Goodenough, Cook, Lovecraft Postcard of 21 August 1927

These items are in Ivan's collection from an auction some time back. It's not clear if these have been seen by other Lovecraftians, or not. The coupling of the postcard and Arkham image gives a nearly a three dimensional aura to us over 80 years later.

The seller said:
2 original postcards signed H.P. Lovecraft and initialed C.H.P.
These were found in a box of Postcards from Vermont.

Ivan told me, "I managed to purchase this postcard (postmarked 21 August 1927) autographed by W.P. Cook, Arthur H. Goodenough and H.P. Lovecraft. A real gem ... I found a photo of those 3 men taken on 21 August 1927 (The Arkham Sampler, Volume II, number 4, Special Photograph Issue-II: Howard Phillips Lovecraft and his friends & relatives, The Strange Company 1985). ... imagine, a photo taken practically on the same day this card was written, signed by those 3 men."

It's wonderful Ivan is sharing these images with us !

_____



Above, is of interest to "Fossil" and amateur journalism lovers. I asked Dave Goudsward his impressions:

Ivan is quite correct about Kipling. He only lived in Vermont from 1892-1896 and Naulakha was in Dummerston.

"The Fossil" was a publication of National Amateur Press Association, a subset of the older group of amateurs as a historical resource for the amateur press movement. Tilden was a long time member and past president of the Fossils and had been a force to be reckoned with during the formative years of the NAPA.

Lovecraft did visit Arthur Goodenough and Vrest Orton in Vermont in 1927. I would assume Goodenough is the Laureate - other postcards from HPL tend to have the signature of the person he was visiting. Cook of course, would have been the one who drove.

Tilden worked for Labor Department, so he may have been having NAPA submissions sent to him at work.





The seller states the text reads:

The full text (at least what I make of it) reads:
'Memorable amateur meeting! This is the Vermont Laureate's first sight of an amateur in person since Cook blazed the trail. Also my first sight of Vermont-exquisite country! Am stopping with Cook in Athol. Regards-HPLovecraft. Arthur H Goodenough. W.P. Cook.'

Lovecraft in the Scientific American (16 July 1906)

Ivan has been so kind (and patient) as I was able to get this posted.

The text from the auction:

SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN
August 25, 1906
Featuring
H.P. Lovecraft's
First Published Letter!

Hello! Up for auction is a copy of the August 25th, 1906 issue of Scientific American, featuring the FIRST PUBLISHED LETTER by the one and only H.P. Lovecraft!

In the letter, a young Lovecraft describes a way in which astronomers might discover planets outside the known solar system -- which, at the time, ended with Neptune. Interestingly, the methods described by the author would be used two years later to discover Pluto. And that same year, Pluto would play an important role in Lovecraft's great short story "A Whisperer in the Darkness."

Lovecraft famously said that the greatest fear is the fear of the unknown. But what I find particularly interesting about this letter is that it shatters the idea that Lovecraft governed his life by this credo. Indeed, a narrator in one of his stories might use the methods described in the letter and then run screaming from his telescope when the search uncovered some nameless horror lurking just behind Neptune. But Lovecraft himself embraced the search for knowledge and welcomed opportunities to expand human understanding of the cosmos. This letter demonstrates that there was more to the man than merely his popular reputation.

As such, this 100-year-old piece of Lovecraftiana is a must-have for serious collectors, and is sure to be a jewel in anyone's collection.

This copy of Scientific American is in excellent condition. The pages are still supple, shiny and bright, with very little discoloration. There are no tears or missing pages. The spine has some wear, as illustrated in the photos. Some of the string originally used to hold together the binding is exposed, but the glue edge -- which provided the binding's real strength -- is uncompromised and maintains its structural integrity. In all, this is one of the nicest copies I've seen in a long time. Remember, it's over 100 years old! It's amazing it survived at all... But to be in this condition, one can only imagine that care taken by the previous owner.

Hope Street Reservoir (c.1907)

First I've seen of this. It is very near and across from Hope Street High School. I believe that Lovecraft would have seen it nearly every single day of his High School life.