A Trip to the Used Book Store

Due to the economic "Great Recession" and the fact that our house is now packed with books tighter than a can of sardines, we're beginning to slow down book buying.

Back last year when the "Haunt" (Larry Roberts, Shane Ryan Staley) was still in rave function, and before it was pared back late last year, I often ogled the massive libraries of some of the antiquarian collectors, but mostly - like dear Larry Roberts - marvelled at how immaculate and neat their collections were. Then I would look at my unruly stacks and crowded - nay overhanging and tumbled off - book shelves. *sigh*

However, I digress.

Today, at the Westport Road Half-Price Bookstore, I saw a book that was somewaht overpriced, but I do like to support book stores, and do like to stimulate the economy - the LOCAL economy - and I did have a 15% off coupon (that was declined, becuase they offered me a 20% discount to refill out my email card).

It is (was?) the Fantastic Swordsmen, ed. by the late, and sometimes maligned, L. Sprague de Camp.

Since college, I've been a sucker for all things Robert E Howard, and to have a 50 cent Pyramid book in my hands again, ahhh (were books once 50 cents? Yes, I remember those days and the paperback racks at the drug store well).

Pyramid ^ R-1621 50c
THE FANTASTIC
SWORDSMEN

CONAN-ELAK-BRAK-ELRIC
the mightiest warrors of legend and saga in tales of weird heroic fantasy

The cover screams! Even had I seen this in 1967, as an 11 year old, I think I would have said, "Hype!".

But, I looked at the murky, unsigned (Jack Gaugan?), barbarian ensnagged by water-soaked tentacles of some green, alien Kraken and I rhapsodized in my mind of squids. Then, I spun the book over (encased in a plastic polybag, and taped shut, also marked $2.00) and read further :

Storming the gates of Hell for glory, plunder, or fair ladies - warring with wizards, setting slashing swords against sinister spells, might against magic {Did Stan Lee write this copy?} - here are THE FANTASTIC SWORDSMEN in eight incomparable tales of heroic fantasy by Robert E. Howard {hmm, so far so good}, H. P. Lovecraft, Robert Bloch, Henry Kuttner, and other masters of the weird adventure.

Uh, H. P. Lovecraft? Sword and Sorcery?

I wanted to rip open the scotch tape right then and there and figure out which sword slashing hero I'd missed by the pencil of Lovecraft. Was there something that de Camp knew, but the legions of Lovecrfatians have kept hidden away all these years?

I thought, Randolph Carter? No. The Batrachian Prince of Innsmouth? No. The Hound? My curiosity was up, and so like buying a $2.00 lottery ticket {which I actually don't do since gambling is against my faith}, I put it into my green "save the earth" chinese-made recycle-book- bag, and ran off down the aisle in search of other bargains heedless of where in the world I'd put them when I got home.

Before I tell you which story and hope you don't go off to "Da Google" it, I will mention that I did stumble across - in the magazine racks - 50 cent copies of late 1980's F&SF (The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction). There were thirteen stuffed in a bin made for time magazines, and so I rescued them. I used to get them all back in the day, and was 95% usually disappointed at many of the stories as being sad retreads of ideas since SF was quickly hitting the wall in the 1970's and 1980's.

And of course, thus why the very clever L. Sprague de Camp, came along with his colleague Lin Carter, and a few others, and dusted off REH's stories, mixed a little Kuttner in, and added some new, pretty interesting characters, and launched (some might say rescued from the cliff of oblivion) high fantasy fiction.

Of course, well nigh 45 years later, the Sword and Sorcery genre is limping like an wizened beggar, except for those sales from die hards, now grown up teenagers of the 70's - and ow VAMPIRE FANTASY is all the rage.

OK, Ok, back to the answer.

"The Other Gods". (dated 14 August 1921)

Here is a Wikipedia article on it:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Other_Gods

deCamp writes a lengthy article prefacing each story, but no time to type it or excerpt it right now save to mention this pericope, "...of the fifty-two stories he sold, they lie in two groups ... Cthulhu Mythos ... and the Kadath stories...".

Very interesting theory.

There is more historicity in the preface to the story, but that shall have to wait until a later entry.

One more point, there is a MAP of "The Dreamland of H.P. Lovecraft", if you can believe that. This and the others in the book were done (anonymously?) by Jack Gaughan (1930–1985).

Well considering inflation, and 20% off, I guess $1.60 for a 50 cent, 1967, paperback isn't too bad for a piece of history.

-Chrispy.

Ah, the Wondrous Google! And "The Great Meadow Hill"

[If this disappears before it posts, the link is at
http://comics.com/pearls_before_swine/2010-01-03/]

Much to my own shame, I'm a "Pearls Before Swine" fan. How did this happen to ME? As a child I was addicted to Charles Schulz' Peanuts, a strip about the depressing life of a child. Now, as an adult, I'm addicted to "the strip about death".

But, I digress. Unable to travel much, I make a lot of trips via "Da Google" as I read through Lovecraft's Life and Letters.
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[To Kleiner 11 August 1921]
...O condition most rare! ... the telephone rang [it was] Harold Bateman Munroe ... we were soon rattling over roads ... an excursion to Taunton & Rehoboth ... the climax came when we sought the ruins of our old "country clubhouse on Great Meadow Hill.

Now, we wonder if Kleiner wondered where this was? Chrispy sure did. I did a search, and was stunned. From Angell Street it's at least 8.4 miles into Massachusetts with a few boys on bicycles in 1906!! We have to recall that today we have 300 Million people in the United States, but in 1900 it was 76 Million, soon to be 92 Million in 1910. This was pretty sparse, rural area one suspects - Lovecraft alludes to it ... "much had changed - saplings had grown into trees, rd houses had been pained white, an old mill had tumbled down, & many verdant meads had become defaced bythe sites & hovels of Italians & Portuguese ... yet more was still unchanged ..." (In 1920 there were 106 million in the United States).

I located as best I could the area on Google - and while it's greatly developed, one imagines that it was very sparsely populated then. The clubhouse was assisted by a local resident.

[To the Gallomo, 31 August 1921] "... our youth came upon us a flame ... we seemed to see the old gang ... Ron, & Ken, & Stuart, with the fresh faces and clear eyes of youth ... [our] clubhouse ... [an enlarged] old wood-cutter's shanty ..."


[As usual, the images should expand if you click them. I hope!]






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From a posting on the Ebayeum ... Early 1900's PC Someone wrote in gold ink on front of card - Greetings From REHOBOTH MASS with view of sheep in a park ... One suspects this is very similar to what the boys would see as today there is a great parkland near the location.

Below, I found two obscure references to the location.

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Mr. Joshi in Letters to Kleiner footnote 3 on page 212 refers to "In another letter (SL 1.146) HPL identifies this man as James Kay. Well was I off on a goosechase! Luckily I have both SL I, and Letters to Galpin. The letter in SL I is #86, and is very abridged. Mr. Joshi obviously did have access to the original, for in Letters to Galpin p. 97 we read the excised portion that includes the man's name, "...at wheeler's cornerwe turned from the level pike ... up the long slope we jolted, past the last farmhouse - the mournful old Moore place ... to the forest that marks the neighbourhood of the summit ..." and "... built with the aid of old james kay the civil war veteran ... James Kay was a splendid mason who had worked on carolina fortifications during the war. he died long ago, God rest him, but we felt his work would survive his body."

One assumes some math - 41 years passed between 1865 and 1906, making Kay well passing 60 at the time. 15 more years had passed prior to Munroe and Lovecraft's visit. I did a brief google search, but someone with ancestry.com should have more luck tracking down Mr. kay. Email me Chrispy if you do.

Later I will try to compile both reports as one narrative, as I still believe that HPL often wrote these trips up as diary entries, and then reproduced it for correspondents as needed, spinning to this or that individual.


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Horton Signal

Location: Intersection of Brook and Chestnut Streets.

History: This high hilltop was the site of a lookout and a signal beacon during the Revolutionary War. Today, the town is heavily wooded so it is difficult to imagine the view as seen in Colonial times. During the Revolution, most of the town was cleared into farm land. This allowed a sentinel to see Bristol, RI., and Narragansett Bay, where the British were threatening to attack the American rebels. The next beacon site that could be seen was Great Meadow Hill in North Rehoboth.

Most likely, wood fires were set at each site as a signal system that reached from Rhode Island northwards. The signals alerted local Militia men, known as Minutemen, to British attacks. At the foot of Horton signal on Brook Street stood a "Liberty Tree," a great pal tree where the Militia gathered in times of emergency before marching to the battle.

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Settlement Pattern: There were no documented native Contact Period sites. A probable Contact Period vil 1 age site was reported opposite the Steven's Corner cemetery, near the junction of two suspected major native routes(recorded artifacts included one copper projectile point). A possible period burial was reputed to have been situated on the north side of Davis Street approximately midway between Mason and First Streets. Additional native settlement was 1 i kely adjacent to the Anawan trail and Palmer River and the Anawan Rock, a convenient rockshelter, and Great Meadow Hill. The last was utilized as a refuge by Anawan(Pokanoket sub-chief under Philip) and his followers shortly after thedeath of King Philip. A large number of unidentified native sitesclustered about Shad Factory Pond and north and south of the pond alongthe Palmer River are potential period sites. The pond area is apdrticul arly promising site for native settlement since herring spawnannually at the head of the pond. The excel lent agricul tural landeast of Manwhague Swamp probably encouraged native occupation of thisdrea.

http://74.125.47.132/search?q=cache:fyEkxpmczkcJ:www.sec.state.ma.us/mhc/mhcpdf/townreports/SE-Mass/reh.pdf+great+meadow+hill+rehoboth+rhode+island&cd=3&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us

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Tracking the Elusive Lovecraft: "My Sweet Elaine" with "Mockingbird".

HPL declares in a rare rhapsodic outburst [To Galpin/Galomo, 31 August 1921], "...the voices of men shall sing the songs of boys - the songs of fifteen years ago - "In the Golden Autumn Time, My Sweet Elaine", "When the Mocking Bird is Singing in the Wild Wood" ..." and [To Kleiner 11 August 1921] "we shall go back to 1906 ... howling the old cheap popular songs of 1906..."

Never satisfied and seemingly with too much capacity for the trivial, Chrispy sought out for a date. When did all this bloody singing take place?? - assuming Lovecraft wasn't tripping on bad coffee.

Well, "Da Google" comes to the rescue. How did researchers ever research Lovecraft without it? Heh.

I tracked down the obscure, "In the golden autumn time, my sweet Elaine" to its inception as a Victor (double) release 9 January 1906 of a Stephen R. Henry composed song. See below.

Link:

A-2991 1/9/1906 In the golden autumn time, my sweet Elaine John H. Bieling ; Harry Macdonough ; Haydn Quartet Male vocal quartet, with vocal soloists and orchestra
C-2991 1/9/1906 In the golden autumn time, my sweet Elaine John H. Bieling ; Harry Macdonough ; Haydn Quartet Male vocal quartet, with vocal soloists and orchestra
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Now he has misremembered slightly the other song which Chrispy found as another Victor recording entitled, "When the mocking birds are singing in the wildwood" by composer H. B. Blanke.

The notes are:
Link

2/9/1906 (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania [unconfirmed]) 1 Master Victor 4665 8" disc
Authors and Composers Notes ... H. B. Blanke (composer) Arthur J. Lamb (lyricist)
Primary Performer Notes Harry Macdonough (vocalist: tenor vocal)
Matrix E-3088

US Billboard 6 - Apr 1906 (1 week)
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So, assuming that HPL did recollect the memory correctly - and he is proven over and over correct (unless he's caught spinning the facts, spin-meister that he was) we shall have to agree he was correct. They bicycled out 8 or 9 miles into Massachusetts singing melodies as they went. Since, it's unlikely they built any club houses in mid-winter, these song were playing and caught on through the late Spring and Summer of 1906. This would be pretty close to the date that Lovecraft gives for their ages - but he would have been 16 years old on 20 August 1906, a bit younger than he admits: [To Kleiner, op cit] "...we were boys of 16 or 17".

He also recalls the precise date of the new club formation as [To Kleiner, op cit] "... which had its last reorganisation on April 11, 1906 ..."
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So, dear Lovecraftians, we have reasonably independent data that supports Lovecraft's memories on this one.

The latest of the two songs mentioned released February 1906 and hit Billboard's top in April for one week, and HPL recalls 11 April 1906 as the reorganisation meeting of the clubhouse expedition. Following that, they must have selected the far off Rehoboth location, solicited James Kay's help, and through that Summer of 1906 as HPL was turning 16 'they' rebuilt an old shack into a country club and had a grand time.

And as we see, it was still standing and intact on Monday, August 8, 1921.

Lovecraft on the Nordic Ideal

As promised, Chrispy is trying to create some original mini-essays.
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Lovecraft and the Nordic Ideal

Lovecraft often spouted out lengthy diatribes of his personal beliefs to either convince or coerce his close correspondents of his own personal philosophies. Those ideas and ideals were sometimes, if not often, idealistic and historically unfounded. Many, Chrispy believes, are founded upon a few simple facts: Lovecraft's personal and family way of life was under constant attack and erosion by socio-economic forces that traumatized him. Notably, his quiet College Hill Providence environ was swamped by a massive influx of ethnic population during his lifetime. I think his poverty forced him into contact with that cultural upheaval in a way that wealth might have insulated him, and probably did his first 14 years of life.

To Frank Belknap Long dated Sunday, 13 May 1923.

"I am naturally a Nordic - a chalky-white, bulky Teuton of the Scandanavian or North-German forests - a Viking - a berserk killer - a predatory rover of the blood of Hangst and Horsa - a conqueror of Celts - a son of thunder and the arctic winds, and brother of the forests of the auroras ... aye - I speak truly - for was I not born with yellow hair and blue eyes - the latter not turning till I was nearly two, and the former lasting till I was over five?"

While this is poetic hyperbole, Lovecraft had immersed himself in some Aryan belief system by 1923. Later, he toned this down slightly.

To Frank Belknap Long dated Tuesday, 11 December 1923.

"I do not claim to be 100% Teuton. My dark hair and eyes forbid me that honor ... ho for the frozen seas and the epick of sleet and blood, strange lands and far wonder! ... Great Thor, but this is the life! There are no woods like our woods, and no bards like our bards! ... So, Sonny [i.e. FBL], your old Grandpa is pretty well satisfied to be a Nordick, chalk-white from the Hercynian Woods and Polar mists .. WE ARE THE MASTERS."

It's almost as if HPL plucked out the nordic descriptions from F Scott Fitgerald's, "It seemed still to whisper of Norse galleys ploughing the water world under raven-figured flags, of the British dreadnoughts, gray bulwarks of civilization steaming up through the fog of one dark July into the North Sea." from "This Side of Paradise" (1920, Ch. 4). H may have picked up some secondary "Nordic Ideal" propaganda concepts that became notable through a book" Rassenkunde des deutschen Volkes by Hans F. K. Günther (circa 1920).

Mr. Joshi's biography of HPL indicates that (p. 132) Lovecraft spouted about the "teuton" at least as early as 1915 ("The Crime of the Century") "The Teuton is the summit of evolution". This may have been derived from writings of Thomas Henry Huxley.

Again, in the hands of the relatively innocuous Lovecraft these are hypothetical and poetic rants, but there is an underlying falsity and somewhat of a growing menace in his words. The hyperbole is somewhat reflected in his bitterness at his world's apparent erosion, which also manifested in rants of hating mankind, and that except for a few choice individuals, the rest might as easily be eradicated. Lovecraft ranted that hate had to be en masse so that individuality would not color compassion. This is somewhat fearsome.

Very early, Lovecraft was deeply anti-IRA, and in 1921 [To Galpin, dated 6 October 1921] HPL was speaking of the greatness of the British race, and more bitter: "Slavs are emotional and irrational ... the brachycephalic masses are incurable peasants incapable of governing themselves ... the ruling classes are ... Teutonic." The roots of belief were certainly present.

Chrispy is not necessarily a one note kind of guy. Much as it might seem, it ain't Lovecraft 24/7/365. :) I have been fascinated and read many biographies and one recently that caught my attention was another of my favortie personalities: Charles Monroe Schulz. This incredibly brilliant and famous cartoonist, was once a bit like Lovecraft. An only child of poor parents, but unlike Lovecraft "Sparky" was indeed of both German and Nordic parents. His biographer, David Michaelis, has written a sparkling and amazing biography. Portions of "Sparky's" early life are an attack on Lovecraft's idealistic view, and I record bits of those here.

Schulz's father, Carl, had been born in Stendahl, Saxony-Anhalt, in north-central Germany in April 1897 (making him a bit younger than HPL). The family moved to a Wisconsin farm, and Carl Fred Schulz attended an all German school, and his parents never learned English. After WWI, Carl immediately lost all German inflection in his accent and never spoke a word of German thereafter. So careful, so conscious, a barber who worked beside him for ten years never heard him utter a word about his German background. His cousin oft rebuked Carl who quickly shut her down to stop bringing it up.

Carl married Dena Halverson, a true Norwegian, her father being Torjus Halverson who came from Norway as a child in 1866 to Wisconsin. The Wisconsin of the 1920's waas filled by Norwegian second generations. Many were abandoning the farms for big cities, but many stayed to eke out a modicum of impoverished living.

Minnesotan, Sinclair Lewis wrote at nearly the same time that HPL was expositing. In The Nation, May 30, 1923, his "Minnesota: The Norse State" excoriates Lovecraft's ideal: No fable is more bracing, or more absurd, than that all the sons and grandsons of the pioneers, ... are racy and breezy, unmannerly but intoxicatingly free. The grandchildren of the men who in 1862 fought the Minnesota Indians, who dogtrotted a hundred miles over swamp-blurred trails to bear the alarm to the nearest troops - some of them are still clearing the land, but some of them are complaining of the un-English quality of the Orange Pekoe in dainty-painty city tearooms which stand where three generations ago the Red River fur carts rested; their chauffeurs await them in Pierce Arrow limousines (special bodies by Kimball, silver fittings from Tiffany); they present Schnitzler and St. John Ervine at their Little Theaters; between rehearsals they chatter of meeting James Joyce in Paris; and always in high-pitched Mayfair laughter they ridicule the Scandinavians and Finns who are trying to shoulder into their sacred, ancient Yankee caste. A good many of their names are German.

Had Lovecraft visited Dena's family, he might well have been aghast.

They lived on 120 acres of chickens, eggs, and milk decorated by trimmed topiary and potted plants in the kitchen. When the weather dipped to 10 below, Carl and Dena would shove terrified Sparky into the Ford and drive out each Sunday into the white wilderness speckled with pines and outhouses. Sparky, like HPL, was a city boy. He struggled but never understood the life where Dena's family saw birth, copulation, and death every day. "I was always uncomfortable and was so glad when we left."

Two barking, fang-bearing collies met the Ford and little Sparky was petrified. Inside was worse. The adults gathered in the kitchen, forcing the children together. The adlts drank copiously, usually raisin wine. Sparky, like HPL, was a life-long tee-totaller. The pasttime was to denigrate, berate, ridicule, and slander one another in good fun - until the drunkenness spilled over to anger and the men went outside to wrestle and fight in the snow banks. Otherwise, sitting in their sleeveless shirts, they alternately dozed or bombast one another.

The women vied for who could bake the most sugar-frosted and coconut laced confections, or most Norwegian fish dishes. Sparky grew to hate both. From thence, many of his "Lil Folks" and later "Peanuts" would speak volumes of the fearsome adult world.

In essence, by 1923 Lovecraft had worked up steam and invested in some expanded form of "Nordic Ideal" despite essential facts were already present to deflate that concept, and contact with mainstream media, or simply speaking to ordinary people might have stopped his vehemence.

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…”

This day In Lovecraftiana

Lovecraft visited Myrta Alice Little (Hampstead, NH) on this date - 8 June 1921 and visted "Tryout" Smith in Haverhill.

A recent auction on ebay showed this information about a resident one "Tristam Little" who must, by at least coincidence, be associated with Ms. Little. The "Little" clan was well established and numerous in the town. I have also posted some postcards from the early 20th century of the community.

Tristram Little photograph and family papers. He was a resident of Hampstead, New Hampshire, and later Westville, New Hampshire. This lot consists of an identified photograph of Mr. Little in advanced old age, a postal cover postmarked in 1898 addressed to him, another cover postmarked in 1892 addressed to his wife, and a third cover with and autograph letter sent by his grandaughter in 1908. The letter is six pages, only the first of which is shown in the scan. I have other Little family lots on e-bay, including a document signed by Moses Little in 1825, believed to be the father of Tristram. We are full time autograph and document dealers registered with the UACC (#036), and members of the Manuscript Society. Optional insurance is available at my cost for US deliveries only. Payments must be by Pay Pal . We regret that we cannot be responsible for loss or damage on uninsured lots. (458C)
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Ms. Little is mentioned (click here)
in 1913 // Year Book of the Brothers of the Book. [Chicago] and (click here) in the Memorial of the Town of Hampstead, NH, as of June 1902 member (#758)of the Congregational Church. On p. 130 she was listed as the Secretary and Treasurer of 1902, and a "pupil" of Miss Hoyt's class. {Tristam - above - is listed as an 1860 member of note}.

Parody of Lovecraft (1921)

1921/FALCO OSSIFRACUS/EDITH MINITER/LOVECRAFT PARODY
Description:

"FALCO OSSIFRACUS " - by "Mr. Goodguile"
Published in "The Muffin Man" - edited by Edith Miniter

So significant is this humorous piece by Edith Miniter that S. T. Joshi, in his landmark biography of Howard Phillips Lovecraft "H. P. Lovecraft: A Life", devotes a half page describing the piece and giving its history (p. 197).

Lovecraft at this time was attending a meeting of the "Hub-Club" occupied by the noted women amateurs Winifred Jackson, Laurie A. Sawyer, and Edith Miniter...as Joshi relates - "Edith Miniter issued...a journal entitled "The Muffin Man"...which contained her exquisite parody of Lovecraft - 'Falco Ossifracus' by Mr. Goodguile...this little squib is a clear take-off of "The Statement of Randolph Carter...Miniter manages to get in effective jabs at Lovecraft's heaviy laid-on atmosphere of grue...Lovecraft took the whole thing in good humour as he noted in his memoir of Miniter it being a 'highly amusing parody" (HPL)...

The first parody of HPL ever written and if you are familiar with his literary musings you will catch the tasty cleverness of this piece.

This was the only amateur-zine ever issued by Ms. Miniter and is quite scarce.
Fine condition with string-tie and unfolded!

1921 NAPA Boston Convention of July

Well if the previous "Woodbee, 1922" is rare air, this one is near outer space. Photos!

Here's the seller's notes: Description:
"NATIONAL TRIBUTE" - August, 1921
Edited by E. Dorothy MacLaughlin

The National Amateur Convention in Boston, July, 1921 is the main focus of this excellent issue with five pages of commentary about Howard Phillips Lovecraft -"The time will never be when I will the less enjoy the splendidness of Howard Lovecraft. He is a big man in every way...he has proven himself to be the most human of documents...a sense of humor that is astounding, because one would doubt he possessed the gift...a man with a deep sense of honor...he is a modest man ..." - George Julian Houtain.

Many other humorous notes regarding Lovecraft and his shenannigans during the convention. There are also mentions of Sonia Green and her involvement with Lovecraft during many occasions. Photographs of Lovecraft, Sonia Greene, and James Morton, Jr., are present as well as photos of many of amateur journalisms most important members, George Houtain, William Dowdell, Dorothy MacLaughlin and others.

Nice copy of this slick-papered 'zine with string-tie still in place.
A scarce piece of Lovecraft memorabilia, especially in this condition!