carrots, or tomato juice lessens the tartness and ascerbic taste of vegetables. Have you ever seen anyone salt the living daylights out of their food? (Grab the high blood pressure pills! But that's not the subject at hand.)
Very dilute concentrations of salt do not taste salty at all. They taste sweet. The sweetness sets of taste-buds which are scattered somewhat randomly over the surface of the tongue, and are referred to by the technobabblish term T1R2-T1R3. As the sensors on the taste bud activate, the dilute saltiness washes over and does not signal "saltiness" but douse mimic "sweetness".
I propose that Lovecraft used enormous amounts of sugar in his coffee as a response to the bitterness of the coffee available. Somewhere along the line, he developed a taste for coffee, but his impoverishment and availability of coffee in the restaurants he patronized forced him into using dreggishly bitter coffee. His antidote was not to get immune to the taste but probably to camouflage it with sugar – his only available antidote.
I'm become a bit of a wimp when it comes to coffee. I don't use sugar myself, and use artificial sweeteners. If you have never used an artificial sweetener, it comes as a shock. It has a repugnant aftertaste, but after a month of so, the tongue trains the brain to ignore the aftertaste and only recognize the sweetness. Now, sugary cokes (actually corn syrup fructose in the US) taste sweet and sticky to me, while artificial sweeteners taste sweet and light.
In addition, I only like fresh coffee. So at home, I grab it after it stops dripping, and remove it from the burner. If it gets cold, I microwave it, but the oils don't have a chance to break down. Again, it tastes sweeter to me when fresh.
One can imagine the late 1920's cafeteria. The coffee would bake into a syrup on slow moving days. They probably used very little chicory, and as the depression deepened into the 1930's, the coffee became cheaper, weaker, and probably the grounds were reused a few times to stretch it out?
OK, enough about Mr. Lovecraft and coffee for the time being. :)
Wednesday, October 07, 2009
David Wilcock
Site:
https://divinecosmos.com/
and show was Coast to Coast AM
I was listening to David Wilcock, and as I sometimes perceive, he was using a lot of what we would call Lovecraftian cosmicism as basis for his concepts. There are forces and creatures out there far beyond our mortal kin. That we can evolve rapidly - inferring we could also devolve, too.
Coast to Coast is on most AM markets, and available for download - I pat a small fee for that convenience - but I also think you can get snippets free. Sample it sometime.
Wilcock seems to be a taleneted performer, as well. A lot of his videos are on youtube.
https://divinecosmos.com/
and show was Coast to Coast AM
I was listening to David Wilcock, and as I sometimes perceive, he was using a lot of what we would call Lovecraftian cosmicism as basis for his concepts. There are forces and creatures out there far beyond our mortal kin. That we can evolve rapidly - inferring we could also devolve, too.
Coast to Coast is on most AM markets, and available for download - I pat a small fee for that convenience - but I also think you can get snippets free. Sample it sometime.
Wilcock seems to be a taleneted performer, as well. A lot of his videos are on youtube.
HP Lovecraft Band at Filmore
H.P. LOVECRAFT FILLMORE ORIG CONCERT POSTER AD 1967 (?)
Product: Concert Ads
Dimensions: 11x18 inches
Date: 1967
Full page newspaper concert ad for HP Lovecraft at the Fillmore at the Fillmore. 11x18 inches. Original ad.
Tuesday, October 06, 2009
FTC
If you give Chrispy a little time, I will set up a little statement.
If you're curious, most of my disclosures are under "interlude" posts, see the links. However, except for an occasional e-ARC or book sent to me, I buy most of my books and the Ebay and LW Currey stuff are almost always noted in the texts. Please email me if you have complaints or concerns about my comments (you usually do!). All typos are my own, heh. I do all this for free - yeah, really. No corporate sponsors. Somewhere I tried to do a google ad thingy which failed miserably. It may have made $4 and so google can keep that. Everything else I do out of friendship and HPL significance, or to sometimes promote me. (It is my blog too Mr. Lovecraft, heh.).
I'll also make a note soon about the future direction of the HPLblog. Don't panic, it's just that so many other people are HPLing, I need to refine my posts to make them more Chrispified.
Peace!
:)
_____
The Federal Trade Commission on Monday took steps to make product information and online reviews more accurate for consumers, regulating blogging for the first time and mandating that testimonials reflect typical results.
The FTC will require that writers on the Web clearly disclose any freebies or payments they get from companies for reviewing their products. The commission also said advertisers featuring testimonials that claim dramatic results cannot hide behind disclaimers that the results aren't typical.
The FTC said its commissioners voted 4-0 to approve the final guidelines, which had been expected. The guides are not binding law, but rather interpretations of law that hope to help advertisers comply with regulations. Violating the rules, which take effect Dec. 1, could result in various sanctions including a lawsuit.
Testimonials have to spell out what consumers should expect to experience with their products. Previously, companies had just included disclaimers when results were out of the ordinary — such as a large weight loss — noting that the experience was not typical for all customers.
Testimonial advertisements can be effective for consumers since they show others talking about their experiences, giving hope to the consumer that they'll have that experience too. But they are misleading to consumers if they don't disclose what they should truly expect to experience, the commission said.
For bloggers, the FTC stopped short of specifying how they must disclose conflicts of interest. Rich Cleland, assistant director of the FTC's advertising practices division, said the disclosure must be "clear and conspicuous," no matter what form it will take.
Bloggers have long praised or panned products and services online. But what some consumers might not know is that many companies pay reviewers for their write-ups or give them free products such as toys or computers or trips to Disneyland. In contrast, at traditional journalism outlets, products borrowed for reviews generally have to be returned.
Before the FTC gave notice last November it was going to regulate such endorsements, blogs varied in the level of disclosures about these potential conflicts of interest.
The FTC's proposal made many bloggers anxious. They said the scrutiny would make them nervous about posting even innocent comments.
To placate such fears, Cleland noted that the FTC's enforcement priorities make it more likely an advertiser would be targeted for disclosure or testimonial violations than a blogger. The exception would be a blogger who runs a "substantial" operation that violates FTC rules and already received a warning, he said.
Existing FTC rules already banned deceptive and unfair business practices. The final guidelines aim to clarify the law for the vast world of blogging. Not since 1980 had the commission revised its guidelines on endorsements and testimonials.
Jack Gillis, a spokesman for the Consumer Federation of America, thinks the FTC doesn't go far enough to protect consumers from unethical bloggers.
"Consumers are increasingly dependent on the Internet for purchase information," he said. "There's tremendous opportunity to steer consumers to the wrong direction."
The consumer advocacy group said lack of disclosure is a big problem in blogs. To mainly crack down on companies that give out freebies or pay bloggers won't always solve the problem. By going after bloggers as well, "you put far more pressure on them to behave properly," Gillis said.
Cleland said a blogger who receives a freebie without the advertiser knowing would not violate FTC guidelines. For example, someone who gets a free bag of dog food as part of a promotion from a pet shop wouldn't violate FTC guidelines if he writes about the product on his blog.
Blogger Linsey Krolik said she's always disclosed any freebies she's received on products she writes about, but has stepped up her efforts since last fall. She said she adds a notice at the end of a post, "very clear in italics or bold or something — this is the deal. It's not kind of buried."
As for testimonials, the new guidelines amount to changing the rules in the middle of the game, said Daniel Fabricant, interim executive director and CEO of the Natural Products Association, a trade group for nutritional supplements and natural products manufacturers and retailers.
He said the new rules probably won't change ads for his members, but it will leave them wondering what the FTC considers "typical" results. He said the FTC needs to define what those are.
"I don't think they've done that," he said. "The results you see in clinics are going to be in some degree different from what you see in the consumer."
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hkwZoioSbjzxT0I75HWiZSvFrAXAD9B5A9100
If you're curious, most of my disclosures are under "interlude" posts, see the links. However, except for an occasional e-ARC or book sent to me, I buy most of my books and the Ebay and LW Currey stuff are almost always noted in the texts. Please email me if you have complaints or concerns about my comments (you usually do!). All typos are my own, heh. I do all this for free - yeah, really. No corporate sponsors. Somewhere I tried to do a google ad thingy which failed miserably. It may have made $4 and so google can keep that. Everything else I do out of friendship and HPL significance, or to sometimes promote me. (It is my blog too Mr. Lovecraft, heh.).
I'll also make a note soon about the future direction of the HPLblog. Don't panic, it's just that so many other people are HPLing, I need to refine my posts to make them more Chrispified.
Peace!
:)
_____
The Federal Trade Commission on Monday took steps to make product information and online reviews more accurate for consumers, regulating blogging for the first time and mandating that testimonials reflect typical results.
The FTC will require that writers on the Web clearly disclose any freebies or payments they get from companies for reviewing their products. The commission also said advertisers featuring testimonials that claim dramatic results cannot hide behind disclaimers that the results aren't typical.
The FTC said its commissioners voted 4-0 to approve the final guidelines, which had been expected. The guides are not binding law, but rather interpretations of law that hope to help advertisers comply with regulations. Violating the rules, which take effect Dec. 1, could result in various sanctions including a lawsuit.
Testimonials have to spell out what consumers should expect to experience with their products. Previously, companies had just included disclaimers when results were out of the ordinary — such as a large weight loss — noting that the experience was not typical for all customers.
Testimonial advertisements can be effective for consumers since they show others talking about their experiences, giving hope to the consumer that they'll have that experience too. But they are misleading to consumers if they don't disclose what they should truly expect to experience, the commission said.
For bloggers, the FTC stopped short of specifying how they must disclose conflicts of interest. Rich Cleland, assistant director of the FTC's advertising practices division, said the disclosure must be "clear and conspicuous," no matter what form it will take.
Bloggers have long praised or panned products and services online. But what some consumers might not know is that many companies pay reviewers for their write-ups or give them free products such as toys or computers or trips to Disneyland. In contrast, at traditional journalism outlets, products borrowed for reviews generally have to be returned.
Before the FTC gave notice last November it was going to regulate such endorsements, blogs varied in the level of disclosures about these potential conflicts of interest.
The FTC's proposal made many bloggers anxious. They said the scrutiny would make them nervous about posting even innocent comments.
To placate such fears, Cleland noted that the FTC's enforcement priorities make it more likely an advertiser would be targeted for disclosure or testimonial violations than a blogger. The exception would be a blogger who runs a "substantial" operation that violates FTC rules and already received a warning, he said.
Existing FTC rules already banned deceptive and unfair business practices. The final guidelines aim to clarify the law for the vast world of blogging. Not since 1980 had the commission revised its guidelines on endorsements and testimonials.
Jack Gillis, a spokesman for the Consumer Federation of America, thinks the FTC doesn't go far enough to protect consumers from unethical bloggers.
"Consumers are increasingly dependent on the Internet for purchase information," he said. "There's tremendous opportunity to steer consumers to the wrong direction."
The consumer advocacy group said lack of disclosure is a big problem in blogs. To mainly crack down on companies that give out freebies or pay bloggers won't always solve the problem. By going after bloggers as well, "you put far more pressure on them to behave properly," Gillis said.
Cleland said a blogger who receives a freebie without the advertiser knowing would not violate FTC guidelines. For example, someone who gets a free bag of dog food as part of a promotion from a pet shop wouldn't violate FTC guidelines if he writes about the product on his blog.
Blogger Linsey Krolik said she's always disclosed any freebies she's received on products she writes about, but has stepped up her efforts since last fall. She said she adds a notice at the end of a post, "very clear in italics or bold or something — this is the deal. It's not kind of buried."
As for testimonials, the new guidelines amount to changing the rules in the middle of the game, said Daniel Fabricant, interim executive director and CEO of the Natural Products Association, a trade group for nutritional supplements and natural products manufacturers and retailers.
He said the new rules probably won't change ads for his members, but it will leave them wondering what the FTC considers "typical" results. He said the FTC needs to define what those are.
"I don't think they've done that," he said. "The results you see in clinics are going to be in some degree different from what you see in the consumer."
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hkwZoioSbjzxT0I75HWiZSvFrAXAD9B5A9100
Live at Filmore 1968
And they were probably reading:
1968 - PRINTING OF H.P.LOVECRAFT - 'THE STRANGE CASE OF CHARLES DEXTER WARD" - PUBLISHED by BELMONT (92-617)
Monday, October 05, 2009
Original Album 1968
H P Lovecraft II, in a front laminated gatefold sleeve, stereo pressing, original 1968 pressing (SBL 7872)
Sunday, October 04, 2009
H P Lovecraft: The Band
Chrispy has been too long mentioning the band HP Lovecraft, so from time to time we'll show some Ebay images of promotions for the classic tours.
The Seller states: original blank back Bill Graham handbill BG #119. It measures approx. 5" x 7" and is printed on light card stock. This handbill features Loading Zone, Chrome Syrcus, H.P. Lovecraft and Tiny Tim. Show dates were May 9-11 1968. The artist was Weisser. This handbill has been very carefully preserved for over 40 years and has had only one owner, who was given the handbills before the band shows while living in San Fransisco during the late 60's.
Saturday, October 03, 2009
Lovecraft News Network
http://www.lovecraftnewsnetwork.blogspot.com/
They look like they're geared up to do some cool stuff. Check them out.
They look like they're geared up to do some cool stuff. Check them out.
Loveman Mentioned in Dance Magazine
Dance Observer 1935
Loveman's Portion:
New York Dynamics by Samuel Loveman
Ambrose Bierce
George Sterling
George Antheil
Ezra Pound
Carnegie Hall
Gertrude Stein
_____
Entire Contents
Summer 1935 Dance Observer magazine
with Ruth Page on cover
featuring the following stars and topics
_____
Ruth Page by Louis Horst
Drawing of Ruth Page by Aline Fruhauf with photo
Pavlova
Adolph Bolm
Irving Berlin
Cecchetti
Diaghileff
Jorg Fasting
Prokofieff
Gershwin
Stravinsky
Mompou
Wolf
Villa-Lobos
Scott
Harald Kreutzberg
Aaron Copland
Ibert
William Grant Still
Modern Dance in the Theatre by Sara Mildred Strauss
Doris Humphrey
Charles Weidman
Editorial Board
Henry Gilfond
Louis Horst
Martha Hill
Mary Jo Shelly
Ralph Taylor
Gervaise N Butler
Winthrop Sargeant
Syd Brenner
Max Sacks
Mervin Levy
Editorials
New Dance League
William Dollar
Modern Recitals
The Pre Classic Dance Forms
VII - The Minuet by Louis Horst
Dance Reviews
Men in the Dance by Ralph Taylor
William Matons
Ad Bates
Irving Lansky
Ted Shawn
William Dollar
Charles Weidman
Jose Limon
Gene Martel
Roger Pryor Dodge
Ludwig Le Febre
Kenneth Bostock
Vivian Wall by Gervaise N Butler
Tecla Von Osten
Marion Scatena
Modern Recitals by Henry Gilfond
Jerome Andrews
Elna Lillback
Emily Hewlett
Folk Dance Festival by Henry Gilfond
New York Dynamics by Samuel Loveman
Ambrose Bierce
George Sterling
George Antheil
Ezra Pound
Carnegie Hall
Gertrude Stein
Dance in the Phillipines by Carmen Kleinman
Louis Horst
The Igorrotes
Letters
Why Not Taps by Jack Blue
Modern May Day by Mary A Holton
Books
Tap Dances For School and Recreation by Ane Schley Duggan
Character Dances For School Programs by Hilda C Kozman
Demonstration Handbook of Olympia Through the Ages by Harriet V Fitchpatrick and Florence Chilson
School and College Notes
Doris Humphrey
Barbara Page
Ruth Bloomer
John Landsbury
S Stephenson Smith
Marian Knighton
Alice Marting
Dorothy Sterrett
Sterling Morton
Helen Knight
Correspondents Notes
Selma Silverman
William Garrett
Jerrie Meyer
Hanya Holm
Mary Wigman
Benjamin Zemach
Michio Ito
Teru
Serge Oukrainsky
Eduard du Buron
Miriam Winslow
Ted Shawn
Dorothy Sammis
Pauline Chellis
Hans Weiner
Dance and Studio Notes
Charles Weidman
Blanche Evan
Ruth Allerhand
Tamiris
Klarna Pinska
Anna Sokolow
Sophie Maslow
Lil Liandre
John Pryor Dodge
Marjorie Smiley
Virginia Mishnun
Lillian Shapero
Ludwig Lefebre
Jane Dudley
Edna Ocko
Gladys Ryland
Marian Van Tuyl
Douglas G Campbell
Elizabeth Selden
Ralph Emerson Welles
Henry Cowell
Henrietta Greenhood
Theodore Smith
Delia Hussey
Marion MacLeod
Sophia Delza
Sara Mildred Strauss
Phyllis and Irene Marmein
Directory
Grace Burroughs
Pauline Chellis
Hans Wiener
Terry Bauer
Dolores Hayward
Fe Alf
Jerome Andrews
Bonstelle
Rose Crystal
Dalcroze
Elizabeth Delza
Elsa Findlay
Fischer and Bro
Martha Graham
Ryllis Hasoutra
Hanya Holm
Louis Horst
Doris Humphrey
Ellen Kearns
Kohana
Hazel Kranz
Elna Lillback
Gabriella Lobl
Sylvia London
Sylvia Manning
Gene Martel
Mikhail Mordkin
Ray Moses
Klarna Pinska
Albertina Rasch
Repertory
Loma Roberts
Schirmer
Lillian Shapero
Sara Strauss
Edwin Strawbridge
Tamiris
Peggy Taylor
Charles Weidman
Wigman
Joan Woodruff
Eugene Von Grona
Carol Beals
Advertisements
I Cover the Bookfront
Harvey Gaul
American Dalcroze Institute
Pacific Coast Music News
Musical West
Agneta Slany School
Blanche Evan
Paco Cansino
Kiniya Colony and Club
Sara Mildred Strauss
Cornish School
Martha Graham School
Wigman School
Ballets Jooss
Academy of Allied Arts
Ruth Allerhand
Perry Mansfield
Pauline Chellis
Friday, October 02, 2009
The Saturnian (Loveman)
Recently seen auction for these rare items
THE SATURNIAN - 2 Issues (1921/22) ed Samuel Loveman
Seller's notes:
Two of the three issues of the little magazine THE SATURNIAN: A Journal of Art and Literature, edited and published by Samuel LOVEMAN (Cleveland, OH.) - longtime friend and correspondent of H. P. LOVECRAFT, including:
AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 1921 (Vol. 1 No. 2)
A Prefatory Note, Twenty-four Translations from Heine, Comment. * FAIR-GOOD, appears to be missing its covers, shelf-soiling to front, faint creasing, pencil notation (possibly Loveman’s) on comment page.
MARCH 1922 (Vol. 1 No. 3)
Modern Poetry (An Exorcism), Translations from Baudelaire, Translations from Verlaine, Four Poems, Ernest Nelson (In Memoriam), Comment (“This issue of “The Saturnian” is inscribed in fealty, as in friendship, to the three following: W. Paul Cook, Sonia H. Greene, and Howard P. Lovecraft.”). * NEAR FINE, faint shelf-soiling to front. 20 pages.
“In 1917 HPL [Lovecraft] wrote to Loveman (then stationed in Fort Gordon, Georgia) expressing admiration for his verse. At HPL’s urging Loveman begain contributing again to the amateur press, publishing three issues of his own little magazine, THE SATURNIAN (June-July 1921, August-September 1921, March 1922), containing his own poems as well as his translations from Heine, Baudelaire, and Verlaine…”
Thursday, October 01, 2009
Was Lovecraft "Providence"?
Lovecraft's crisis in New York made him declare, "I am Providence". Indeed, Providence seemed to permeate through his pores, but what Providence?
In the 1920's, he rarely was able to come to terms with the politics and sociology of what Providence was becoming. In a sense, he was Providence of an earlier era, an imagined era, a Providence through very special and eclectic set of glasses.
Much as a promoter or Convention Center promotes a community in the best light, Lovecraft painted elements of Providence in a very unique way. Others living in Providence might not have noticed the Providence of Lovecraft. Over many posts, Chrispy has shown early 20th century Providence Italian families, factories, commercial areas, newspaper ads, and more. Providence's population exploded between 1900 and 1930. Imigrants and others swarmed into Providence, but Lovecraft didn't come into great contact. He didn't go to Burlesque. He walked at night thus avoiding much of the hoi poloi.
No, Providence wasn't New York, but in a real sense it was becoming a little New York. Only it was easier to avoid this traumatic change living in isolated College Hill.
In The Italian-American Vote in Providence, Rhode Island, 1916-1948 by
Stefano Luconi, we see, "Rhode Island distinguished itself as an example of political atavism, clinging to an archaic system that muted the public voice of many citizens. State property qualifications denied the vote to poor and working-class immigrants in all elections until 1888 and in city council contests until 1930." Lovecraft blanched at the Italians, but "The voters also maintained a strong devotion to their homeland, as Democrats discovered in 1920 when Italian Americans sided overwhelmingly with the GOP, expressing their contempt for Woodrow Wilson’s refusal to accede to Italy’s demands at the Versailles Conference. Though most commentators have viewed Rhode Island’s Italians as predominantly Republican before the 1930s, Luconi found that from 1916-1930 the majority of Italian voters probably supported the Democratic ticket. Neither party could take the Italians for granted, however, as the ethnic group paid close attention to what each party was doing for it in terms of jobs and policies."
The Italian conclave was mostly located in Federal Hill, but this is as much "Providence" as other areas of Providence. It was not the preferred Provdence of Lovecraft, and his encounters through direct and indirect methods braced his own political and ideological opinions more often than not.
This blog has numerous details of population and "settings in ligfe" to be able to contrast and compare to Lovecraft's world. Please take a few moments sometime and search for an area your interested in.
In the 1920's, he rarely was able to come to terms with the politics and sociology of what Providence was becoming. In a sense, he was Providence of an earlier era, an imagined era, a Providence through very special and eclectic set of glasses.
Much as a promoter or Convention Center promotes a community in the best light, Lovecraft painted elements of Providence in a very unique way. Others living in Providence might not have noticed the Providence of Lovecraft. Over many posts, Chrispy has shown early 20th century Providence Italian families, factories, commercial areas, newspaper ads, and more. Providence's population exploded between 1900 and 1930. Imigrants and others swarmed into Providence, but Lovecraft didn't come into great contact. He didn't go to Burlesque. He walked at night thus avoiding much of the hoi poloi.
No, Providence wasn't New York, but in a real sense it was becoming a little New York. Only it was easier to avoid this traumatic change living in isolated College Hill.
In The Italian-American Vote in Providence, Rhode Island, 1916-1948 by
Stefano Luconi, we see, "Rhode Island distinguished itself as an example of political atavism, clinging to an archaic system that muted the public voice of many citizens. State property qualifications denied the vote to poor and working-class immigrants in all elections until 1888 and in city council contests until 1930." Lovecraft blanched at the Italians, but "The voters also maintained a strong devotion to their homeland, as Democrats discovered in 1920 when Italian Americans sided overwhelmingly with the GOP, expressing their contempt for Woodrow Wilson’s refusal to accede to Italy’s demands at the Versailles Conference. Though most commentators have viewed Rhode Island’s Italians as predominantly Republican before the 1930s, Luconi found that from 1916-1930 the majority of Italian voters probably supported the Democratic ticket. Neither party could take the Italians for granted, however, as the ethnic group paid close attention to what each party was doing for it in terms of jobs and policies."
The Italian conclave was mostly located in Federal Hill, but this is as much "Providence" as other areas of Providence. It was not the preferred Provdence of Lovecraft, and his encounters through direct and indirect methods braced his own political and ideological opinions more often than not.
This blog has numerous details of population and "settings in ligfe" to be able to contrast and compare to Lovecraft's world. Please take a few moments sometime and search for an area your interested in.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Facebook:
