Lovecraft and Postcards

In the blog posts, Chrispy has tried to show that Lovecraft's postcard writing style was not unique. He was a bit verbose, but again, he was not alone.

Here is a 1904 card dated 1924 - so again, Lovecraft was not unique in his use of odd scraps to write on.

The scene of this card is a strange one. Usually postcards were scenic, but this one is kind of dark and edgy. It's at the edge of a railyard, supposedly a streetcar yard, or turnaround. The storefronts are also a bit edgy if not downright dodgy.

It would make a nice alternate scene for Ed Lee's recent trolleymythos story. Not recommended for the squeamish, but since I'm trying to keep this a bit family freindly, I can't even say a lot about it's content. That's probably best, since it might say too much about Chrispy and his tatses in graphic horror.

Back to the post card, you'll see that every square inch allowable is used for the "letter" to this person's acquaintance. This is very Lovecraftian. The subject matter is more mundane, but then if one looks at HPL's cards, they often were of mundane matters. We just get thrilled (rightfully so) because they reveal his whereabouts, and his thinking, and locations.

Colour Out of Space in New Mexico

Fireball Over New Mexico
SPACE.com
posted: 24 September 2010
06:20 pm ET

A brilliant fireball lit up the night sky above parts of New Mexico and Texas ...
The fireball, thought to be created by a small space rock, occurred Tuesday night (Sept. 21) at about 11:01 p.m. EDT (0301 GMT) and was captured in a video camera ... It lasted 23 seconds ..."I was inside at the time, but heard and felt the sonic boom," said radio astronomer Thomas Ashcraft... outside of Santa Fe, NM ...

Lovecraft to Eddy (5 September 1924)

From L W Currey:

Lovecraft, H[oward] P[hillips].
AUTOGRAPH LETTER SIGNED (ALS).
6 pages, dated 5 September, n.y. [but 1924], to "Dear C M E Jr." [Clifford M. Eddy, Jr.], signed "yr most obt grandpa HPL."

Written on three sheets of 6 x 9 1/2-inch paper with Hotel Pantlind letterhead, from 259 Parkside Ave., Brooklyn, N.Y.

Approximately 1000 words.

Apologizes for delay in writing, citing pressures of work. Complains about the uncertainties of free-lance work; reports efforts to find regular literary employment, including for a trade journal, The Haberdasher -- undoubtedly arranged by his wife, Sonia, who worked in the fashion business.

He refers to her in passing a couple of times, but never by name ("the frau," "the upper half," "the wife").

Thanks him for the loan of recent All-Stories issue with sequel to A. Merritt's THE MOON POOL ("… very good, thought its diffuseness, romanticizing & explanatory quality make it a bit less powerful than 'The Moon Pool' itself.")

Reports the reading of Eddy's story "The Better Choice" at a meeting of "the gang" and its favorable reception aside from a few problems, chiefly the presence of so many formulaic phrases, of which HPL then lists a dozen examples ("rubbed elbows", "Cimmerian darkness", "wild-eyed, staring").

"The idea is to get away from formulae & state things in some new & arresting form.
Of course it's darned difficult -- but it's worth it!"

Reports current status of various titles on the private postal circulating library that Lovecraft and his friends used to exchange reading material. (It should be remembered that the current inter-library loan system had not yet been established.) .

Unpublished.
Letter has faint mailing creases, but is in fine condition. (#109139)

Price: $1,500.00