James Blish (1937) "The Eldritch Goo"

James Blish (May 23, 1921 – July 30, 1975) left the world much too soon. For Lovecraftians, perhaps his most important work was a lengthy pseudo-play of the King in Yellow, perhaps one of the most definitive post-Chambers interpretations. (Though Chrispy holds highly Brian Keene's ss The King: In Yellow).

For Blish at the ripe age of about 16, the era of scientifiction was fast upon the world. The Weird Tales crowd (H. P. Lovecraft, Clark Ashton Smith, and protege's August Derleth, Donald Wandrei, Robert Barlow, Robert Bloch, and Frank Long) were already being "put out to pasture" by the younger crowd. (They knew it, and to Lovecraft's dismay, they began to alter their writing style).

Forest J Ackerman (in Los Angeles)tended to lead the charge, but one can see young Blish had digested the old guard enough to parody them without mercy. The title is pure Lovecraft (The Eldritch Goo) and Lovecraft's long meandering sentences are harpooned. Despite only listing the "H", it is certainly the mature Lovecraft he goes after. In the mid-1930's Clark Ashton Smith was transitioning and writing what he passed off as scientifiction, but the young guard felt it was too old guard, and not enough "ray guns and babes" so to speak. Smith probably got the worst of the treatment in the letter columns of those days.

Clearly Smith and Robert Bloch were singled out in this one, too. Smith was known for his odd space-scapes, and all three were noted for their exotic made-up place names. Perhaps the most fiendish and brutal part of the satire is mixing in gothic with the weird tale parody.

Recently, a portion of this old story surfaced, and is reproduced below. It was first publsihed on cheap mimeograph with purplish ink (it may have been more blue in its original). It is typed, although the title and "author's signature" are hand drawn in for emphasis. It is called Grotesque #1 and dated at Spring 1937 (Volume 1 and Number 1). Historians believe there was only one other issue of Grotesque dated a bit after this one.

In 1937 HPL was now 47 (though near death). Smith was about 44, and Bloch only 20.

A little background. Blish was a teen aged member looking for acceptance into scientifiction, and he chose to do this in the middle of a feud between Donald Wollheim and Sam Moskowitz. Perhaps a few dozen New Yorkers and a few in New Jersey feuded like Hatfields and McCoys - among them were Frederick Pohl. Much of it was over left-wing vs. right-wing politics, and whether some flavor of fascism was an option. From this cauldron came The Futurians, and their influence was profound. Asimov, Hannes Bok, Damon Knight, Judith Merril, and Cyril Kornbluth all were members at one time or another.

Blsh would go on to become a significant influence in science fiction, and along with folks like Asimov, an actual "scientist" giving his work of the period solid scientific basis, and moving the genre away from the slap-dash "ray-guns and babes" of the pulps.

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Manuscript Found Under a Bed in the Ruins of the Bronx

The Eldritch Goo
by H. Ashton Bloke

The golden cliffs of Mneira hang over the tiny town of Arthrosep, and in the afternoon, their shadows fall on the heaving bay, and the water moans in its subterranean caves, and whispers of evil things.

Though Arthrosep has a history of only three centuries, there are queer, unspeakable things that linger in the stones and thatch. There are murmurs of an old war, waged by an ancient race against the modern usurpers of its homes. And there are many legends, lost in the dimness of antiquity. But their echoes chill the blood, and the pale rays of the sun, as they light the grim countenances of the natives, seem filtered through a veil of horror.

I climbed the crude steps cut in the jasper cliff one evening, meaning to watch the sun sink and swell, and drop behind the sea. Where the hewn trail rounded the edge of the bluff, I sat on a fallen boulder, looking out over the heaving water hundreds of feet below, out to the horizon, where the sun was lighting a silver ...

Smith to Finlay on Lovecraft

1.
Smith, Clark Ashton. TYPED LETTER SIGNED (TLS), ribbon copy with a few corrections and emendations in the author's hand, one and a half pages, dated 15 May 1937, to Virgil Finlay ("Dear Virgil Finlay"), signed "Clark Ashton Smith," on two sheets of plain letter-size paper. Thanks Finlay for writing to him, adding that he had been thinking of writing him, especially after Lovecraft, in his very last letter to him, shortly before his death in March of that year, urged him to do so. Thanks him for the compliments on his stories and reciprocates with a paragraph of generous praise for Finlay's illustrations. "Your work, it seems to me, can take its place with that of the best modern illustrators, such as Sime, Rackham, Harry Clarke, Alastair, etc." Explains that he has written little recently because of the death of his mother and illness of his father. Laments that "Lovecraft's death leaves an abysmal void for the survivors," then complains that "more appreciation and a proper financial recompense" might have kept him alive. "It is damnable to reflect that America has either killed her finest artists or driven them into exile. Poe certainly died from hardship rather than drink; and Bierce and Hearn were impelled to flee the country." Closes with some discussion of his experiments in sculpture using local (fairly soft) materials. Published in KLARKASH-TON AND MONSTRO LIGRIV (1974). Old mailing folds, fine on paper that is browning just a little. (#103865)

2.
Smith, Clark Ashton. TYPED LETTER SIGNED (TLS), three pages, ribbon copy with a few corrections in the author's hand, dated 27 September 1937, to Virgil Finlay ("Dear Virgil"), signed "With cordial best wishes, Klarkash-Ton," on three sheets of plain letter-size paper. Apologizes for his delay in writing, saying he'd been working from 6:00 AM to 10:00 PM during July and August, which left little time for letter-writing. Discusses some recent work of his submitted to or accepted by WEIRD TALES and his hopes that Finlay will be assigned to illustrate it. In connection with the rejection of one of his tales there, he writes, "I doubt if any of my work will ever have a wide public appeal, since the ideation and esthetics of my tales and poems are too remote from the psychology of the average reader. It is reassuring, however, that my work should appeal so strongly to a few." Responds to comments by Finlay about the challenges of illustrating weird fiction, as well as different techniques for writing it. Contrasts Lovecraft's habit of minutely building realistic settings for his fantastic tales versus his own tendency to "weave the entire web on the loom of fantasy…. No doubt my own preference is motivated by a certain amount of distaste for the local and the modern, and a sort of nostalgia for impossible and unattainable dreamlands." Says a bit about his environment in Auburn. Applauds Finlay's admiration of the Pre-Raphaelites and recommends that he look at the work of Gustave Moreau and Odilon Redon. "I believe the modern prejudice against literary ideas in art springs from the fact that many modern artists are incapable of ideas of any kind." In offering encouragement to Finlay, he writes about his main competitor, Margaret Brundage, who painted many covers for WEIRD TALES and specialized in beautiful seminude women menaced by various monsters. "Brundage is a curio, and I can't help wondering how or whence she derives her weird ideas of anatomy." Sympathizes with Finlay's statement of alienation from the spirit of the times, which he characterizes as materialistic. "Some day there will be a return toward mysticism, a recovery of spiritual values. The question is, will it come before - or after - Armageddon?" Fine content. Old mailing folds, fine. (#103867)

Lovecraft Death Notice: Tryout, Spring 1937

Smith may not have recalled Lovecraft's middle name, or his grief and age might have played tricks. In any event, this was recently seen at auction. 6 bids and $61.00 was not a bad fee for something so rare.

Howard Prescott Lovecraft

Death loves a shining mark. I don't know who is the author of that proverb, but it never was more strongly emphasized than the praising of Howard Prescott Lovecraft.

A genius has been taken from among us. If there were ever one in amateur journalism, it was Howard Prescott Lovecraft.

Over twenty years correspondence with him, and numerous personal meetings, revealed him to me how many characteristics - his integrity, his gentlemanly deportment and his keen literary attainments. We had many things in common. Love of the open old books, historical houses and papers, and even the lowly (?) cat was a bond between us.

Here are the details: Description: "HOWARD PRESCOTT LOVECRAFT" - Death notice composed by C. W. Smith in "The Tryout - (April) 1937

C. W. Smith was one of Howard Phillips Lovecraft's earliest supporters recognizing his talent by publishing some of his first Amateur Journal writings.
Lovecraft's premature death in March of 1937 affected Smith deeply and his brief memorial "Howard Prescott Lovecraft" in this issue is poignant and moving...

"A genius has been taken from us. If there ever were ever one in amateur journalism it was Howard Prescott Lovecraft...Many of his first contributions to the amateur press appeared in "Tryout" and he continued to contribute to it until his professional work required most of his time. Still I never requested a favor of him but he willingly granted it....Of his literary work I leave to more competent pen than mine to estimate. That it was of the highest standard none will gainsay."

The full memorial is more than two pages in length and was not reprinted in the Arkham House volume "Lovecraft Remembered". This issue was folded for mailing, else in virtually as new condition with string-tie still attached.

1937: Virgil Finlay, Lovecraft & Barlow

Science-Fantasy Correspondent #1.3 (March-April 1937)
Edited by Corwin F. Stickney
44 pages
Contents:
* H.P. Lovecraft, "In A Sequestered Churchyard Where Once Poe Walked" (verse)
* R.H. Barlow, "St. John's Churchyard" (verse)
* cover art by Virgil Finlay
* fiction by Robert A. Madle and Philip Sutter
* articles by Oliver E. Saari, Jack E. Fry, and John C. Sidenius
* full-page ad for Weird Tales
* ads for The Phantagraph, and others

Lovecraft Fondly Remembered in Great Britain (October 19378)

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This historical note is interesting. In England, HPL was obviously well known only since only weeks after his death he's prominetly mentioned in the pages of Terrae Novae. He wasn't a household name, but he was fondly cherished by fantasy fans - even SF fans. I'm uncertain who Claire Beck was.
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"NOVAE TERRAE " - October, 1937
Edited by Maurice K. Hanson, Associate editors Edward J. Carnell and Arthur C. Clarke

The singular honor of the 1st British Fanzine goes to "Novae Terrae" founded in 1936.
"N. T." would publish the young Arthur C. Clarke, and William F. Temple - not forgetting to mentioning such British notables as Ted Carnell, D. R. Smith, Eric C. Williams, S. Youd, and young American Claire Beck brings news from back home that the Science Fiction tales of the late Howard Phillips Lovecraft (HPL had died in March of 1937) published in "Astounding" "...were shortened by more than two-thousand words"...with an additional page of commentary on Lovecraft and Clark Ashton Smith.A very good copy with a small moisture stain in upper right-hand corner.

Early Ad (1937) for "The Shadow Over Innsmouth"

The seller States: FANTASY MAGAZINE - January, 1937 Edited by Julius Schwartz

This excellent fanzine featured the twenty year old Robert Bloch in a humorous piece entitled, "Funtasy" wherein Bloch comments and guffaws on subjects and personalities relating to fantasy - "Zombies are people who write travel-books about Vodoo" .

Additionally there is a six-page autobiographette by Neil R. Jones a popular author of the day who primarily appeared in "Amazing Stories". Editor (and one time agent for H. P. Lovecraft) Julius Schwartz provides all the gossip and noteworthy news in the F & SF field. Speaking of Lovecraft, there is a full-page advertisement for his book "The Shadow Over Innsmouth" , "Heavy book paper cloth bound $1.00...leatherbound edition for $2.50".......anyone out there ever hear, or come across a "leatherbound" edition of this book! Telephone me immediately!!

One of the great pioneering fanzines some staining, in very good condition.