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.

H C Koenig: Tribute to HPL (1953)

The text should be readable if you click the image above.
_____

The seller states: Description: "BEHIND THE INSCRIPTION" - by H. C. Koenig // Published in "The Fossil" , October, 1953 /// H. C. Koenig's (1893-1959) expertise as a book collector and bibliographer led him to the writings of William Hope Hodgson and his correspondence with Howard Phillips Lovecraft led him to the fabulous fictions of William Hope Hodgson...and as they say the rest is history. In this three-page article Herman C. Koenig recalls some of his favorite book anecdotes and his lengthy career in books hob-knobbing with the likes of HPL - "All these letters, books, and acquaintences revolved around one man, Howard Lovecraft, a man whose death affected me almost as much as the death of a member of my own family"...I corresponded and became acquainted with W. Paul Cook, August Derleth, Donald Wandrei, Frank Long, Clark Ashton Smith, Fritz Leiber, E. Hoffmann Price..." and others.

Derleth Letter (1953) about Lovecraftiana

ARKHAM HOUSE: PUBLISHERS
Director August Derleth
SAUK CITY, WISCONSIN
22 November, 1953

Dear Phil,
All thanks for yours of’ 16 November. The British edition of CASE OF CHARLES DEXTER WARD has been sent to you. … {ellipsis original} Both those "bound" SHUNNED HOUSE items are Barlow's bindings, yes. The pasted-on copyright notice should appear in all copies of the book or sheets leaving these premises, solely as a matter of oopyright protection of the story. ... {ellipsis original} Of the sets, I should think about 10 complete sets are available, and fragments of others. … {ellipsis original} In re SHUNNED HOUSE, most of these original sets were destroyed long ego, hence their scarcity. … {ellipsis original} About INNSMOUTH - as far as I know, none of HPL’s corrections was {sic} ever made; the book was bound without them. My own copy of INNSMOUTH has HPL’s corrections lettered in.

You may be interested to know that last weekend, while rummaging among Lovecraftiana inherited from Barlow, and soon en route Brown University's Loveereft collection, I came upon notesfor {sic} a story titled THE SURVIVORwhich HPL never lived to write; the notes and tentative outline were clear enough to warrant my doing the story as a collaboration. I have three other such outlines, and may do these too, time permitting. THE SURVIVOR, happily, is done in first draft.

Every good wish to you.
Cordially,
August Derleth

_____

The seller states:

Signed Letter from August Derleth to Phil Garland - 22 November, 1953
on Arkham House stationary

Phil Garland was a noted poet, wit, scholar, bibliographer, raconteur,and collector, from the Pacific Northwest. He was one of the prime movers of the "Non-Profit Press" in Tacoma, and their publications "Kai Lung: Six" and "Hornblower One More Time" are popular, collectible books even now. At the time of this letter Phil was also actively building a legendary Lovecraft collection that was later sold thru "International Bookfinders, Inc" - please see my ebay listing! This half-page letter though fairly brief contains much interesting information regarding "The Shunned House" printed by W. Paul Cook, and an unfinished H. P. Lovecraft story fragments...

"You may be interested to know that last weekend, while rummaging among Lovecraftiana inherited from Barlow...I came upon notes for a story titled "The Survivor" which HPL never lived to write;...the notes and tentative outline were clear enough to warrant my doing the story as a collaboration.."The Survivor", happily, is done in first draft".

As evidenced in this description, August Derleth was a man of immense energy! He could manage Arkham House, ship books, answer letters, teach, write newspaper column, and in the matter of just a few days complete a 1st draft of the story Lovecraft left in only fragmentary form!

Very interesting letter! Signed.