Mantichore No 32 Feb 2014

S.S.W.F.T. S.S.W.F.T.
MAILING #52 JANUARY-MARCH 2014

S.S.W.F.T.
SWORD & SORCERY AND WEIRD FICTION TERMINUS
_____________________________________________________
H.P. Lovecrafts 100th APAversary 1914-2014
Section I
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0 C 6 L, Rhythm Dec 1912 pdf
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NATALIH OOHTCHAIDYL
In an opal dream cave I found a fairy
Her vungs were fraller than Bower petals
Frailer far than snowiiakes
She was not fnghtened but ponsed on 1
y finger
Then delxcately walked into my hand
I shut the two palms of my hands together
And held her prisoner
I carried her out of the opal cave,
Then opened my hands.
First she became thistledown,
Then a mote in a sunbeam,
Then nothing at all.
Empty now is my opal dream cave.
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THE OPAL DREAM CAVE
KATHERINE MANSFIELD
0 0 6 L) Rhythm Dec 1912 pdf
4-:|1a`P" THE THLOBBON OF
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SAPPANAL
U; H
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Translated by LORD DUNSANY
*Y*
ACT vn
SCENE The great
hall at Ilaunos
TIME The year
after the fifteenth festxval of the Akneian
mysteries
The King is seated on the Throne of Skyadax in the mndst of the
splendid hall looking out through the vvmdow over the golden plains
towards Heliostahn Queen Thyape
is near him wath attendants
Twelve men entnrely in grey pass slowly over the stage at intervals
of seven paces They can scarcely see in the strong morning hght
because they have never before left the caverns beneath the palace
Each one salutes the King by uphfted hand as he passes the crystal
throne and says
to him Thus ns the day The
Kang motions at
once to two of his spear guard who slip away from the hall
The Kmg (to Thyape) So we shall never go to Hellostahn
Thyape-We shall even yet go to Heliostahn, and sing there pastoral
song. (To the King's Envoy): Summon the thakbars and the
loyal and the sworn. Bid them come armed at once. It is the
day.
The King-We shall never come to the gates of Heliostahn, nor sit
by the river of Kyle.
Thyape-It was an idle prophecy.
The King-ls not the sky bloodshot ? Is there no trouble among
the winds P
An Attendant
(leaning
from the window)-There is no trouble among
the winds to-day. The sky is like a turquoise that the moun-
taineers have found.
The King-Doth nothing evil come from Ektherana?
Attendant-Nothing from Ektherana, save a far speck of dust.
{From now on the chiefest of the loyal come in by twos and
threes.
Presently the two spearsmen of the guard come back to the
hall, dragging between them the slave who is destined to be king.
Again the King casts his spear at him, and weeps when it harm-
lessly strikes a pillar ol cedar.]
Fl nd
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SSWFT 2
Search Box
NAMELESS CYLINDER No 19
OIcIa! Organ nI thc 5wnrd and 5nrccry
and WcIrd FIctInn TcrmInus
Amatcur Prcss AssncIatInn (5.5.W.F.T.)
Edited & produced for SSWFT #52 by Scott Sheaffer
Scoll Sheaffer - fhciaI Ldilor Leigh Iackmore - Iresidenl
en|amin Szumsky| - Iounder
Quartcr!y MaI!Ing Dcad!Incs: Fcb 2, AprI! 30, Aug 2, Oct 31.
Annua! Ducs: There are no dues for members vho choose lo receive maiIings onIy in IDI
formal. Ior members vho vanl rinled coies maiIed lo lhem, dues are as foIIovs: $4O IS, 2O
IK or $2O AuslraIian (for members in AuslraIia) Iay lo Leigh Iackmore al IvxnoxgmaiI.com
(IayaI referred).
MInImum ActIvIty rcquIrcmcnts: An average of lvo ages er quarler or eighl ages er year.
(This is onIy a lemorary ruIe change unliI Leigh resumes L dulies.)
Nn. Papcr EdItnr Pagcs
1 Mantichore Leigh Iackmore 18
2 The Dalriadic Chronicles Scoll A. Sheaffer 24
3 Hyperborean Exhalations Marlin Andersson 9
4 The View From Koshtra Belorn MichaeI arrell 6
5 Star-Winds Irank Coffman 16
6 The Peripatetic Vole IhiIIi A. LIIis 59
7 More News From the Homebird Sam Gafford 1O
8 Hesperia }ohn HaefeIe O
9 The Wanderings of ElKhestor LarI Livings 1O
1O Sercon Ired IhiIIis 5
11 The Nonconformist }uha-Malli Ra|aIa 18
12 Choking Dog Gazette ryce Slevens O
Papcr Pagcs
Editorial Content Total Pages
177 17 194
SSWFT 3
APA NEWS
ig nevs! Mike arrell's book, Doors to Elsewhere is ofhciaIIy avaiIabIe. Doors to
Elsewhere conlains essays vhich have aeared in a variely of Iaces incIuding
righl here in SSWIT! In earIier years, some of Ired IhiIIis' oems in his
coIIeclion From the Cauldron, aeared reviousIy in SSWIT aIbeil unlilIed here.
So once again, SSWIT has served as a roving ground rior lo a member's vork
achieving ubIicalion eIsevhere. CongraluIalions, Mike! Ior everyone vho
vanls lo order Mike's book, use lhis Iink:
hll:;;vvv.amazon.com;Doors-LIsevhere-Mike-arrell;d;O9573489O8
Sam Gafford has a ro|ecl vilh S.T. }oshi breving. See Sam's zine for more
delaiIs. AIlhough lhe ace of oslings has sIoved from lhe vhirIvind earIy days,
Sam's WiIIiam Hoe Hodgson bIog conlinues lo be aclive al:
hll:;;viIIiamhoehodgson.vordress.com
As I noled via e-maiI , 2O14 marks lhe 1OOlh anniversary of H.I. Lovecrafl
|oining lhe amaleur ress. Lovecrafl |oined IAIA in AriI 1914. So our nexl
maiIing deadIine faIIs in lhe cenlenary monlh. Hovever, I feeI our AIA shouId
mark lhis anniversary lhroughoul lhe year. }uha-Malli Ra|aIa viII alleml lo
cover Lovecrafl and lhe amaleur ress in his nexl zine, or aer as I caIIed lhem
on Nameless Cylinder's oening age, using lhe lerminoIogy Lovecrafl and his
feIIov amaleur |ournaIisls used in 1914. Il's more naluraI for me lo say zine, so
I'II usuaIIy sliII caII lhem zines eIsevhere. I noliced lhal in IAIA, lhere vas a
Iresidenl eIecled each year, vho adminislered lhe vhoIe organizalion. The
fhciaI Ldilor onIy ediled lhe ofhciaI organ. He vasn'l a cenlraI maiIer, and he
didn'l adminisler lhe enlire AIA. So, in honor of lhe anniversary, I aIlered
Leigh's lilIe lo Iresidenl. AIso, Lovecrafl oflen served as Chairman of IAIA's
Dearlmenl of IubIic Crilicism. In recognilion of his roof reading skiIIs, I gave
Marlin an honorary Dearlmenl of IubIic Crilicism lilIe.
The 2O13 Winler SoIslice MaiIing of The Roberl L. Hovard LIeclronic Amaleur
Iress Associalion is u al hll:;;vvv.roberl-e-hovard.org;home.hlmI Our
ovn Irank Coffman founded RLHeaa back in 2OO1. The Ialesl zines incIude one
by me. If you're inleresled in hov I became a veird hclion; svord & sorcery fan
and gol invoIved in AIAs, check il oul! There are aIso nev zines by Irank and
Nameless Cylinder - 2
SSWFT 4
Lee reakiron. Gary Romeo vas absenl lhis lime. If you Iike Roberl L. Hovard,
Iook al RLHeaa.
Ignore lhe dale and lime slam on LarI's zine. He originaIIy senl il earIier. I
resonded lo LarI's queslion aboul changing his Word docx inlo a IDI on his
Mac. We venl back and forlh. LarI is using Microsofl's Word for Mac on a
Macook Air. I loId him lhal if he venl lo IiIe and lhen Save As, one of lhe hIe
formal olions is IDI. Word for Windovs (fhce 2O1O and Ialer) vorks lhe same
vay. Word for Mac users can aIso use Irinl lo creale a IDI. ne robIem I
Iearned aboul lhough is lhal Word for Mac has a gIilch vhich causes many Iinks
lo go dead. This gIilch does nol exisl in Word for Windovs, so Windovs users
are hne in using Word's buiIl in IDI funclion. (AIso, lhe gIilch doesn'l exisl in
AIe's Iages a or en fhce.) asicaIIy Iinks lhal conlain lhe veb address
are okay, olher Iinks slo vorking. I hgured lhe Iinks are imorlanl lo LarI's zine.
So, I menlioned a fev vork arounds, and LarI gol back lo me vilh a lhird
version of his zine. Lach lime LarI aIlered his zine for me, lhe lime slam
changed.
ryce Slevens and }ohn HaefeIe vere unabIe lo send zines lhis lime.
I viII ul logelher hIIer ages for bolh Mike arrell and }ohn HaefeIe's books.
Afler a bursl of aclivily on crealing hIIers Iasl lime, I look a break lhis lime. I'II be
back al il soon lhough.
As I noled Iasl lime, lhe SSWIT bIog is aclive again. Check oul:
hll:;;ssvflaa.bIogsol.com
If any of you have somelhing reIevanl lo osl, Iel me knov, and I'II sel you u
as an aulhor on lhe bIog. I'd Iove lo see lhe bIog more aclive. Leigh, IhiIIi, and I
are adminislralors. - Scoll
SSWFT 5
S.S.W.F.T. MEMBERSHIP LIST
(Currcnt McmbcrshIp: 11)
NIMLRS IN ( ) = (maiIings aid lhrough;ages oved for nexl maiIing)
MARTIN ANDER55ON (Dcpartmcnt nI Pub!Ic CrItIcIsm)
Grevegardsvgen 224
SL-421 61 Vslra IroIunda
SWLDLN
marlin.andersson41leIe2.se
Requires Irinled MaiIings
MICHAEL BARRETT
65 Squires Way
WILMINGTN
KLNT DA2 7NN
LNGLAND
mikebarrellukholmaiI.com
(Iorever;O) Accels IDI MaiIings
LEIGH BLACKMORE (PrcsIdcnt)
78 RovIand Ave
WLLNGNG NSW 25OO
AISTRALIA
L-maiI IvxnoxgmaiI.com
IackmausoIeum:
hll:;;members.olusnel.com.au;Ivxnox;
AHWA Member Iage:
hll:;;vvv.auslraIianhorror.com;member_ages.hàge=86
Iroof Ierfecl LdiloriaI Services: vvv.rooferfecl.com.au
SSWFT 6
FRANK COFFMAN (OIcIa! EdItnr nI REHcapa)
L-maiI fcoffmanobox.com
Websile: hll:;;vvv.roberl-e-hovard.org;home.hlmI
PHILLIP A. ELLI5
228 Kirkvood Road Wesl
TWLLDS HLAD SITH NSW 2486
AISTRALIA
hiIIihiIIiaeIIis.com
hiIIi.a.eIIisgmaiI.com
Home Iage:
hll:;;vvv.hiIIiaeIIis.com;
5AM GAFFORD
624 Melacom Ave
Warren RI O2885
ISA
L-maiI: Iordshazamyahoo.com
hll:;;viIIiamhoehodgson.vordress.com
JOHN HAEFELE
N49W25168 Seven Slone Dr
Ievaukee WI 53O72
ISA
L-maiI: DenysbarryaoI.com
hll:;;vvv.sff.nel;eoIe;|ackbyrne;haefeIe.hlm
SSWFT 7

EARL LIVING5
1O Mary Sl
X HILL VIC 3129
AISTRALIA
(Iorever;2)
L-maiI: eIivingsolusnel.com.au
hll:;;vvv.lhevrilingcycIe.bIogsol.com/
FRED PHILLIP5
575 Main Sl -N-4O5
RooseveIl IsIand NY 1OO44
Requires Irinl Coy MaiIings
L-maiI: Irederic1937aoI.com
JUHA-MATTI RAJALA
Ranlakalu 2 A 9
II-539OO LAIILLNRANTA
IINLAND
L-maiI: |m.ra|aIagmaiI.com
5COTT 5HEAFFER (ActIng OIcIa! EdItnr)
7 Hedges Ave
WeslheId MA O1O85
ISA
L-maiI: ScollSheafferme.com
AIlernale e-maiI: KmacaIaoI.com
Ihanlazine Iog: hll:;;hanlazine.bIogsol.com/
BRYCE 5TEVEN5
3 Slalion Sl
ST }HNS RIVLR NSW 2443
AISTRALIA
(Iorever;O)
Accels IDI maiIings
bryceslevens2OO5yahoo.com.au
hll:;;sinislrala.com/
SSWFT 8
BENJAMIN 5ZUM5KYJ (Fnundcr)
9 Irench Rd
MLLVILLL WA 6156
AISTRALIA
(Iorever;O) Accels IDI MaiIings (Honorary;non-conlribuling
member)
hll:;;veslernauslraIiahomechurch.bIogsol.com/
JOHN MAYER - ASSISTANT ARCHIVIST
THL ILLWING MLMLRS ARL DLLINQILNT WITH DILS:
THL ILLWING MLMLRS MIST SIMIT A CNTRIITIN IR THL NLXT
MAILING T RLMAIN IN THL A.I.A.:
SSWFT 9
S.S.W.F.T. OFFICIAL RULES
S.S.W.I.T. is an inlernalionaI amaleur ress associalion (AIA) roducing quarlerIy
maiIings in vhich fans, sludenls and vorking schoIars may discuss and exIore lhe
genres of fanlasy, science hclion and horror. The fhciaI Ldilor veIcomes Iilerary
crilicism, commenlaries, bibIiograhies, arlicIes and essays, brief biograhies, anaIylicaI
revievs, convenlion reorls, aulhor inlervievs and olher maleriaI reIaling lo fanlasy, sf
and horror.
S.S.W.I.T. focusses rimariIy on lhe Iilerary reaIm, lhough members are aIso free lo
exIore fanlasy and horror in olher media, incIuding cinema, TV, comics and grahic
noveIs, arl, radio, gaming and so on. ReIevanl originaI arlvork (eilher by lhe members
or from olher sources) is encouraged. Thal vhich is secihcaIIy excIuded from S.S.W.I.T.
is:
Iholocoies;scans from magazines and nevsaers unIess il's ubIic domain
(reIeased from coyrighl roleclion), coyrighled lo lhe member, used vilh roer
ermission, or comIies vilh lhe Iair Ise Doclrine.
MaleriaI nol reIaling lo lhe genres of fanlasy, science hclion and horror
Reroduced maleriaI easiIy avaiIabIe onIine, vhelher a member's ovn vork or
anolher's. (AIlhough a member couId incIude a signihcanl revision or udale of lheir
vork vhich has aeared onIine.)
MaleriaI coyrighled lo anolher aulhor unIess roer ermission is oblained or lhe
usage comIies vilh lhe Iair Ise Doclrine. A member's ovn vork is coyrighled lo
lhem.
IersonaI allacks againsl any member or non-conslruclive crilicism.
Members may submil hclion or non-hclion vrillen by lhem vhich has onIy been seen
in lhe rivale domain or in rare, oul-of-rinl or smaII-run ubIicalions. CoIIaboralive
vorks are ermilled, bul members vishing an addilionaI rinl coy for lheir
SSWFT 10
coIIaboralor musl ay lhe addilionaI oslage and rinling cosls. IDI coies viII be senl
free.
Members vishing lo send maleriaIs aIongside lheir zine for lhe maiIing (e.g. books,
CDs or magazines) musl send lhe maleriaI al lheir ovn cosl, incIuding enough coies lo
cover aII currenl members of lhe AIA incIuding lhe fhciaI Ldilor.
Ior lhe remainder of 2O12, submil zines lo Scoll Sheaffer al ScollSheafferme.com in
eilher .doc, .IDI, .odl (enfhce), Iages (AIe), .lxl, or rich lexl formal.
Lach member's zine musl have ils ovn lilIe and must dIsp!ay thc mcmbcr's snaI!
maI! and cmaI! addrcsscs. A fronl cover is olionaI. MaI!Ing cnmmcnts (cmcccs) arc
cxpcctcd, each member shouId lry lo incIude a seclion of commenl on olher members'
revious conlribulion each maiIing. Members viII nol be droed for Iack of emcees
from lime lo lime, bul emcees are considered an imorlanl arl of AIA aclivily and heI
lo encourage osilive feedback and a siril of Iilerary camaraderie belveen members.
MInImum annua! cnntrIbutInn Is 8 pagcs. This may be sIil any vay (e.g. 2 ages
quarlerIy, 4 ages bi-annuaIIy, or 8 ages annuaIIy). Members vho faII beIov lhis
annuaI minimum conlribulion of ages viII be given a varning in Nameless Cylinder so
lhey have an oorlunily lo calch u. Hovever conlinued faiIure lo make
'minac' (minimum aclivily) viII resuIl in lhe member being droed from lhe AIA.
Members vho are deIinquenl vilh dues viII aIso receive a varning nolice in Nameless
Cylinder and are execled lo ay lheir dues in a limeIy fashion in order lo have rinled
coies maiIed lo lhem.
MaiIing deadIines, cosls, and melhods of aymenl are sel oul on lhe lilIe age.
Members eIecling lo have lheir maiIings rinled by lhe L viII receive lheir maiIings
via airmaiI. S.S.W.I.T. funclions on a non-rohl basis and annuaI dues cover lhe cosl of
rinling, coIIaling and maiIing members' zines. Members eIecling lo receive IDIs via
emaiI are nol required lo ay dues.
S.S.W.I.T. vas crealed by en|amin }. Szumsky| and is lemorariIy being L'd by
Scoll Sheaffer unliI Leigh Iackmore can resume lhal roIe. IIease conlacl lhe fhciaI
Ldilor vilh any queries on S.S.W.I.T.'s ruIes and condilions, or vilh suggeslions for
beller vays of running lhe AIA. S.S.W.I.T. is inlended lo be fun as veII as academic.
SSWFT 11
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Use the Bookmark Table of Contents
Want to jump quickly to a particular zine, an article within a zine, or a mailing comment to you? Use the
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The most widespread program for reading PDFs is Adobe Reader, and it's available for PC, Mac, and
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a Weird Tales August - Sept ember Bookmarked. pdf
128% Tools | Sign | Comment
j Weird Tales August - Sept ember Bookmarked. pdf
Tools ; Sign | Comment
ed Nails
By ROBERT E. HOWARD
One of the strangest stories ever writtenthe tale of a barbarian adventurer,
a woman pirate, and a weird roofed city inhabited by the most
peculiar race of men ever spawned
The Story Thus Far
V
ALERIA, a woman pirate forced
by circumstances to join a mer-
cenary army stationed on the
Stygian-Darfar border, killed an officer
who insulted her and deserted, fleeing
into the wilderness that lay to the south.
Conan, a Cimmerian, followed her, and
caught up with her in a forest after a long
pursuit. Conan was enamored of her, but
Xki . story b*cn IB WKJBD TALKS for July 20}
1 Ted Nails
By ROBERT E. HOWARD
One of the strangest stories ever mittenthe tale of a barb,
Bookmar ks
79 I 1 32 10 1%
Cover
Lycanthropus by C.
Edgar Bolen
Mask of Death by Paul
Pearl Norton Swet
Red Nails Part 2 by
Robert E. Howard
Swamp Demons by
C.A. Butz
Death Holds the Post
by Derleth and
The Diary of Philip
Westerly by Paul
Tour Wooden Stakes
Coming Next Month
Cover Date Change
Death of Robert E.
An Ace Issue by
Comments by
Ebelein
Weirder Than Ever
C
l
i
c
k

T
o

O
p
e
n
Expanded
SSWFT 12

30 MANTICHORE
Volume 9, No 1 (Whole Number 30).
Edited by Leigh Blackmore
for the SSWFT (Feb 2, 2014/52nd mailing),
& Esoteric Order of Dagon (Feb 2, 2014/165th mailing)
Amateur Press Associations.

78 Rowland Ave, Wollongong, NSW 2500. Australia lvxnox@gmail.com

Henry S(t Clair). Whitehead (1882-1932)
(Portrait blindbild, from www.deviantart.com

Mantic Notes 2
Notes on Henry S. Whitehead by Leigh Blackmore 3
The Cunning of the Serpent by Henry S. Whitehead 7
Dark Magic of the Caribbean by Henry S. Whitehead 12

Mantic Notes
(Pronunciation:'Man-tik. Etymology: Greek mantikos, from mantis: of, relating to the faculty of divination; prophetic).

I will waste little space this issue with rambling about my own personal doings.
I believe I sent everyone in the apas my Yuletide letter re 2013, which contained
most of my recent news. I had intended to make this a special tribute issue to my
Australasian friends Tom Cockcroft and Graham Stone, who passed away during
2013, but despite collecting material, this didnt come about, so I will postpone my
tribute to them until a later issue.
In writing news, my essay from Sam Gaffords Sargasso No 1 has been picked
up for reprint in the forthcoming volume William Hope Hodgson: Voices from the
Borderland to be edited by Gafford and S.T. Joshi (Hippocampus Press). My essay
on Ramsey Campbell saw print in late 2013 in Gary William Crawfords
RAMSEY CAMPBELL: CRITICAL ESSAYS ON THE MODERN MASTER OF
HORROR (Scarecrow Press), a very attractive (though expensive) volume. I
reviewed this at Amazon.com, and other recent reviews of mine appear there as
well, including one on Peter Levendas THE DARK LORD: H.P. LOVECRAFT,
KENNETH GRANT AND TYPHONIAN MAGIC (Ibis Press, 2013).
The Levenda review will also appear (along with a review of the new edition of Lovecrafts collected poetry,
The Ancient Track) in the next issue of Dead Reckonings (Hippocampus Press). Leading on from this, I had
some interesting discussions with Bobby Dee, whose book on Lovecraft and sex (including sexual occultism)
will be published by Hippocampus Press. I may be writing the introduction to a book of criticism on Richard
Matheson, though that is on the long finger. I have published no recent fiction,
though I wrote a Sherlock Holmes-Poe crossover story The Metaphysics of
Madness which was not accepted for its designated anthology and is now out in
other markets. I have an agreement to write stories for two forthcoming Robert M.
Price anthologies, The Derleth Mythos and The Revision Mythos. ( A reprint of my
story The Return of Zoth-Ommog may finally appear in Rev. Prices SECRET
ASIAS BLACKEST HEART, which is now on its third publisher after a
complicated trajectory). I am making pleasing progress with my thriller novel THE
EIGHTH TRIGRAM. I write very slowly, so it will be a long process to finish that.
Apart from essays, my one recent in-print appearance seems to be my poem Last
Dream (dedicated to Ambrose Bierce), in Weird Fiction Review No 4 (just out from
Centipede Press). I believe this issue is in hardcover but have not yet received my
contributor copy./Bibliographical note: I missed contributing to last mailing (the
first time since about 2005) hence there was no Mantichore Vol 8, No 4. This
current issue, No 30, becomes Vol 9, No 1.
SSWFT 14

NOTES ON HENRY ST. CLAIR WHITEHEAD
This issue I present two items by Henry S. Whitehead, friend of H.P.
Lovecraft, who published voluminously in Weird Tales, Strange Tales, Adventure
and other pulps. Whitehead spent years on the Caribbean island of Santa Cruz as
an Episcopalian deacon and later archdeacon of the Virgin Islands, and
specialized in stories of West Indian voodoo. The first item here is Whiteheads
1925 story Cunning of the Serpent from Adventure (May 20, 1925). It may
have been Tom Cockcroft who sent me this facsimile many years ago. The
second item is, I believe, rather scarcer. Though it is an essay, it appeared in a
magazine called Mystery Stories; Im afraid I dont know the date of the issue,
nor recall how I came to obtain the copy, but I hope it will be of interest. Lovecraft wrote a memoir of
Whitehead In Memoriam: Henry St. Clair Whitehead (Weird Tales, March 1933, unsigned). A facsimile of this
appears in Robert Weinbergs The Weird Tales Story, FAX, 1977. It is now most easily found reprinted in
Lovecrafts Collected Essays Vol 5: Philosophy (Hippocampus Press). Lovecraft visited with Whitehead several
times during Whiteheads residence in Florida, and amongst HPLs possessions
were, in his curios shelf, a mottled snake which
had been killed by Whitehead himself, stored in a
jar; and in his clothes cupboard, a white tropical
suit which Whitehead bestowed upon him.
Lovecraft assisted Whitehead with the revision
of two stories. First was The Trap which Joshi
considers to be perhaps one half to three fourths
by HPL although it was published under
Whiteheads byline only in Strange Tales (March
1923). The Trap can be found in such
collections of HPLs revisions as The Horror in
the Museum and Other Revisions (Arkham
House) and Medusas Coil and Others (Miskatonic Books), both edited by
S.T. Joshi. There is also a facsimile reprint edition of Strange Tales March
1923 which can be purchased from Amazon here:
http://tinyurl.com/l3pwzhoh
Above: Illustration to The Fireplace"
by Whitehead
SSWFT 15
The second tale with which Lovecraft assisted
Whitehead was initially called The Bruise. The
tale was published as Bothon in Amazing Stories
(Aug 1946) (included in West India Lights). There is
some doubt as to the extent of Lovecrafts
involvement. According to Joshi From internal
evidence there appears to be no prose by HPL in the
tale, but it may well have been based upon what
seems to be a detailed synopsis by HPL. A. Langley
Searles has conjectured that August Derleth in fact
wrote the story from HPLs synopsis and published it
under Whiteheads byline. Joshi does not include
this work as one of Lovecrafts writings in his
Lovecraft bibliography. Bothon can be purchased
as a standalone Kindle story
from Amazon.com.
http://tiny.cc/hrofax.
Bothon is also included in
a publication from
CreateSpace, Complete
Works of H.P. Lovecraft
Volume 2, available from
Amazon.com at
http://tiny.cc/hsofax
Whiteheads much
anthologised 1931 story
(Strange Tales) Cassius
was also based on an idea
from HPLs Commonplace
Book.
Arkham House published
two posthumous collections
of Whiteheads tales, these
being Jumbee and Other
Uncanny tales (1944) and
West India Lights (1946).
In the 1970s a UK
paperback house split the Arkham edition of Jumbee into two volumes published under the variant titles The
Black Beast and Other Voodoo Stories and Jumbee and Other Voodoo Tales.
These days though, if you cant
afford the Arkham House editions,
there are a couple of good options a
three volume set from Canadas
Battered Silicon Dispatch Box under
the umbrella title The Fantastic
Fiction of Henry S. Whitehead; or, as
a Best of in one volume,
Wordsworths very affordable Voodoo
Tales: The Ghost Stories of Henry S.
Whitehead.
SSWFT 16

Secondary Material on Whitehead.
Barrett, Mike. West Indian Frights: The Fiction of Henry S. Whitehead in Barrett, Doors to Elsewhere (Alchemy
Press, 2013).
Bleiler, E.F. The Guide to Supernatural Fiction. Kent State University Press, 1983. Useful for plot summaries of
Whiteheads stories.
Donnelly, Sean. Whitehead in Florida. Fantasy Commentator (Fall 1996)
Dziemianowicz, Stefan. Henry S[t. Clair] Whitehead in S.T. Joshi and Dziemianowicz (eds). Supernatural
Literature of the World. Westport CT: Greenwood Press, pp. 1201-1204.
Joshi, S.T. and David E. Schultz, An H.P. Lovecraft Encyclopedia. Westport CT: Greenwood Press, 2001. (Entries
on Whitehead, and The Trap
Klein, T.E.D. Henry S [t. Clair] Whitehead in Jack Sullivan (ed) The Penguin Encyclopedia of Horror and the
Supernatural NY: Viking Penguin, 1986, p. 462-63.
Searles, A. Langley. Fantasy and Outre Themes in the Short Fiction of Edward Lucas White and Henry S.
Whitehead. In American Supernatural Fiction, ed. Douglas Robillard (Garland, 1996), pp. 59-75.
Searles, A. Langley, Henry S. Whitehead: a Retrospective Fantasy Commentator (Fall 1995).
BRIEFLY NOTED. Mike Barrett, UK resident and longstanding member of the
SSWFT apa, has published Doors to Elsewhere (Alchemy Press, 2013) a collection of
his insightful essays on weird writers ranging from Greye La Spina to Lord Dunsany
The intro is by Ramsey Campbell. See
http://wormwoodiana.blogspot.com.au/2013/10/mike-barretts-doors-to-elsewhere.html.
The book is available from Amazon.com. Looks like a must-buy!

The Whitehead story and essay follow. For SSWFT members they appear here within
the PDF. EOD members please go to www.scribd.com at
http://www.scribd.com/doc/203084127/Henry-S-Whitehead-The-Cunning-of-the-
Serpent
and
http://www.scribd.comg/doc/203086918/Henry-S-Whitehead-Dark-Magic-of-the-
Caribbean
----- to download the relevant articles. Scribd.com is free to use.

SSWFT 17
The CuprîriG
op the '
V/CI ^M T
I
*N ,
'Jlf ^- ' iV V , . J ^
^fclenr v S'. \v1lt tel ica'ct ~
Author o f The Intarsia Box.
HE mail came into Carnation
twice a wek, on Tuesdays and
Fridays. I t was brought over
from Red Hills, the nearest rail
road station twelve miles across the desert,
by J oe Sowers, a superannuated cowman.
Sowers made the trip to J im Peterson the
postmaster, keeper of Carnations chief em
porium of general trade. Therefore, even
when he was at home in his rare intervals of
rest from the constant visitations through
out his enormous district, the Bishop of the
Niobraras had two heavy days of inside
work, since his mail receipts were larger
than those of any other citizen of Carnation.
The bishops mail had another distinction.
I t contained the only regular pay-check that
came into the little frontier town which was
the geographical center of his work. This
was because, being a missionary bishop, he
received his salary from the missionary
headquarters in New York once a month.
As J im Peterson was also the banker, the
bishop had fallen into the habit of taking
his check to the storekeeper as soon as he
got it, and having it cashed.
This.unusual method of receiving ones
income had excited much-local comment,
and it was well known that Bishop Kent
always carried his check to Petersons and
came out with a roll of two hundred and
fifty dollars, once every month.
needed for his simple requirements, but it'
made it possible for him to perform a good
many kindly acts with his right hand of
which his left hand knew nothing. The
recipients could be counted on to say
nothing.
But the case of Rosie, Rosie of the Gopher
Holes Bevy of Blossoms, had leaked out .
some time after Rosies unexpected de- '
parture for the East. I t had leaked out I
through the ugly mouth of Clark ShadwelL -
In a moment of very bad judgment, com- j
plicated by a certain amount of the Gopher
Holes very bad red liquor, poor Rosie had
succumbed to the allurements Shadwell had
been holding out to her, and had abandoned
the frying-pan of the Gopher Holes pre
carious housing for the fire of Clark Shad-
wells tumbledown shack on the edge of
town.
Rosie had never ceased to regret this
step. But regrets did her no good. Like
everybody else in or near Carnation she
soon came to know Shadwell for what he
was, a truculent, transplanted hill-billy from
the 'fennessee mountains, a gun-fighter,
who, weaned on com-licker and fed on rat-
tail tobacco since before he had teeth, had
found the scope of his native land too narrow
for his expansive nature. He had come out
into the Bad Lands where he would have
room to swing a gat, and had picked on
VaWjat TT*had made it
SSWFT 18
cleaeto Rosie that if.die ever left him to gd
BacfetoThe Gopher Hole he would get her/
TEhisi threat;.had?hekf . her through every
variety-ofcHI treatment the pizenest dti- -'
zen of Carnation could thinkiap.
Uh Onejhfondayr night the bishop had ar
rived home fromjt long visitation, and after .
hiSyHuahprpcesa of deaning-ip after three
weekdaway/froot his famons. bath tub, in.
-'the alkali-dust^ had stepped over to Peter- -/
^ f o r hisfaccumulated maiEl There^was* i
of.it that he had not
_____ ____ his check but,intending ^
to dcfcsd- the ntnrt morniogy had earned i t all
I hornet with funi^?3&( ;d4v>
S Hdwas intthe midst of this large batch of /
^maibthe^nertt morning .when atap on the -
\doo* interrupted: him; He opened the door" ,
/and Rosie stumbled in; She was weak and'
sickand halfstarved and she was suffering
;weU had administered the night before
77,/Nobody except the bishop and Rosie, and"
the Personage up. above Who was the
;bisbopfg boss, knew* what the two said to*-
jeadk. others bat about' an hour later they
''earner out o the bishops little house and
walked;.'together along Carnations- main
street" of shacks to* Peterson's* store Old-
J oe; Sowers was outside beside his dilapi
dated budtboard with its pair of rangy cow
ponievand the bishop paused to speak-
tdhhhd'/ ' *- *''"-
& Kindly defer your leaving for a few'
minutes^Mr.-Sowers. There will be a pas-
senger going with you ter Red Hills.
. OldJ oe nodded his dusty old head and
spafe- rbfketively in the- thick dust of the
roadway saying nothing. - ~V "' -
S; The* hishop- accompanied Rosie into the
storycashed his check and, while the store
loafers stood agape, counted out into Rosies*
hand ten ten-dollar bills. . The loafers fol-
l lowed' the-oddly assorted pair out in front-
ofrfhe Store- and saw the bishop deferentially
pharid Rosie into the buckboard. - --: -f
-fTake thSf young lady to the station at
; Red-Hills, if yon please, came the bishops
. precise voice speaking to old J oe.' Perhaps,
toc^you will be kind enough to see that die
gets her1ticket through to New York, and
; is placed safely on the train." *3 ' '
J ^J TJ h-huh,'* responded old J oe, shifting his
,quid'nervously from one side of his leathern -
? jawsto thedther^P-*' ; ; *.*-.7
The girt looked unutterable things at the
little bishop who, removing his hat, bowed
to her stiffly and the buckboard started off
at a great rate- - i -
Gravely saluting the men about the store-
doorway, the bishop turned on his heel, and
with a measured tread which he never
varied, about twenty-one inches to the step,
Reddy Larimore had once reported, walked
gravely back to bis little adobe house By
the creek side. * " - a v %
- Ed Hammond, proprietor of the Red
Horse Restaurant and Bar, having learned-
what'was in the wind, overtook the little
man before he had reached his house.! Ham
mond laid a huge, protective hand-on the -
neat shoulder of the bishops neatly pressed
v Land sake~BisKop,;y'aint mixinl in on
thisyere- Clark. Shad wells- deals, are- ye?
Goshamighty, man, that cattymount aint
got no respec fer nothin ner nobody. They
tells me yere a-helpin this yere gal o hisn
to get away east. .Why, man, hell jes
plum ruin ye with lead bullets fer- that,
Soons he knows what yeve ben up to. I ts
a wonder he haint a-rearin roun right now.
Whylikelys not hell be ridin after em
an kill the gal an old J oe to boot- Haint
ye got no sense?" : -
Tbe bishop turned on Hammond a cool,
level eye.
I ts very good of you, Mr. Hammond, to
warn me like this. I appreciate it highly,
sir. But there is no immediate likelihood of
his doing anything I am .informed by-this
unfortunate young woman that he is at the-
present time, drunk, sir, dead drunk in fact.
She will be aboard- the noon train long
before he awakens. I have no doubts about
her safety. You may be interested to know
that I have given her letters to people in
New York who will see to her welfare.
Yeahbutl Hammond choked at the
little mans simplicity, Look yere. Bishop;
I wasn't thinkin so much about her; only
kinds incidental-like. Hits mosly you Im
a^thinkin about: You- :; gotta live right
yere, ain't ye? Well; then, alls I gotta say.
is, gosh sake, heel yoself. Kin you do any
thin'tall with a gun? I spose not. Good
land amightyl Hfty ye stopped to think -
what that roarin' son of a-gun'll do
to you?''- -:f- - ;
The bishop teoked pleasantly up at his
big friend who loaned him his dance-hall i
and bar to conduct services in whenever he <
spent a Sunday in Carnation. He smiled
like a child.
SSWFT 19
- xne vunmng
As I said before, it is extremely kind of
you to take this interest, Mr. Hammond.
I may tell you that I am not unmindful of
my own personal safety. Perhaps you did
not know that before I entered the ministry
I studied law.
Hammond interrupted. He spoke as a
person speaks to a lovable but very inex-
: perienced child. . <
Lord love ye. Bishop! This yere aint no
question.-of law. Dont you see? Youre
dealin-in with a sharp an a bad egg.
Whats this yere Sbadwell care 'bout law
Good land I - ...
Ed |iammond threw up his hands in a
hopeless gesture. The bishop' was incapable
of understanding the situation.
The bishop merely continued to smile like
a child.
You misapprehend me, I am afraid. Mm
Hammond. What I meant to convey was
only this: That in my study of the law I was-
ftequently confronted with the. maxim,
Never cross a bridge until you come to it!
You see, while I am very grateful to you for
your thought of me, yet, after all, we are
anticipating, are we not? I fear you are
crossing a bridge before arriving at it, Mr.
Hammond. J ust now Shadwell is in no con-,
dition to' do anything. He may even re
main unaware of what has become of this
unfortunate young woman. He is not very
popular, is he? There is no occasion for
anybody to tell him of my small part in the
matter, is there?
Hammond took his departure abruptly
at this point in the conversation. He could
not trust himself to speak again without
profanity, so strong were his feelings at this
moment. He did not wish to use profanity
in the bishops presence.
The bishop continued placidly, twenty-
one inches to the step, toward his little
house, his mind on his unfinished letters.
Hammond proceeded straight back to
Petersons store, gathered the loafers to
gether, and discharged his mind.
An if any- of vo shoats, he ended,
opens yo traps about it, the old mans
cooked, I m a-tellin ye; an if that hep-
pens, by t(je gos ha mighty, theyll be two
more folks full of lead in this yere mee-
tropolis, the same- bein that there skunk
Shadwell an the saphead that spills a word
to him!- *-- .
Peterson promised to see to it that old
J oe kept his mouth tight shut.
oi une ocxperm *3i?f
CLARK SHADWELLS first in
quiry took place late that night.
He was cold sober when he walked
into the Gopher Hole, and he said
little. Reluctantly convinced that nobody-
there knew anything about the subject of-
his inquiry, he,was nonplussed. Shadwells?
imagination did not reach the possibility of
any ones shipping his light o love out-of
town. If she hadnt gone back to her. old,
life at the Gopher Hole she must necessarily I
be in some other mans house, or dead*>'As-
the days succeeded one another, and no evi
dence of Rosies, being above ground!- inr.
Carnation, ti e conviction grew, uponfchinr;
that she must have met- accidental death
in some form* or, possiblywell, she. had
more than once hinted at doing away withr,
herself. - r ;;-i>
The bishop was away from Carnation: for^
several weeks at one stretch, during the rest
of the month, and when he returned Shad
well had made up his mind thatjf he had-
lost Rosie, at least no other man was hiding,
her out. -CV :.?'< .'.***
On a certain, Tuesday afternoon the!
bishop and several other persons were-, inv;
Petersons store waiting for the contents-of
old. J oes mail bags to be sorted and dis
tributed. The bishop received his letters
and opened the first two or three that came,
to hand while talking to some of his ac
quaintances. He glanced through the con
tents and dropped the envelopes into the
waste-box which stood near the central
stove. , * .
As soon as he was gone, Clark Shadwell
who was present poked at the trash in the
waste-box. Then, stooping, he picked out.
a stamped envelope which-had caught his
eye. I t was the kind of envelope already
stamped, and with three dotted lines in the
upper left-hand comer, along with? the
words: If not delivered i n----- days, re*"
turn to-----
In these blank spaces were written, a
New York address, and the name. Rose
Hollister. _ . . . . . . -
Shadwell spelled this out carefully, then,
quickly Crumpling the envelope, he dropped
it back in the waste-box and, without a.
word to anybody, walked out .of. the>store
and, unhitching his cayuse, loped off. in the.
direction of his shack at the towns edge^;- .
.As soon as he was gone, Ed Hammond,
picked out the crumpled ball and, straight
ening it out read what Shadwell had read.
SSWFT 20
Adventure
136
Then, with a suppressed oath, he started
for the bishops house.
The bishop, urbane as always, listened
to his fervid second warning.
Clark Shadwell knew! By Rose 1101-
listers foolishness, and the bishops inno
cence, there was no further concealment
possible, and; as Ed graphically imparted it,
------was about to bust loose.
Was the bishop heeled?
Goshamightyi Here! Take this! Pack
it constant, too! Goshamightyi"
Hammond left, too full of wrath and con
cern for the bishops safety to trust himself
for further utterance, and the bishop picked
up gingerly, and examined curiously, the
small, compact, double-barreled derringer
he had left on the table.
That evening Doc Ellis had a hurry call
to the bishops house, and the next day
the Carnation Tocsin and Range Bulletin
carried a circumstantial account of how the
chief ecclesiastic of the territory had slipped
and fallen on the floor of his famous bath
room, the bathroom his predecessor had in
stalled, with a patent earn which pumped,
water from the creek, and a straining ap
paratus which removed part of the alkali
mud from the water, and broken his right
arm. The paper referred to this injury as
a compound fracture, this descriptive item
being furnished by Carnations leading
scientist, Doc Ellis.
The next day the bishop with his right
arm in elaborate splints and a sling con
cocted of many rolls of bandage, went un- .
compiainingly about his affairs, and to all
inquiries responded with the cheerful state
ment that his injury was nothing
"J ust nothing at ail, thank you."
How he managed for the subsequent days
to dress would have puzzled Carnation if
Carnation had been critical of such matters.
But Carnation wasnt critical and, as Ed
Hammond pointed out scornfully to one
curious customer of his at the Red Horse
That there old bishop dont have to tie
no necktie like other Easterners, cause he
wears one of them purple dickies.
To Hammonds importunities to watch
his step, the bishop always returned as
surances of his complete immunity from
danger, and cited the fact that Shadwell had
made no hostile move whatever against him.
All Shadwell knew from having read Rosie's
envelope was that Rosie had got away to
"V^Tr Vorlr tcrifton /to Vnm. T'b prp
was no necessary connection between those
facts and his complicity in her escape.
On Friday of that same week, the bishop
received his mail as usual and carried it
home with him. Later in the evening he
returned1to Peterson's store to cash his
check. Shadwell and several others were at
the store. Peterson handed the bishop his
bills, and the bishop placed them with
his free left hand in the left-hand pocket
of his neatly pressed black trousers, and
took his departure after greeting pleasantly
everybody in the store.
Shadwell left within a minute afterward,
and as there was no one present who could
guess that anything was in the wind except
Peterson himself, his exit excited no com
ment whatever. Peterson, greatly worried,
and unable to leave because, he was alone
in' the store, sent a boy for Hammond.
Hammond arrived in a minute or two,
and Peterson whispered to him that Shad
well had trailed the bishop out.
Hammond sprang out of the door and
hurried down the street toward the bishops
house. Past the lighted section of the main
street he hastened and broke into a run as
soon as he had left this behind him. As he
ran. he slid his holster around on his belt,
and loosened its Bap.
The bishop was out of sight, and there was
no trace of Shadwell, but Ed bad noticed
his cayuse still tied to the rail in front of
Petersons when he rushed out, and knew
that Shadwell must be afoot, and not far
away.'
He found the bishops house in darkness,
as-he slowed his pace on arriving before it,-
and looked, with a worried expression, at
the unlighted windows. He came nearer,
walking stealthily now, his hand on the butt
of his forty-five. He started to walk around
the house, and as he neared the first corner,
he heard Shadwells voice suddenly and
stopped, drawing his gun, just within the
concealing shelter of the houses edge.
I t occurred to him that at his usual gait
the bishop had had just about time to reach
his house, and had gone around to the door
at the farther side which he commonly used,
Shadwell had probably taken the other side
of the road, and had managed to pass the
bishop on the way, unobserved in the dark.
He had been waiting for the bishop around
the corner of the house, and had confronted
him there. That was it! He, Hammond,
had managed to arrive just in time!
SSWFT 21
The Cunning
Hammond edged himself along against
the rough wall of the little house, ready
to intervene at an instants notice.
HE heard dearly Shadwells ugly
snarl, low-pitched as it was, around
the comer of the house.
I said shove up yo hans,-----
yo! Shove em up, now, right sudden
way upor I ll blow yo to----- 1
But, my dear sirit was the bishops
clear voice!cant you see that it is out of
the question? I can not move my right
hand because it is bandaged tight.
Then shove up yo good arm-r-pronto,
nowyo misble lii pup yol
Ed Hammond stepped softly around the
comer. He had guessed, correctly, that the
bishop would be facing him, Shadwell stand
ing so as to present his back, facing the
bishop. He saw Shadwells back and slouch
ing shoulders, and the little bishop beyond
him, his free left hand and arm perpendicu
lar, the huge white bandage which confined
the other conspicuous in the dimness of
early evening. Shadwell was edging up to
ward the bishop, his gun held upon him.
What could he be up to, exactly? Then
Hammond saw through it. He was intend
ing, first, to secure the roll of bills. When
he had once got that safely away from the
bishop, he could easily overcome the slightly
built, elderly and now disabled little man.
He would not risk the sound of a gunshot.
Hammond raised his forty-five.
But he was very unexpectedly inter
rupted. There came from close at hand
a roar which made him jump, and ruined
his steady aim.
Shadwell had shot down the little man
after all
Eldplunged forward. A gun was too good
for Shadwell. He wanted to get his. big
powerful hands on him and choke the miser
able life out of his worthless carcass.
He stopped, confused in the dim light.
The figure which he had dimly perceived as
it tottered and fell to the ground in a limp
heap lay almost under his feet. I t writhed
and rolled about, and from it there came a
steady stream of profanity.
At a little distance there stood the bishop,
busily engaged with his left hand in un
winding the huge bandage from his right
hand and arm.
What the gasped Hammond.
\ h it is vom is if not. Mr. Hammond?
of the Serpent 137
said the bishop. You quite startled me,
I assure you.
He threw the loosened bandage to the
ground and, transferring from his right hand
to his left the double-barreled derringer
from which a thin wisp of acrid smoke yet
rose, he handed the deadly little weapon
back to its rightful owner.
Doctor Ellis was very obliging, re
marked the bishop, rubbing his cramped
right hand which had just discharged the
derringer through the bandage. He took
great pains with this arrangement. You
see, Mr. Hammond, I have been for years
unused to firearms, and so I could take no
chances. That is why I waited until Shad
well came so close that I could hardly miss.
I shot himaccurately, I thinkthrough
the right shoulder, so as to disable his gun
arm. L hope I have not injured him too
severely.
Around the comer of the house came a
confused group of men, in the lead, Tom t.
Hankins, a deputy sheriff, carrying a lantern
in one hand, a glistening blue-barreled forty-
five in the other.
Whats all this rannikaboo? inquired
Hankins in a voice of authority.
By the light of the lantern the bystanders j
envisaged the* scene. They looked at the i
bishop, the bandage on the ground; they
sniffed the sharp smell of burned cloth 1
which rose from the crumpled bandages.
Hankins, stooping over, hauled the still
cursing Shadwell roughly to his feet His
right arm hung helpless. One of the men
picked up his undischarged revolver and
looked at it curiously.
You come along with me to the cala
boose, Shadwell, said Hankins grimly.
Weve had our eyes on you for some time
and now I reckon weve got you to rights.
Hankins led away his captive, the other
men closing in around them as they wended
their way back toward the calaboose.
The bishop looked at Ed Hammond who
stood, his jaw hanging, and again the bishop
smiled like a happy child.
I can not help wishing that I had not
been obliged to resort to such an expedient,
Mr. Hammond, he remarked, as he picked
up the bandages and turned toward his
house, but you may remember that we are
exhorted in the Scriptures to combine the
harmlessness of doves with the cunning of
'the serpent! Good evening, Mr. Hammond,
and thank vou verv mudi.
SSWFT 22
* ' . '
. , i.. '
. v i$ t.
. y ^ i i ' ' fE s s & g s a g t^ m
V >r" I S ^ | '
r- o \
* TAroupk tAa dooractually
: , towards
. * ' f -^ , ' -
i//y through the wood of the closed doorh4 came. *r V * ' '*.
wards her, as though intent on murdor. , S l y V ^ ,
' ' .** - . ** **- * -N *. f .
:*'r. . ; v . .v ^ #. / . ^c,
Dark Magic of the :.
Caribbean Peoples* %.7#?;
- . v.,- 7 V* <'.v^
By HENRY S. WHITEHEAD * *
7 7
' ' Jn that land of talismans and arAulcts there is much magic, both good
and evil, "Gahd and Satan (cage a deadly, endless battle, a conflict
for poiver, for the destiny of man, according to native belief. There
; are many forms of obeah and vooeloo, the most interesting of which
, . ere dealt with in this article.
(V- v
: 1r* . ,
.. ' .
'.v A
7- ivi
. * v:
T WAS a few weeks before
the annual Christmas races
>\ of the year 1922, on the
'~J-* West Indian island of St.
Croixor, as the natives prefer to
call it, Santa Cruz, the ancient
Spanish name given by Columbu3
i himself in 1493. '
A negro horse-owner had entered
his steed for one of the races. He
was anxious for his horse to win..-
A great deal of money had been bet
on - that horse, which had a large
following among the owners
friends. The owner, heavily com
mitted, was not- the sort to stop at
anything if only he could get his
entry in first under the wire in
front of the judges grand stand.
He did not stop even at murder..
77* . * '
SSWFT 23
78 MYSTERY STORIES
He went to the principal witch doc
tor on the islanda black man, of
course, like himselfto buy magic
wherewith to secure that race. The
J
mpaloi sold it to himthirty dol-
ars in advance. This, he intimated,
would be very difficult, magic-'to
make. For one thing, he required
the heart and the liver of a young
man, newly killed. ' -
Three days later the bo3y of
a young colored man-named Anduze
was discovered some thirty feet
from the road, where it had been
dragged into a' cane field. The
sugar cane stands thick, and dense,
like field corn, and affords a splen
did hiding-place for a dark deed. I t
was the pigs and the dogs that led
those searching for the missing boy
to look in that cane field. The .body
had been partly devoured by these
scavengers.- But that long knife
cut along the line, of the lowest rib
had been managed by no four-footed
-beast.
. The heart and the liver were
gone, and the police, wise in the
ways of obeah and voodoo, know
what had.happened. /-
T
IIE horse won the race. ' The
news spread abroad by means
-of drum signaling,. and also by a
kind of silent, mysterious means of
mental communication which scien
tists name telepathy, bui which no
white man understands. ' Some- .
tilingnegroes have their own way
of expressing this, in the West In
dieshad been *put on that
horse. , .
Then Harry Mackayc, a gentle
man planter with race-horses of his
own, took . a thousand dollars and
horse" at the Easter races, and so
brought to a pause the revival of
black magic which the above inci
dent had engendered among the
Santa Crucian sugar-field laborers.
Later, before Mr. J ustice Mc
Kean in'the Virgin Island District^
Court, the murder case was tried.
The actual murderer was convicted,
and sentenced. His two accomplices
were also severely punished. The
testimony showed that the papaloi
vhad engaged three .assassins to lure
away young Anduze, kill him, and
secure his heart and his liver for
the magic-making.
The papaloi had taken the reek
ing human organs in a gunny sack
to the horses stable and had of
fered them to the animal, which had
refused to . eat them. Then the
papaloi, performing magic rites
the while, had chopped up the heart
and the liver like mincemeat in a
"wooden bowl, mixed the mass with
meal, and poured in a little native
molasses. - Of the gruesome com
pound he had made balls, which
he had rammed, one aflcr the ^>ther,
down the horses throat. Tht1pro-'
' testing animal, now duly prepared,
had recovered from the nauseous,
meal, andhad won the ra :e as
scheduled. The witch doctor'hadT
earned .his thirty dollars! '
P
R E V E N T I V E or protective\
magic is very common in the
West Indies/ The sojourner in any
-West Indian island will not have re
mained very long in his clioScn gar
den sp>ot before his attention ' ill bo
attracted to "obi-bottles hr nging
,on the fruit trees. These bottles,
ornamental with hits of red flan-
eailcd to San J uan, capital of Porto "ncl, strings of dark-brown seeds,
ltico. ' When he came back ho - varicolored pieces of twine, or cryp-
'brotighfe with him a thousand-dol- .tic markings, . are ordinary sights,
lar horse, better than any .racer on / especially on the trees which bear
Santa Cruz; . With this horse Mr/ - the nutritious avocado pear.
Mackaye won a. race from the obi- . / '. Obi-bottles, officially placed by a
SSWFT 24
~r ~
DARK MAGIC OF THE CARIBBEAN PEOPLES 79 .
practitioner of magic, effectively
keep thieves away. They are tabu
signs, which if disregarded will al-
Way3 bring the savage anger of
the Snake or of a J umbee down
upon the head of the rash fruit
thief who dares to violate their pro
tective purpose. A sugar-bag truck
, may break his shin. He may ac
quire swell-foot elephantiasis.
Anytliing may happen to him.
Tank Gahd he drop! A bâck
man or woman, or perhaps one of
. the innumerable children of every
known shade of color, from pale
. cream to black oh which coal would
show white by comparison, has been
eating something, perhaps a sugar-
apple or a bread, as the small
loaves that are sold on the streets
are called, while strolling along a
road. A portion falls to the earth.
.That means J umbee wants it. J um-
' beewho may be almost any kind
of ghost, demon, or supernatural
; beingis favoring the eater.
The negro believes in God devout^
ly, but he also believes, in J umbee,
werwolves, and the dreaded Snake.
; This, that, or the other variety of
magic, bom in the heart of darkest
Africa, whence hi3 ancestors came,
I3 always part of his belief. And
.if he believes in Gahd, why, then
t. Gahd deserves to be thanked po
litely for the favor of J umbee, or
of the Snake, who is only less pow
erful in regulating the alfair3 of
black people than Gahd" Himself!
The Snake is actually Satan, the
father of darkness and dark deeds.
,Ono of the most terrifying and
. dreaded servants .of the Snake is
the werwolf. Crosses mark the
doors of most of the negro cabins
of the sugar-cane plantation vil
lages in the inland or "country
districts of the West Indies. These
crosses cannot fail to remind per
sons familiar with the Bible of the
marks similarly made on the doors
of the ancient Hebrews with the
"blood of the newly-slaughtered Pass-
. over lamb just before the Exodus,
for they had precisely the same v \y;
purposeprotection. ' v' *
The crosses are to keep out de
wolf. There is also another way
to guard a dwelling against the r
marauding, terrible werwolf, That_ f1,
is to strew sea sand on the corru- - ' .
gated iron roofs.- I t is the general <.
West Indian belief that a werwolf, - :
by' th$_ nature of his being, must 'v
pause to counT the grains of sand - Y
before tearing up the comer of the w;
' flimsy roof and coming down in- *' y
-side to devastate the family with-
. in. ' '\.Y -
A wolf is of course a manal-
most always a white man, strangely , ;
enough. Such a man possesses the -
power to change himself into a wolf - ,
at sunset, and bade again into his '
man-form with the coming of day-Y
light. A mark or injury made on ' ^
the body of a marauding werwolf
shows on the same part of the body r *- "
of the man after the change back .
to humanity is made.' , --A
West - Indian negro Tbelief adds
vone odd twist to the characteristics >.
-of Werwolves, as these , are under- -TT-;
stood outside the Caribbean coun-V/>Y
.tries. -.The man-wolf does not
change automatically from man to
wolf. . He must jump over a chair, y; . >*';
backward, to accomplish the trans-
formation! . - *; VY-'
I am personally acquainted with -5
two gentlemen planters in the West
Indics.who are believed by the black .' 7
people to be werwolves. These gen- ( _....
tlemcn are commonly accredited --
with all the, characteristics and
qualities of those dreaded creatures, j.
-'belief In which ranges from French J.
Canadathe loup-garou beliefto .
the mysterious forests of Hungarian
Transylvania, and which is so'old
that it is mentioned in the Latin'
- i - -
y - ,
$7
I V
-classics.
1 SSWFT 25
80 . MYSTERY STORIES
I also know a third, a Swede of
bugo stature, a resident of the Vir
gin Islands. This gentleman com
mitted suicide early in 1928 because
of a mental disorder. He had been-
thought of as a werwolf for twenty- -
eight years among the black people
of his island. .*.*
W
ERWOLF belief Is .known,
scientifically, as lycanthropy.
There is in the West India Islands
a belief In a queer variety of ani
mal-man change which might be
named canicanthropy," for it in
volves a similar change, between a
little, old. black woman and a white
dog. A woman-dog is of course sup
posed to derive her strange powers
from the Snake. -
The central figure in this belief,
the little black woman, waits for
hor victim when he is inside a
house. She sits huddled up on the
lowest step of that house.' If, when
the victim comes out and catches
sight, of the little old woman, 'he
keeps his eyes on her steadily, she
is unable to do liim harm. But if
the wind rustles the fronds of a
palm-tree beside him and causes
him to turn his eyes away from herf
. for the merest fraction of a second,
then, when he looks back ho no
longer can see the little black wo
man: - -V .. v- Z~ "
Instead,-a sraallwhite dog comes,
bounding up, the steps toward him.
The dog increases in size with every
leap. Then, unless he Is prepared,,
the victim is doomed, for if ha
touches the snarling white beast
t which., bounds upon him savagely, -
its slavering fangs ready for hi a.
throat, he is doomed to instant, in
evitable death.. ' ~
But if ^he is armed with, a stick
or some other defense weapon made'
of wood, and. can manage to strike
the dog with it, the animal instan
taneously disappears, like a broken
soap bubbleand the little old wo
man, howling from the pain of the
blow, runs away lamenting through
the lanes and the cane fields until
the 60tind of her distant wailing
dies oh the breath of the murmur
ing trade wind. Then the frightened
victim of the woman-dog gathers
himself shakily together for his
trembling walk homeward.
Tamarinds, ceibas, and mahogany
trees are the great shade-tree'- of
most of the AVest Indian towns and
roads. Under certain aged tama
rinds as well as along various mine
field "ranges," or ronds, lurks tbe
dreaded "sow with seven pigs."
Woe betide tbe nocturnal walker of
the "roads if the sow and her E .ven
pigs happen to run across his
path. The traditional black cat, or
"even the Spanish dread of being
crossed" by a funeral proces ion,
are as nothing to tliis dreadful por-.
tent- . . -
Anything by way of misfortune
can mash-up the person so un-,
fortunate as to meet with this sign
of bad luck. No matter wha^may
happen, he expects the worstuntil
something docs happen. Then, if
the. ensuing misfortune is smne-
. thing" mild, the * negro devoutly
thanks Gahd" for His protection,
and goes along on an even keel un
til the* next forerunner of misfpr^
tune comes his way. -
> r ' *. ' * * 5
*
T
HE portents of til are various in
deed. They are very nearly to
be compared with the American
beliefs- about walking under a
ladder, breaking a mirror, and simi
lar misfortunes supposed to be fore
runners of trouble. "Giving away
soap washes away friendship. is
one which is a type of all the-others.
'These omens are almost, innu-
traerable. -
Certain - magical practises are
more than merely protective of fruit
SSWFT 26
> -DARK MAGIC OF THE. CARIBBEAN PEOPLES . 81
or trees. - Snake cut," which really. spiration odor of the person operated
seems to belong to tiie hinterlands upon, and that the new odor has the'
' of the Guianas on the northeastern 'effect of paralyzing the snake. This
coast of South America rather .is ingenious, but not altogether s&t-
than in the West Indies proper, is .. isfyipg. ' ~ .*
a truly marvelous manifestation o f T h e eflicacy of the snake cut
the effectiveness of magical practise, wears off. after a few months, and
That region ha3 recently been f if further immunity is desired the. -
brought to general attention by the '* cut must be renewed. -
explorations and writings, of Wil-; - ~ '. "
liam Beebe and J ohn.Vandepcook. - - fTUIERE is a sharp distinction be-
There,.. back , of the British, tween talismans and amulets. A .*
French, and Dutch settlements is a " talisman, in the field of magical
Little Africa, a jungle populated by ' practice, is something which brings
blac.k8 .who are the descendants of-V good.--.That is, - a talisman po3- <*
former slaves of the Guianas- sessed by any one rightfully, and
Surinam, Demerara, and Cayenne.- : conferred upon him with due proc-
These hinterland blacks have partly ess of magical law by a qualified
reverted to the conditions of their ' witch doctor, has something post
ancient African barbarism. .They'- tive, which will attract to the owner .
continue to be Reasonably f ri endl ythat which he desires. The com-
to the civilized persons who come
among them, but they have revived-
the old customs of Africa-, including
many magical practises.
Among these the most interesting
is the snake cut. i
The bushman makes a small in
cision in the foot, leg, or lower
ankle of the person operated upon,
and in this he places a few grains,
of a prepared substance which looks
like coarse grains of old-fashioned
black gunpowder, such as Daniel
Boone and Deerslayer used inf thoir
trusty long rifles. *Many strange
monest talismans among the Carib
bean peoples are such tilings as a
dead mans tooth, which is believed
to render a gambler lucky, or a
dead mans hand, which will make
him a successful house thief. That
this J ast talisman renders its pos-
scssor invisible is a not uncommon
belief among West Indian negroes.
An amulet, on the other hand, is
negativesomething merely pro
tective. The amulet attracts noth
ing. I t merely keeps undesirable
things away. The obi-bottles that
hang on the West Indian fruit trees
words are said over the cut, and are examples which aro quite typi-
Various incantations accompany the.-, cal of amulets,
operation.
As soon as tho cut is healed, the '
patient is immune to snake-bites. A
snake confronted by a person with a
healed cut stiffens out at once, and
remains in this state of rigidity for
minutes after the person has gone
past. . -
Many efforts have been made to
explain this strange fact scientific-
' ally. One Scandinavian - scientist
explains it by, offering" the sug-
Going along the streets of the is- .
land towns, one may observe among -
the barefooted Jilacks numerous big
toes tied up, around and around,
and often quite neatly, with vari- -4
colored bit3 of string. This strange
custom, like that of painting eyes .
on the botf of a Chinese junk, is
supposed to make the toe,* or tho
junk, i see. Very few Chineso . -
river dwellers would venture out
very far from land on an eyeless
gestion that the cut alters the peivjunk. No negro addicted to stum-.
SSWFT 27
82 MYSTERY STORIES
,
bling cares to go out with a "blind
toe. - v.
But perhaps the strangest of all
talismans is the African Bechuana.
custom of carrying a dead weasel. .
The Bcchuanas are notoriously hard .
to kill.. This 13unquestionably due
to this great tribes firm belief in'
the weasel talisman. This idea is
repeated -in various forms. For ex
ample, a small portion of dried
mongoos. is carried on the person
In the Caribbean Islands. r r
The underlying idea is that'both
.weasel and mongoos are hard ~to -
kill. Lika the American cat, each"
has "nine lives.*. Something of
this propei-ty of life-tenacity, it i3
firmly believed, is imparted to the
wearer.
I can certify from experience to-'
the tenacity of life in the West In
dian mongoos. I have put four
mediiim-caliber bullets through the
tough little animal, and then the
mongoos was still traveling.
T
HE general principle of faith Is
heavily involved here. I f a per
son believes anything,* that anytliing
is true to that per sen, and operativo
upon him. A, great deal of magical .
effect is-due to belief, as witncs$
Robert Loti is Stevensons well-
known tales of Polynesian magic, in
one of which occurs the death of
a person who was convinced of his*
doom. This victim was induced to
view his image in water which was
standing in a calabash shell. When
.the calabash was shaken and the'
image or reflection was thus made "
to waver and break, the man. suc-
.cumbed. '
A similar case came to my notice,
in the town of Christiansted i n'
1926. A male negro of middle age, '
it was , reported, had gone bare
headed and without bathing for five
. years because '.he was. convinced,
having been duly, magicked, that
if he performed ablutions in the
usual way, with water and soap, or ;
if he covered his head in any
way whatever, He would die im
mediately.
There had.been, he told me after.
I had secured his confidence,' trou
ble with a girl. lie had intended
to marry the girl, but,. for some . -
reason which he did not know or
was unwilling, to tell, her par ents1
had become offended with him. -He
had persisted in his attentions, and
the .parents had procured the ser- w
'vices of the witch doctor. . ._*
The witch doctor, through the
medium of perspiration magic, had
fixed him so that, as he was fully
. convinced, the placing of a cover
ing upon his head or the taking of
a bath would result in instant death.
I was unable to secure for this
unfortunate victim of black super-
stitionfor this is pure belief magic
more than a half-cure. That he-
finally bathed thoroughly I can tes-
- tify, as could all those obliged 'to i
come into any kind of contact with ;, ']
Nhim. .*.. . ;{
I never dared risk placing a'hat 1
upon his head, because a sudden
recurrence of his belief" was not
improbable, and it might very well
hqvc killed him at the crucial mo-
/ment. I did explain to him, how-' .
ever, a metliod whereby he could j
get a liat on his head without harm. ^>
I bought him a new straw hat,- took ' <
it to churchy and had" it blessed. No,.*
magic thereafter could affect that. J
particular hat. Since it was new 1
from the shop, there was no magic
about the hat that-needed to be un-
done! 'k - %
- He took the hat with many 'ex- 1
pressions of gratitude, calling-down ,
Gahds blessings upon his deliv
erer! With a person of,stronger
cliaracter I should not have minded
- risking placing the new . hat on his'
head. myself. Perhaps *the hat is
SSWFT 28
- ; i -
; DARK MAGIC OF THE CARIBBEAN.PEOPLES . 83
j new his talisman for somethin'!? or was gone, and-there was no pain
i other. - Possibly he has summonedwhere the drops had struck. Her .r'
j up the courage to wear it. Gahd face, .too, was quite dry. She was r ' -
, is stronger than the . Snake, the - perturbed,-but she managed to fall
^source of all evil obi. : asleep. . . L* - - . - : -
Some time later- she awakened to-.
T)ROJ ECTIONS are sometimes.- see a small goat running about the. \\
JL heard of along the' shore of. center-table of. her bedroom. Al- v ~
i the "American Mediterraneanthe ; most immediately the goat -disap-r
Caribbean. A projection is much-* peared, and she again drowsed off.
like the well-known Egyptian send- -- . A third time she awakened, and
, ing out" of the Ka, or astral body.- ^through the dooractually through -
The famous'tale, Wings, by the-the wood of the closed doorof her -
-' talented writer, Achmed Abdullah, - bedroom walked ' her . enemy. He - '
contains-an excellent example of.-.came directly .toward -her, - with a ... i
this Egyptian projection magic. .malevolent expression cn his face..--.
H The most* typical caso witliin my.: .as-though Intent on murder. . - vyi;.;
own personal knowledge happened ~~r"She sat up in bed and-was sum- r \
many years ago on the Dutch side moning her faculties to scream for -."
of the Dulch-Frcnch Caribbean Is- help when the apparition swerved
Land of St. Martin. A Caucasian, from it3 direct path toward her, -J
lady, wife of the local physician at- turned to tho left,' still keeping
Phillipsbourg, the Dutch capital, had those dreadful eyes" on her, and -
Incurred the bitter enmity of a walked out through the side wall of
mulatto of some standing, who prac- the room. * '
tised magic. The lady told me that She learned the next day that the
this man had come to her house mulatto had died during the night,-
_ and had bean refused admittance by but that he had aroused himself - ;
a servant so instructed. three timc3. The first time he had
She had observed him, herself, leered, and had made a throwing .
unseen, from a window. He had motion with his right hand and - _y
carried a small bottle half con- arm. The second time he had
cealed in hi3 right hand. -She had' drummed with his fingers upon his
thought of vitriol, and had congrat- forehead, precisely- in the rhythm
ulated herself upon not allowing of a*galloping animal. The third ."
him to enter. He might have thrown ' time he had merely looked straight'
tlie contents of the bottle on her . toward the wall in front of his bed' '
face. until, during this scrutiny, in which
Some night3 later she was awak- his face had worn a terribly menac- ' ..
ened in the middle of the night. - inK look, he had fallen backdead.
Beside her bed, as though he were That is a typical projection,â i~
sitting under it, appeared the head, magical property used only by in-
* and shoulders of the mulatto. As itiates in the dark practices of this *Sr.
she looked at him, too horrified to - ancient lore of the Magi. - '
give tho alarm, his hand came into - v
view. In it he held a small bottle,' T-OVE philters, charms intended
the contents of which he' dashed - AJ to lure the affections of" tho
over her faceand she felt a dis- one desired, and usually in the form -
tinct burning sensation where the-*- of medicine actually to be adminis-
drops had struck her. _ . ' tered in food or drink, are very
An instant later the apparition common among the Caribbean peo- .
SSWFT 29
X :-n
.is
1.j
84' MYSTERY STORIES
. . * V i.
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. plea. Obeah proper, in fact, i3 be
nevolent or medicinal magic, in con
tradistinction to the venomous voo-.
" doo. - ...
Tisanes of various herbs, concoc-
' -tions of mixed herbs to be used
either internally or by rubbing on
-. the skindoses of this kind, equiva
lent to the produce of the yarb
.. doctor of American negroes, are
all very common. ' . *,
To be eflicacious, these must be
compounded with strict attention to
/ the elaborate magical formulas
, which ' always accompany them.
. These formulas are very ancient,
êmanating from that fountain'of
-Caribbean magioAfrica. About
these remedies of benevolent, cura-
- tive magic there is a curious and in
teresting application of a principle.
' The principle is, in a sense, com-
. . "parable to that of homeopathic med-'
icine. Thus the yellowturmeric is
regarded by magic practitioners as
a specific for yellow jaundice. Our
homeopathic physicians do not, of
course, apply their maxim that like
cures like to such fanciful, like
nesses as those of color. .Color
homeopathy is, however, a wide
spread system in- curative magic;
There is probably some more or
less elaborate native obcah-medicine
.for every imaginable ill which can
afflict humanity among the islands
.and along the shores of the pellucid
Caribbean. <;
; ; V .
~n
For Caribbean magic is both good
and evil, outcropping from the
obeah of the Aahantee Koromartyns,'
who came from Africa chiefly
through J amaica, or from the dead
ly voodoo, which came through
Hayti-Santo Domingo from.war like,
evil-magic-practising Dahomey.
In all its varietiesmy.' lism, .
duppyism, belief in J umbee, the '
Snake, demon-worship, the influence
of charms and philtersmagic,
"black and "white, beneficent and
.deadly, lies, a mental burden, over
the minds of the black people of the
Caribbean countries, jeweled para
dises from Cuba to Trinidad; along 1
the Central American coast, and .
along the northern shores of South
Americaflower-bowered gems of
the blue Caribbean.
In the minds of these people
"Gahd and the Snake, Satan, wage
a deadly, endless battlea filent,
desperate conflict for power, for the
destiny of man.
Echoes of that relentless conflict
resound in the minds of the nc.rrocs, }
distant thunders from the bat lie of/
the Great Powers.
I t is in the black nightsthr.t the;
evil powers come out , of their dens.-
in the ravines and the deep groves'-
to plague the children of Ilam '
children cursed with a lingering,
nameless fear, because their ances
tor dared break a. commandment,.
and laughed at his father Nor.h. /
\
. #ki.;
f r. 3:*
-
... rp'-'V> .. - -. * -. *>:?' %\
.- v.. - ,-.r >>. ... s >:*.. *
- - - /.
<. . (* .
rf* 4**.
-v. V- V
ft'.
SSWFT 30
THE DALRIADIC CHRONICLES THE DALRIADIC CHRONICLES
A Zine on the Edge ... A Stone's Throw From Dangerous Radicalism
Vol. III
SSWFT
No. 75
EXILE PRESS
"Durst thou kill Caius Marius?"
The Dalriadic Chronicles - 2

THE DALRIADIC CHRONICLES Vol. III. No.75 Jan-Feb 2014 Issue. Published Quarterly by Exile Press. Scott A. Sheaffer, Publisher and
Editor, 7 Hedges Ave, Westfield, MA. 01085. Tel.# 1-413-568-6847. E-mail KMacAlp@aol.com Published for distribution to SSWFT members.
All contents except where otherwise noted are 2014 Scott A. Sheaffer. SECOND CLASS ENTRY NOT APPLIED FOR at the post office at
Sparta, Ill. Under the act of March 3, 1879. This publication is not available on microfilm from University Microforms International. Have a
nice day.
He Was Providence 3
Comments on Other Zines Contents 21
Martin Andersson/ Hyperborean Exhalations #38: 21
Frank Coffman/ Starwinds #1: 21
Phillip Ellis/ The Peripatetic Vole #11: 22
Sam Gafford/ More News From the Homebird #5: 23
Earl Livings/ The Wanderings of ElKhestor #7: 23
Bryce Stevens/ The Choking Dog Gazette #12: 23
SSWFT 32
He Was Providence
Review by Scott Sheaffer
I Am Providence: The Life and Times of H.P. Lovecraft
By S.T. Joshi
Hippocampus Press
EPUB edition
$9.99

H.P. Lovecraft (1890-1937) was the twentieth centurys answer to Edgar Allan Poe. The pop
culture world knows Lovecraft best for Cthulhu, the Necronomicon, and Herbert West,
Reanimator. Lovecraft penned weird fiction classics including The Rats in the Walls, The Call
of Cthulhu, The Colour Out of Space, The Case of Charles Dexter Ward, At the Mountains of
Madness, The Dunwich Horror, and The Shadow Over Innsmouth, among others. During his
lifetime, Lovecrafts stories appeared in amateur press association papers, and in pulps,
primarily Weird Tales. Lovecraft created a pseudo-mythology (some would say an anti-
mythology) which fellow writers he befriended incorporated into their stories. In turn, Lovecraft
used pseudo-mythological concepts of theirs in his own stories, creating an interconnectedness
and verisimilitude that had many Weird Tales readers believing that the writers used actual
esoteric lore rather than something theyd made up. Additionally, Lovecraft worked as a
revisionist and ghost writer. Sometimes when revising or ghost writing weird fiction, he utilized
his pseudo-mythology. To this day, some people think Lovecrafts Necronomicon was real.
(Since Lovecrafts death, some publishers have added to the confusion, producing various
Necronomicons inspired by Lovecrafts fictional tome.) August Derleth named this pseudo-
mythology The Cthulhu Mythos. For better or worse, following Lovecrafts death, other
writers continued utilizing the Mythos. Lovecrafts work has been adapted to film, comics,
television, and radio. Some adaptions are okay. Some are laughable, a far cry from the original
works excellence. Besides fiction, Lovecraft maintained a massive and fascinating
correspondence. Some readers believe Lovecrafts letters rather than his stories contain his best
writing. Lovecraft also wrote essays and fascinating travelogues. Although he wrote hundreds of
poems, poetry was Lovecrafts literary weak point.
S.T. Joshi (b. 1958), graduated from Brown. His parents were university professors. Born in
India, Joshi moved to America when he was five, growing up the mid-west. At age thirteen, Joshi
discovered Lovecrafts work in the Muncie, Indiana public library. Joshi became the best known
of the Lovecraft scholars (including Ken Faig, David E. Schultz, Dirk Mosig, Peter Cannon,
Steven Mariconda, Don Burleson, and Donovan K. Loucks among many others) who emerged
following August Derleths 1971 death. At Brown, in Lovecrafts native Providence, Joshi had
access to Lovecrafts papers housed at the John Hay Library. During the S.T. Joshi interview
panel at the 2013 NecronomiCon, Joshi mentioned that while at Brown, he realized he didnt
want to be an English major. He didnt like the newer literary theories. He studied Latin and, like
Lovecraft, read the classics in their original language. Joshi explained that college Latin courses
differ from high school Latin courses. Our source for many of the ancient texts are copies made
in medieval times. Much of the ancient work we have comes from a variety of medieval sources.
SSWFT 33
Reconciling the difference between these sources required textual studies. These studies are
complex and difficult. Its not simply a case of comparing a published text with a manuscript.
Textual studies examine how writing and printing practices have evolved, how a writer has
revised a work, how the work has been edited, and the authenticity of texts among other things.
This knowledge served Joshi in good stead when he edited the corrected texts of Lovecrafts
work for Arkham House in the 1980s, and it appears to have served him well in I Am Providence
as he discusses the genesis of Lovecrafts stories, poems, and essays.
Joshi notes something remarkable about Lovecraft which significantly impacted his work. Its
also something that a past biographer, L. Sprague de Camp, failed to grasp, leading to many
misconceptions. (Just as other writers failure to grasp Lovecrafts philosophy has lead to many
bad pastiches.) Joshi notes the remarkable if complex unity of nearly all phases of Lovecrafts
thought. It is clear that Lovecraft had worked out an all-encompassing philosophical system in
which each part logically (or at least psychologically) implied the other. (Chapter 23, Caring
about the Civilisation) How does Joshi elaborate on this?
Early in I Am Providence, Joshi cites and accepts Lovecrafts description of his personality as
tripartite. At a quick glance, the various aspects of this personality seem contradictory, not
unified. However, Joshi traces the development of Lovecrafts thought and reveals how these
aspects fit together.
The first part of Lovecrafts tripartite personality was his love of the strange and the fantastic.
This is most famously exemplified in his weird fiction. Another part of this personality was
Lovecrafts love of abstract truth and of scientific logick (yes, logick, Lovecraft loved
archaisms). The final part of Lovecrafts tripartite personality was his antiquarianism, his love of
the ancient and permanent.
So how is this consistent with the unity of though Joshi mentions? Well, lets take a closer look
at Lovecrafts thought as illustrated by Joshi.
Lovecraft identified his philosophical outlook as one of mechanistic materialism. Joshi
acknowledges that Lovecrafts philosophical thought traces back to Epicurus and the
PreSocratics, but he cites two more modern and not particularly eminent writers who influenced
Lovecrafts understanding of mechanistic materialism. These are Ernst Haekel (1834-1919) and
Hugh Elliot (1881-1930). Joshi discusses three principles which Elliot outlined.
Uniformity of law meaning that the sequence of cause and effect is constant throughout the
universe, from the smallest atomic sub particle to the largest quasar or nebula.
The denial of teleology. In other words, the denial of intelligent design. The denial that the
universe has been designed for man. The denial that there is a God. Lovecraft after investigating
a number of belief systems in childhood, had finally accepted atheism.
The denial of any sort of existence other than those envisaged by physics and chemistry. In
other words, the denial that the soul exists.
Joshi says Lovecraft adhered to these three tenets to the end. After grappling with Einsteins
Theory of Relativity and Quantum Theory, Lovecraft modified his reasons for accepting these
principles, but he still believed they were essentially true.
Lovecrafts mechanistic materialism comes across in his fiction as cosmicism (not to be
confused with cosmism). Lovecrafts childhood love of astronomy also plays into this
cosmicism. Astronomy revealed the universes vastness and our planets insignificance. Studying
SSWFT 34
science, Lovecraft realized how short lived man has been in the history of the universe. He saw
our existence as a fortunate accident, imperiled by vast impersonal forces we have no control or
influence over. Some critics have remarked how Lovecraft, despite being an atheist, was a
convincing creator of horrific gods and cults. However, the gods in Lovecrafts fictions embody
his philosophical belief in mankinds insignificance. Plus, these gods are really aliens, far greater
than man in power, lifespan, and knowledge. Their motivations are beyond our understanding. In
Joshis ideal, they are above good vs evil. In a letter to Farnsworth Wright, Lovecraft expressed a
desire to create aliens fundamentally unlike humans, aliens not motivated by human conceptions
like good and evil. Lovecraft achieved this in The Colour Out of Space. Joshi asks us what it is
that comes from the meteorite that strikes the Gardner farm in the wild hills west of Arkham. Is it
extraterrestrial life?
The chemical experiments performed on the object establish that it
is physically unlike anything we know; and the utter absence of
any sense of wilful viciousness, or conventionalised evil in the
object or the entities it contains similarly results in a psychological
distancing from human or earthly standards. To be sure, the
meteorite causes great destruction, and because some remnants of
it are still on the planet, it will continue to do so; but perhaps this is
an inevitable product of the mingling of our world and its own. In
order for an animate being to be morally culpable of evil, it must
be conscious that it is doing what is regarded as evil; but who can
say whether the entities in The Colour out of Space are
conscious at all? Nahum Gardners poignant dying speech makes
the matter clear: his simple utterance, dunt know what it wants,
puts the matter in a nutshell. We have no way of ascertaining the
mental or emotional orientation of the anomalous entities, and as a
result we cannot possibly apportion praise or blame to them by any
conventional moral standard. (Chapter 18 Cosmic Outsideness)
Joshi argues that Cthulhu in The Call of Cthulhu is likewise beyond our understanding
although not quite to the degree of the entity or entities (if they are alive at all) from The Colour
Out of Space. Ah, but what about that storys Cthulhu cultists? Dont they present a picture of
good vs evil? No, according to Joshis analysis. Theyre deluded, falsely believing they
understand Cthulhus motivation and plans. Theyre even deluded in believing they even hold
any significance to Cthulhu. Where Joshis overarching argument about Lovecrafts aliens and
gods encounters trouble when considering stories like The Dunwich Horror and The
Whisperer in Darkness. Joshi explains away The Dunwich Horror, one of Lovecrafts most
popular stories, with its good vs evil dichotomy as a mistake or failure on Lovecrafts part. Joshi
blames this story for contributing to a misunderstanding of Lovecrafts work by later pastiche
writers and for opening the way to reams of poor Cthulhu Mythos fiction. Hes more forgiving of
the flaws in The Whisperer in Darkness where the aliens seem not very different from humans
in motivation and really not all that wiser or more sophisticated than us. Of course, theres a
possibility Joshi doesnt consider. Although, Lovecraft wanted to create aliens totally unlike
humans in nature, does it mean that he strove for this in all of his alien portrayals?
SSWFT 35
The tendency of many Lovecraft narrators to end up as a gibbering mess bound for the
madhouse or suicide is Lovecrafts commentary on how most people - even smart, well-educated
people - cant handle cosmicism, to truly accept how small and insignificant we are in the
universe or the idea that we have no soul and no eternal afterlife ahead.
So while, Lovecrafts interest in science seems contrary to his interest in weird fiction, its not.
Neither does Lovecrafts atheism contradict his creation of fictional gods. Weird fiction gave
Lovecraft an avenue for expressing cosmicism. Like those of his literary idol, Lord Dunsany,
Lovecrafts gods represent his philosophical views. Not only that, Joshi repeatedly points out
that, especially later in his career, Lovecrafts weird fiction was often a blend of science fiction
and horror rather than tales involving pure supernaturalism. His gods after all were immensely
powerful alien entities. Other stories utilized his interest in chemistry and astronomy. At the
Mountains of Madness involved what was then then the most current scientific information about
Antarctica. Lovecraft even revised the story when new information became available. Other
stories reflected Lovecrafts study of anthropology.
Given Lovecrafts interest in cutting edge science and the latest information, doesnt his
antiquarianism seem contradictory? Given his belief that all humanity was insignificant and
fleeting in the universes vast scope and the vast gulfs of time in which it has existed, isnt it
pointless to yearn after the ancient and the permanent? Why rail against cultural and social
change? In this unity of thought Joshi portrays, how does this antiquarian aspect reconcile with
Lovecrafts cosmicism? Joshi says Lovecraft felt he needed grounding to stay oriented in the
vast, overwhelming gulfs that rendered us so insignificant. For Lovecraft, that grounding was
clinging to his inherited culture, in what the western world inherited from classical antiquity, in
the essayists of the eighteenth century, and in the landmarks of colonial New England. Lovecraft
felt himself in conflict with Time, and he yearned for a victory over Time. Lovecraft had an
attachment to the architecture of colonial America. He had an attachment to New England and
his hometown of Providence especially. Despite this, travel became a consuming hobby. Yet in
his travels he searched for antiquarian sites.
While his antiquarianism sparked some of his finest writing, his need for grounding may also
connect with one of Lovecrafts darkest aspects. Lovecrafts racism may have resulted in part
from his attachment to the past. He desired not just to see colonial era buildings preserved, not
just to see culture preserved, but to maintain an ethnic homogeneity too.
Reading this book, Lovecrafts racism disgusted me. While racism still exists today, the
majority of Americans no longer openly embrace it. Its no longer institutionalized and enforced
by state and local governments. Such was not the case in Lovecrafts day. Ive long known that
he voiced racist sentiments. Its a rarity not to find such sentiments in someone of Lovecrafts
era. Still, reading about it in detail had a visceral impact. Sometimes I needed to close the book
and get away from Lovecraft for awhile. Id read about Lovecraft and find his character,
personality, and thoughts fascinating, just as fascinating as his fiction. Then, Id reach a passage
about his racist sentiments and feel revulsion. Id read one of his rants about nineteenth and early
twentieth century immigrants in New England, and Id recall that my maternal grandparents were
among those Lovecraft denigrated. I read a few passages of Lovecrafts thoughts about the lower
East Side of Manhattan, and realize that a young Jack Kirby, my favorite comic book creator,
SSWFT 36
was among those whom Lovecraft wanted asphyxiated by cyanogen. (And the cyanogen
comment raised the specter of the Holocaust fated to occur a few decades later.)
At times, though, we struck peculiarly deserted areas- these swine
have instinctive swarming movements, no doubt, which no
ordinary biologist can fathom. Gawd knows what they are . . . a
bastard mess of stewing mongrel flesh without intellect, repellent
to eye, nose, and imaginationwould to heaven a kindly gust of
cyanogen could asphyxiate the whole gigantic abortion, end the
misery, and clean out the place. (Chapter 13 The High Tide of My
Life)
Again though, racism is virtually unavoidable in our history. While growing up, I all too often
heard racist comments from older people. Even more disappointingly, sometimes I heard them
among people my own age. Do we simply throw out everything about our past, including the
lessons that taught us how wrong racism is and which allowed us to challenge it and alleviate
some of its worst effects? Or do we reject the things that are wrong (like racism), and accept the
things that are good? If a writer living today uttered racist sentiments, the course should be to
debate those views, to challenge them. However, Lovecraft is dead. Were not going to change
his mind at this point. Were best served by shaking our heads at his shortcomings, and
embracing the things about him that were good. Still, its not as easy as it sounds when one
wades through those passages.
Lovecrafts anti-Semitism highlights another seeming contradiction. Lovecrafts wife and
some of his friends, including Samuel Loveman, were Jewish. Joshi posits that Lovecraft
accepted, Sonia, Loveman, and others because in his view, they had assimilated into his own
culture. Yet this too gets contradicted by a passage in which Lovecraft admires Orthodox Jews in
the lower East Side for maintaining age old cultural traditions while he disparages Jewish
immigrants who try to fit in to what Lovecraft viewed as American culture.
It gets even harder on politics with Lovecrafts embrace of Mussolini and (it pains me to write
it) his qualified approval of Hitler. Id known Lovecraft liked Mussolini, but Id heard his views
were mixed about Hitler early on and that he opposed him later. Thats not the picture that
emerges in I Am Providence. Joshi demonstrates that Lovecraft didnt agree with Hitlers
methods (and this was before the Holocaust, before even Kristallnacht) but he agreed with some
of Hitlers goals, at least as far as Lovecraft understood them. Joshi does discuss a neighbor of
Lovecrafts who originally came from Germany. This neighbor longed to move back to Germany
and did around 1936. As the story goes, this neighbor returned to America months later
disillusioned and told stories to Lovecraft and his aunt about seeing Jews harassed and beaten. If
true, Joshi says, one can only hope that Lovecraft realized how wrong he was and his silence
about Hitler in the final months of his life resulted from that.
Lovecrafts politics also result from his overarching philosophy. Lovecraft started as a
conservative. His amateur press association paper was even called The Conservative. Lovecraft
opposed the American Revolution and sympathized with the Confederacy during the American
Civil War. (Both of which strike me as contradicting his pride in his New England heritage.) He
embraced cultural and esthetic conservatism as well as political conservatism. Joshi speculates
that if Lovecraft voted, he probably voted Republican in most elections as did his family. New
SSWFT 37
England at one time was a Republican stronghold. As the regions party allegiance shifted, it was
usually members of the newer immigrant groups who voted Democratic and people from old
Yankee families who voted Republican. However, Joshi errs in creating the impression that in
Lovecrafts time Republican equaled conservative and Democrat equaled liberal. The modern
Republican Party is primarily a conservative party, but in Lovecrafts day, both the Democratic
and Republican Party were coalition parties each having a conservative wing and a liberal wing
and a healthy dose of moderates. To win a Presidential nomination in those days, meant winning
support from a broad ideological spectrum. Lovecrafts comments make it seem he was favorable
to Democrat Woodrow Wilson early on, but Lovecraft soured on Wilson later. Apparently,
Wilson wasnt warlike enough for Lovecraft. This raises another aspect of the younger
Lovecrafts personality that often tempted me to close the book and forget about Lovecraft for a
while. Although Lovecraft volunteered for service in World War I, his mother pulled strings and
got him rejected for health reasons even though he had passed a military physical. Maybe thats
not Lovecrafts fault, but it quickly grew irritating to read his enthusiasm for sending others into
an abattoir while bemoaning that he himself would go if only camp life wasnt too tough for his
delicate constitution. Im not saying someone actually has to fight in a war in order to support
going to war, but unless youve actually endured wars horrors and hardships, then maybe you
should be circumspect about labeling people as cowards and weaklings for not being as gung ho
as yourself.
Whats striking considering Lovecrafts later qualified approval of Hitler is how anti-German
Lovecraft was during World War I. Lovecrafts Anglophilia had much to do with this since
Britain fought against Germany. One can only hope that this Anglophilia would have prevailed
again in World War II, but Lovecraft didnt live to see that day.
As already touched on, Lovecraft endorsed fascism in the 1920s. Joshi thinks that Lovecraft
didnt really have a clear conception of what fascism truly meant. Besides Britain, Lovecraft also
loved ancient Rome. Mussolinis fascism drew on Ancient Rome for inspiration. Lovecraft saw
fascism as a system that would protect intellectuals and allow them to study and advance
learning and civilization. Lovecraft later turned to what he termed moderate socialism.
However, Joshi mentions a qualifier to Lovecrafts socialism. He wanted a socialism managed by
an aristocracy. By this time, Lovecraft supported Democrat Franklin Roosevelt and the New
Deal. Although he didnt think Roosevelt was radical enough, Lovecraft recognized that
Roosevelts approach was the most practical simply because it actually had a chance of getting
enacted and carried. More radical programs simply wouldnt pass in Congress. Running through
these changes in Lovecrafts politics, one thing remained constant. He believed an aristocracy
should be in charge. He started off believing in an aristocracy of blood and an aristocracy of
ability. Lovecraft disliked and distrusted democracy. At the least, he thought there should be
stricter limitations on who could vote. He thought most adult citizens were too uninformed to
understand the complex workings of a twentieth century government.
Even these political views originate in part from Lovecrafts view of our own insignificance in
the universe, and his resulting need for grounding. Even when he was advocating moderate
socialism, Lovecraft saw moderate socialism as the best alternative for preserving culture
against the Great Depression on one side and and on the other side the possibility that the crisis
could spark horrors akin to the Russian Revolution and its wide ranging cultural destruction.
SSWFT 38
Lovecraft believed moderate socialism would alleviate the sufferings of the unemployed and
impoverished before they got too desperate. He saw moderate socialism as a way to deal with the
the machine age. Machines replaced some workers, contributing to unemployment. Yet the
increase machines created in productivity also meant that nobody needed to go without having
their basic needs met. Lovecraft believed that eventually machines could do most of our work
and people could engage in intellectual pursuits. Lovecrafts moderate socialism pops up in The
Shadow Out of Time and The Mound, a revision Lovecraft largely ghost wrote for Zealia
Bishop.
Lovecrafts interaction with other weird fiction writers fascinates me. Of special interest is
Lovecrafts friendship with Robert E. Howard. Some Howard fans criticize Joshi for denigrating
Howard. In I Am Providence, its not so much that Joshi expresses dislike. Its more that Joshi
doesnt accept Howard as Lovecrafts literary or intellectual equal. This may relate to Joshis
comments on fans in general. Discussing the Argosy letter column debate which lead Lovecraft
to amateur journalism, Joshi calls writer Fred Jacksons fans on the whole so pathetically ill-
educated that they could not even begin to make the fundamental critical distinction between a
story they happened to like and a story that had genuine literary substance. Not that it really
matters, but itd be nice if Joshi at least liked Howards writing even if he doesnt find genuine
literary substance in it. I dont know if Joshi even likes Howards writing though. Joshi engaged
Howards fans in Leo Grins Howard journal The Cimmerian. For now, Ill respectfully disagree
with Joshi about Howards literary merit. Joshi does find Howard interesting though, and notes
that Howard was one of the few correspondents whose letters Lovecraft saved.
Joshi is almost unremittingly harsh when it comes to recognizing literary merit in other Weird
Tales writers work. The only Weird Tales writer whom Joshi believes deserves a place in the
literary cannon for his prose stories is Fritz Leiber, Jr. While Joshi praises Clark Ashton Smiths
poetry, he doesnt think so highly of Smiths fiction. Joshi also has some unkind words for
Lovecrafts friends Muriel and C.M. Eddy which extend beyond C.M. Eddys fiction.
C.M. Eddy is most famous for his story The Loved Dead, which stirred controversy and
which some people claim saved Weird Tales. Joshi disputes the claim, noting that four months
passed between The Loved Dead issue and the next. From Silver Age comics history, I know
that even decades later, in the mid-1950s, it took several months for comic publishers to get
accurate sales figures. I cant imagine the situation was different with pulps. This was the
reasoning behind DCs tryout series Showcase. DC introduced new characters in Showcase.
Each character would appear for a few months, and then be replaced by another character. After
another few months, DC finally got sales reports on the first new character. If sales were
promising, theyd give the character another tryout. If it sold well again, the character might get
its own series. DC reasoned that instead of starting several new series and waiting until their
sixth issues to find out if they sold well, it was better to have a try out series. There was a cost
associated with starting a brand new series back then. Thats why after his Showcase success, DC
put the Silver Age Flash in a series which resumed the old Golden Age series numbering instead
of starting over with a new first issue. In later decades, certain postal requirements changed
making it cheaper to start brand new series. That combined with collector mania for first issues
and led to the modern situation in which publishers repeatedly restart series from issue #1. In the
SSWFT 39
mid-fifties, it made sense to have one tryout series instead of taking a risk on multiple unproven
series. The key here is that it took months to get accurate sales figures.
Joshi also says that The Loved Dead caused problems for Lovecraft in getting his own
stories accepted. The furor over the story made Farnsworth Wright leery of local and state
governments banning Weird Tales. Then, Joshi gives Lovecraft credit for the storys success for
heavily revising it.
Elsewhere, Joshi accuses Muriel Eddy of lying because in one memoir she doesnt mention the
Eddys meeting Lovecraft before August 1923 and in another memoir she says that C.M. Eddys
mother and Lovecrafts mother met at a womans suffrage meeting. According to Muriel Eddy,
this started a correspondence which ceased when Susan Lovecraft was hospitalized, and which
resumed in the early 1920s. This meeting of the mothers would presumably have taken place in
1918. Joshi believes Lovecraft and the Eddys didnt know each other until 1923 and that Muriel
Eddy lied about Lovecraft and Eddys mothers meeting. The motivation Joshi ascribes for this
alleged fabrication? He speculates that Muriel Eddy wanted to make the Eddys seem more
important in Lovecrafts life. Joshi doesnt spell out exactly how meeting Lovecraft in 1918
instead of 1923 makes that much difference in the Eddys status. Is it because the Eddys said
they were among those urging Lovecraft to contribute to Weird Tales? The magazine first
appeared in early 1923, and Lovecraft first contributed to it later that year. Joshis justification
for doubting Mrs. Eddy is that he couldnt find mentions of the Eddys in Lovecrafts
correspondence before 1923. Joshi doesnt account for the fallibility of human memory and the
possibility that Mrs. Eddy had in the ensuing decades misremembered something or gotten
events confused, something he allows for in Frank Belknap Longs memoirs when Long tells
conflicting stories in accounts written decades apart. In one account, Long takes credit for
arranging one of the most important events in Lovecrafts life, his move back to Providence. In
another account, Long placed credited his mother. The return to Providence altered Lovecrafts
life. Exchanging a few letters from 1918-1919 probably didnt. Thus, taking credit for setting up
Lovecrafts return would increase someones importance in Lovecrafts life. Im not saying Joshi
should have accused Long of fabricating too. He should simply extended the same consideration
to Mrs. Eddy that he extended to Long. Besides, Muriel Eddys accounts dont necessarily
contradict each other the way Longs accounts do. Theres the possibility that Mrs. Eddy was
right, but that there was simply no mention of the Eddys earlier in the extant correspondence.
(And we know that a considerable amount of Lovecrafts correspondence is lost despite the
massive amount that did survive.) If Jim Dyer, the Eddys grandson, does uncover the letters
dating to 1918 which he believes he saw, how willing will he be to share them with Joshi after
this episode? To me, throwing around the term fabrication based on speculation seems
unnecessary and counterproductive.
Then theres August Derleth. Derleth was Lovecrafts friend and a fellow writer. After
Lovecrafts death, Derleth attempted to interest mainstream book publishers in a Lovecraft
collection. This was something that Lovecraft and several of his other friends couldnt
accomplish in Lovecrafts lifetime. When Derleth initially failed too, he and Donald Wandrei
started their own small press to publish Lovecrafts work and preserve his memory. Their press,
Arkham House, soon expanded its scope to publish Lovecrafts fellow weird fictionists,
including Clark Ashton Smith and Robert E. Howard. For years, Arkham House operated at a
SSWFT 40
loss with Derleth sinking more of his own money in on several occasions to keep it afloat. The
Arkham editions led to mainstream appearances of Lovecrafts work. However, since his death in
1971, Derleth has become a controversial figure amongst Lovecraftians.
Following Lovecrafts death, Derleth seized control of Lovecrafts legacy in a ruthless manner
even though Lovecraft chose Robert H. Barlow as his literary executor and left his manuscripts
to Barlow. Derleth aggressively claimed copyrights he didnt legitimately hold. In his bullying,
he even threatened Lovecrafts wife Sonia Greene. (Lovecraft and Sonia separated in the 1920s,
and they went through divorce proceedings. However, without Sonias knowledge, Lovecraft
failed to sign paperwork finalizing the divorce.) The early Arkham House editions contained
corrupt text, thousands of errors. In the 1980s, Joshi edited Arkhams reissue of Lovecrafts work
with corrected texts. Joshi believes that Arkham House was a double edged sword. It was good
that Arkham kept Lovecraft in print for later generations to discover. It was good that Arkham
kept Lovecraft available, but Arkham also ghettoized Lovecraft, hurting his chances for literary
acceptance. Joshi asserts that Derleth gave up too easily on finding a mainstream publisher
before starting Arkham House. Yet Joshi himself chronicles years of failed attempts by
Lovecrafts friends during his lifetime to find him a mainstream publisher. As for ghettoizing
Lovecrafts work and hurting his chances for literary acceptance, isnt a small press like Arkham
a step up from the pulp markets where Lovecraft published his work? Lovecraftians also feel that
Derleths tightfisted control of Lovecrafts legacy hampered serious Lovecraft scholarship, and
they point to how that scholarship has blossomed since Derleths death.
Joshis biggest issues with Derleth are with his promotion of the Cthulhu Mythos and a
misinterpretation of Lovecrafts work. Derleth missed the boat in understanding Lovecrafts
philosophy and the unity of thought which extended to his fiction. Joshi often references
Lovecrafts atheism and the cosmicism in his fiction. Then too theres Joshis case that the best
of Lovecrafts fiction does not represent a clash of good vs evil. Lovecrafts fiction ultimately
stems from Lovecrafts mechanistic materialism. Thus, Joshi takes issue with Derleth for turning
Lovecrafts pseudo-myth cycle into an analogy of Christianity complete with a good vs evil
conflict. Derleth turned Lovecrafts aliens into elementals.
From a position of authority, Derleth presented his own interpretation of the Cthulhu Mythos
as if it came from Lovecraft. This bothers Joshi more than the misguided pastiches.
It would have been bad enough for Derleth to expound his
conception of the Mythos in his own fictionfor it could
conceivably have been assumed that this was his (legitimate or
illegitimate) elaboration upon Lovecrafts ideas. But Derleth went
much further than this: in article after article he attributed his
views to Lovecraft, and this is where he stands most culpable. In
this way Derleth impeded the proper understanding of Lovecraft
for thirty years, since he was looked upon as the authority on
Lovecraft and as his appointed spokesman. (Chapter 26 Thou Art
Not Gone)
Throughout I Am Providence, Joshi supplies fascinating biographical sketches of people in
Lovecrafts life. Whether I agreed or, as in the case of Robert E. Howard, disagreed with Joshis
assessments, I enjoyed reading them. However, when it comes to one of the most underrated
SSWFT 41
figures in pop culture history, Joshi is silent on his later impact. Its nice to know that Carl
Strauch went on to be a professor at Lehigh and to serve on the editorial board for Emersons
Collected Works, but I was disappointed that Joshi chose not discuss Julius Schwartz in one of
these brief sketches. Joshi mentions Schwartz as a teenage fan editor who published some of
Lovecrafts work. He also mentions Schwartzs sale of Lovecrafts At the Mountains of Madness
to Astounding when Schwartz was a fledgling literary agent. What Joshi does not do and which
he does with several of Lovecrafts other associates is tell us about Schwartzs later activities. It
may be that Joshi disdains Schwartzs later advocation. Who knows? However, Joshi doesnt
appear to think much of Adolphe de Castro or David Van Bush, but that doesnt stop him from
giving a brief overview of their respective life and careers. If youve seen any of the rash of
superhero films dominating Hollywood for almost fifteen years now, or at least recognize that for
good or ill, the superhero looms large in our culture at the moment, youve seen the indirect,
often unrecognized impact of Julius Schwartz. If you were born after 1955 and grew up reading
superhero comics, youve felt the impact of Julius Schwartz. After working as a literary agent
specializing in pulps until the mid-1940s, Schwartz realized the pulps were dying. He got a new
job as a comic book editor. With the creation and smash success of Superman and then other
superheroes in the late 1930s and early 1940s, the fledging comic book industry experienced
tremendous growth with individual titles selling over a million copies a month. By the late
1940s, the superhero genre was moribund although the comic book industry kept booming,
publishing comics in a variety of genres. Only three title superheroes, Superman, Batman, and
Wonder Woman enjoyed continuous publication from the late 1940s until the mid-1950s. Then
scandal rocked the comic book industry along with distribution problems and declining sales. At
DC, Schwartz proposed revitalizing and updating one of DCs old superheroes, the Flash.
(Remember I mentioned that tryout comic, Showcase, earlier?) The idea succeeded, leading to
Schwartz overseeing further revamps of old, dormant superheroes. Eventually Schwartz started
The Justice League, a series featuring a team of these revived heroes. The Justice League
enjoyed an incredible sell-through rate, prompting a rival variously known as Timely, Atlas, and
finally Marvel to get back into the superhero genre. This resulted in Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, and
Steve Ditko giving us Spider-man, the Fantastic Four, the X-Men, Iron Man, the Marvel Thor,
the Avengers, and many others. For good or bad, since Julius Schwartz helped revive the genre in
the mid-fifties, superheroes have resumed and maintained their dominance of the comic book
industry and have continued impacting popular culture outside of comics.
In I Am Providence, Joshi initially follows a standard approach for serious biography. He
traces Lovecrafts ancestry on both his mother and his fathers side. Joshi also provides an
overview of Rhode Islands history and its relationship with Massachusetts. This geographical
background matters due to Lovecrafts attachment to New England and its importance in his
work.
Some critics cite Lovecraft as an example of purple prose and bad pulp writing. Joshi defends
Lovecrafts style, noting that at its best, it suited his goals. Lovecraft wrote at a time when Ernest
Hemingway brought a barebones style into vogue. For decades, the Hemingway ideal loomed
large, and critics judged Lovecraft for failing to follow Hemingways lead. But Lovecraft strove
for something different. Lovecraft understood the advantages of a spare, Attic style. He had his
better days and his worse days on this front. There are times when Joshi believes Lovecraft
SSWFT 42
overdid some stylistic excesses for reasons of parody. For instance, Herbert West, Reanimator
was written for and published in a humor magazine. (Humor is another neglected aspect of
Lovecraft which Joshi explores as Lovecraft wrote a few clever humor stories which dont get
reprinted as much as his weird fiction.) Sometimes Lovecraft could show great restraint and then
build to more histrionic prose for effect. Joshi echoes Steve Mariconda, if I recall, when he says
that Lovecraft was the master, not the slave of his style. Theres negative criticism of Lovecrafts
characterization, but Joshi retorts that Lovecraft didnt aim for an in depth, well developed, and
accurate look at people. He was often trying to keep his human characters from taking center
stage. In infusing his stories with cosmicism, Lovecraft sought to show how people didnt matter
in the universe. His goal wasnt to examine human nature or promote human worth. This also fits
Joshi response to those who dismiss Lovecrafts dialogue as poor.
The absence of idle chatter in his stories is another great virtue, for
it not only creates a concision that only Poe has equalled, but it
again shifts the focus of the tale from the human characters to
where it belongsthe weird phenomenon itself, which Lovecraft
knew to be the true hero of his tales. Lovecraft boldly challenged
that most entrenched dogma of artthat human beings should
necessarily and exclusively be the centre of attention in every
aesthetic creationand his defiance of the humanocentric pose
is ineffably refreshing. (Chapter 26 Thou Art Not Gone)
Joshi corrects the misconceptions and shortcomings of previous Lovecraft biographers.
Though acknowledging the importance of L. Sprague de Camps Lovecraft: A Biography, Joshi
notes that among other things, de Camp fails to see the interconnectedness of Lovecrafts life,
work, and thought. The memoir Frank Belknap Long wrote in response to de Camps book
suffers from several flaws. Most notably, Joshi discusses the haste with which Long wrote it and
the imprecision of Longs memory. Joshi believes Long should have written his memoir decades
earlier, before his memories of Lovecraft faded. Willis Connovers memoir, Lovecraft at Last,
wins Joshis praise.
After providing Lovecrafts family and geographical background, Joshi traces Lovecrafts
intellectual growth from his early interest in chemistry and astronomy to his interest in The
Arabian Knights, 18th century essayists, classical mythology, Latin, Greek, and junk fiction. He
also examines Lovecrafts uneven formal education. Lovecraft missed years of early schooling.
When he finally entered elementary school his attendance was poor. Then he missed a few more
years, but his independent learning apparently was good enough for him to attend high school
with his cohorts. In high school his attendance again proved awful. When he showed up, he often
arrived late. Lovecraft suffered a breakdown and never graduated high school although he
claimed he did. His grades were good, but due to time missed, he needed another year to
accumulate enough credits for graduation. However, Lovecraft taught himself a great deal
through independent reading about astronomy, chemistry, anthropology, history, and other
subjects that interested him. His study of Latin probably contributed to the good grades he earned
in high school Latin. His astronomical knowledge was strong enough for newspapers to regularly
publish astronomy columns he wrote. Lovecrafts self-education may well have left him better
educated than many high school and college graduates. Still, like reading Lovecrafts hawkish
SSWFT 43
rants about World War I, while he himself was excused from service, it gets tiresome to hear
Joshi derided others as ill-educated when they had more formal education than Lovecraft. It may
be true, that Lovecraft was better learned, but its seems that the degree of certitude and arrogance
with which Joshi throws around ill-educated goes a little over the top. Take the case of Robert
E. Howard. Unlike Lovecraft, Howard actually graduated high school and attended college. Like
Lovecraft, Howard also engaged in a tremendous deal of self-education. Yet, Joshi classes
Howard as ill-educated, arguing that libraries were scarce in Howards area compared to
Providence. Yes, but that didnt stop Howard from hunting down books to borrow and buy for
his reading. It didnt stop Howard from reading Lovecrafts The Rats in the Walls, and
realizing that Lovecraft had used the wrong Celtic language, Gaelic instead of Cymric. You
know because ill-educated people back in the days before Google Translate could spot the
difference between Gaelic and Cymric. Oh and they also knew which part of Britain the Cymry
settled and which part the Gaels settled.
As a child, Lovecraft liked to create his own publications, imitating books hed read. He liked
to print his own newsletters on subjects like astronomy. He also wrote detective stories and weird
fiction, but stopped around the time of the breakdown which ended his high school career.
Although some commentators typecast Lovecraft as an eccentric recluse, Joshi shows that
Lovecraft was only truly reclusive from 1908-1913. Before then, Lovecraft acted standoffish
towards some of his cohorts. In earlier childhood, he preferred adult company to that of other
children. During his school days, he hung out with a group of boys, and they did things like form
their own detective agencies and the like.
As a child, Lovecraft developed a consuming passion for junk literature. He read dime novels
and wrote detective stories like those featured therein. The stories stopped, but the junk reading
continued during Lovecrafts reclusive period. The magazine Argosy eventually drew him out of
isolation. Lovecraft sent letters to Argosys letter column. His criticism of a popular Argosy
writer named Fred Jackson sparked a debate between Lovecraft and other letter writers. This
debate got the attention of Edward F. Daas. Daas invited Lovecraft and his chief opponent to join
the United Amateur Press Association. Lovecraft accepted and became quite active.
APA activity inspired intellectual and social growth in Lovecraft, exposing him to people who
had radically different views and backgrounds. It got him to meet people, to travel, and, most
importantly for the history of weird fiction, to resume writing stories. Amateur journalism also
led to Lovecrafts career as a literary revisionist, fixing other peoples stories, sometimes even
ghostwriting them. Lovecraft, the former reader of prodigious amounts of junk literature, the
former writer of dime novel detective imitations, came to disdain such hackwork. He came to
disdain commercial writing, but his work had some appeal to pulp editors and their audiences.
Lovecraft was not as commercially successful as he could have been in the pulps because he
refused to conform to pulp editors preferences. Weird Tales editor Farnsworth Wright actually
rejected some of Lovecrafts best stories. Joshi defends Lovecrafts unprofessional approach
though, pointing out that Lovecrafts work remains prominent today while more commercially
successful pulp authors like Seabury Quinn and E. Hoffman Price have lapsed into obscurity.
Lovecraft met his wife Sonia Greene through APA activity. Their marriage led to a few years
in New York which Lovecraft has led us to believe were miserable. At first, he loved the city.
However, in later letters he expressed detestation. He was exuberant after he moved back to
SSWFT 44
Providence. Still, something seems fishy about Lovecrafts anti-New York protestations. Joshi
buys them, but via the information Joshi provides, something seems strange. Lovecraft
apparently spent most of his time hanging out with friends and discussing intellectual interests
and exploring areas of antiquarian interest. He only fleetingly held jobs and was otherwise
unsuccessful finding work. His decreased fiction output appears tied to spending too much time
hanging out with friends, but Lovecraft claims that he was so miserable in New York that he
could barely write or even read by the end. Even before their first anniversary, Sonia moved to
the mid-west in search of new work. She and Lovecrafts aunts supported him while he
continued living in New York hanging out with friends and exploring. Eventually Lovecraft and
at least one of his aunts arranged for him to return to Providence. After Lovecraft moved back to
Providence, Sonia returned to New York to be closer to him. This made her departure from New
York in the first place seem rather pointless. Lovecrafts aunts allegedly squelched Sonias
interest in starting a business in Providence. Due to their social station, it would humiliate them
to have their nephews wife work for a living in Providence. Lovecrafts family was wealthy
when he was young. As he grew up, the number of servants steadily decreased as the family
struggled due to business reversals suffered by Lovecrafts grandfather, Whipple Phillips, a hard
driving businessman who apparently made and lost a few fortunes. After Whipple died,
Lovecraft, his mother, and his aunts lived ever more humble lives on the diminishing money he
left. Eventually, Sonia asked for a divorce from a husband who rarely seemed interested in
spending time with her.
Lovecrafts 1926 return to Providence ignited one of the most productive outbursts of his
fictional career. This burst of stories includes The Call of Cthulhu, Pickmans Model, The
Silver Key, The Strange High House in the Mist, The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath, The
Case of Charles Dexter Ward, and The Color Out of Space. Lovecraft also helped Wilfred
Blanch Talman with Two Black Bottles in this span. Lovecraft had hiatuses from and spurts of
fiction writing in the following years. After being crushed by Farnsworth Wrights rejection of At
the Mountains of Madness, in 1931 Lovecrafts fiction productivity greatly slowed in his final
years. Lovecraft himself laid the blame for his decrease on this rejection. (Yet, Lovecraft wrote
The Shadow Over Innsmouth in late 1931 and Dreams in the Witch-House in early 1932.)
Joshi also mentions W. Paul Cooks lack of enthusiasm for Lovecrafts later work as another
factor. Cook was the one to who encouraged Lovecraft to resume fiction writing and who
supported his early efforts. After Wright rejected At the Mountains of Madness, Lovecraft only
personally submitted one story to Weird Tales in the next five and a half years. Weird Tales
reprinted Lovecrafts earlier stories, and Lovecrafts friends submitted his work on their own.
Derleth submitted The Shadow Over Innsmouth, and its rejection only further discouraged
Lovecraft. When it came to rejection, Lovecraft was no John Creasey. Despite the decrease in
fictional output, Lovecraft wrote a few more stories including The Shadow Out of Time before
his death.
Joshi says that aside from Cthulhu Mythos stories, Lovecrafts influence on later weird fiction
is slighter than many think. Joshi says weird writers chose to go into a very different direction
from the visionary cosmicism of Lovecraft, Machen, and Blackwood. The emphasis became
focused upon the mundane, and the incursion of the weird into an ordinary scenario. (Chapter
26 Thou Art Not Gone) Acknowledging that many science fiction writers responded to
SSWFT 45
Lovecraft with hostility, Joshi believes that Lovecraft has had greater influence on science fiction
and fantasy than weird fiction. He notes that the influence is because science fiction and fantasy
have made more use of the cosmicism underlying much of Lovecrafts fiction. Joshi provides
examples of Lovecrafts influence in science fiction. Unfortunately, he doesnt provide much in
terms of fantasy unless one accepts the big tent definition of fantasy which would include
science fiction as a type of fantasy.
Rather than reading I Am Providence in traditional print format, I tried it as an e-book.
Hippocampus Press made it available in Kindle format on amazon.com back in November.
However, I noted that Hippocampus intended to make Joshis book available in ePub format (the
format used for Barnes & Nobles Nook and Apples iBooks.) I have a Nook, plus the Nook app
for both my iPad and my iMac. I couldve gotten the Kindle app, but I recall Joshi discussing
small presses such as Hippocampus at NecronomiCon 2013. He advised buying directly from the
publisher when possible because the publisher has to take a sizable discount on books sold on
amazon.com and Barnes & Nobles website. So, although Id bought Hippocampus Books from
Internet bookstores in the past, I resolved that after using up a gift card for A Weird Writer in Our
Midst, Id start buying directly from Hippocampus. So, I waited until early December when the I
Am Providence ePub appeared on the Hippocampus site.
The e-book format has advantages and disadvantages. Lets start with the advantages.
I love the price. The e-book only costs $9.99. The two volume paperback set costs $50.00.
Also, it sure saves space. My book room is bursting with books, and I have piles of books
elsewhere around the house. I have infinitely more space on my computer and my backup drive
for book storage. E-books make for lighter traveling. You can bring dozens, hundreds of e-books
along on your e-reader, tablet, or smart phone easier than transporting a single book. Im fussy
about books getting damaged and enduring the wear and tear of a reading. I like to read during
breaks at work, but I didnt like the wear and tear books faced as I brought them back and forth
in my rush to work each day. (I usually barely arrive on time.) Plus, I dont like stuffing my
books in my locker at work. At a previous job, I left a copy of The Martian Chronicles out on the
table I sat at in the break room. One day it disappeared. My guess is the cleaning lady, after
seeing it out day after day just threw it away, thinking it was clutter someone had brought in and
forgotten. So now I keep my books in my locker when it isnt break time. Id rather stuff my
iPad, safe in its protective case, into my locker.
Another advantage is the ability to search the book for names or passages you recall. This is
much superior to the traditional index of non-fiction books. Ive all too often seen things Im
looking for, not included in an index even though I remembered reading about them in a given
book. It can be time consuming locating the relevant passages again. Sometimes even when
traditional indexes do give a subject an entry, the entry still doesnt list all of that subjects
appearances. With an e-book, you type the words youre looking for into a search box. When you
see what youre looking for in the search results, you click on it, and your reader app takes you
straight to the passage with your search term highlighted. On average, this is quicker than
thumbing through the book to a page mentioned in the index and then scanning the page to find
what youre looking for. At its best, the search feature is more comprehensive, accurate, and
quicker than a traditional index. Plus, instead of just seeing something like Doe, John 370,
371ff, 468, 502, you get context, snippets of the passage surrounding each mention. This can
SSWFT 46
help you see which mention is tied to the passage you need. A drawback though is that if youre
looking for a smaller word whose letter sequence is also present in larger words, you get every
occurrence of that letter sequence. For instance, if you search for all, youre going to get every
mention of small or smaller and every other word in the book where the sequence occurs.
The search feature is all the better if you remember a few verbatim words from a passage you
need to find again. For instance, if youre looking for a particular passage defending Lovecrafts
dialogue and you recall that it contains, The absence of idle chatter, then the search feature can
really shine. Also, lets say you vaguely remember something about a hut where Lovecraft and
his friends hung out as adolescents or teenagers. You wont find the word hut in the index. But
the search will bring up a number of passages. Youll have to scan past mentions of Anne
Hutchison, but youll soon seen a passage about the hut in question being built by Civil War
veteran James Kay. Of course, spelling counts. In a traditional index, you can stumble around
until you find the proper spelling. That leads to a neat feature of the e-book I Am Providence. It
does contain an index. The index doesnt list page numbers, just subjects which appear in the
book. This index proves useful if youre unsure of a nouns spelling.
Also, with the e-book, you get a bookmark table of contents which you can access from
anywhere within the book. Clicking a chapter or section title in this table of contents takes you to
the beginning of the chapter or section. This table of contents and the search feature may sound
like small things to some people, but the time they save quickly adds up. Also, if you want to cite
a passage, its tough to beat copy and paste which works just fine in iBooks, but not all that great
on the Nook.
Now about the device and apps I used. I havent used Amazons Kindle, or the Kindle app, so I
cant evaluate either. I have to stick with iBooks and Nook. As some of you may recall, I
previously favored the Nook apps on my computer and iPad. I disliked that iBooks users could
only read iBooks on iPads, iPhones, or iPod touches. Not only couldnt I read them on a
Windows computer or my Nook (there may have been a jumping through hoops way to do this,
but Ive forgotten), but I couldnt even read them on another Apple product - my iMac. Barnes &
Noble provides Nook apps for Macs, Windows Computers, Android devices, and all the iOS
devices like iPads and iPhones. I found it easier to locate free books in the iBook store, so I
favored iBooks for free e-books, but when I paid I favored Barnes & Noble. If I paid for it, I
wanted the ability to read it on something besides my iPad if I chose. (Although the iPad
provides a very pleasant reading experience better even than my old school Nook except in direct
sunlight. In strong sunlight, the original Nooks PaperInk screen is great. Of course, later Nooks
dont use PaperInk.) My stance softened in October 2013 when Apple released OS X Mavericks.
Now Macs came with an iBooks app. So I could read iBooks someplace besides my iPad. Then
actually reading I Am Providence provided a bigger impact.
I downloaded the e-book from Hippocampus without a hitch. I fortunately took the time to
download it both to my computer and my iPad. The computer was for backup as I intended to
mostly read the book on my iPad and maybe sometimes on my Nook. Well, even after I put the
book in my Nook library, it never appeared on my Nook or in my Mac Nook app. This was not
Hippocampuss fault. Id forgotten that only e-books downloaded from Barnes & Noble appeared
both on the Nook and in the apps. For everything else, you had to side load or whatever they call
it. Even manually putting the book in my Mac Nook app wasnt very ideal. The book never
SSWFT 47
synched between the two apps. Lets say I read up to page 320, and then I let my kids use my
iPad to play games. I couldnt wake my computer and find the book open on page 320. I couldnt
find all the notes and highlights I made on my iPad because the two apps didnt synch. This may
be because I didnt buy from Barnes & Noble, but when I read The Three Musketeers I
downloaded from Barnes & Noble on my Nook in 2012, I recall the Mac App not synching very
well with the Nook. Plus, my iPad Nook app earned the nickname I gave it while reading I Am
Providence. The nickname? The Crashamatic. The Nook app crashed repeatedly, especially
when I attempted to highlight or add a note. Sometimes it crashed when I turned a page. Id then
have to go back to the home screen and reopen the app. Sometimes Id be back where I left off,
but other times Id be many pages away and have to find my way back, only to crash a minute or
two later. On a couple of occasions, the app crashed again before I got back to my spot. I
checked online, and second hand information says that Barnes & Noble no longer actively
supports the Nook apps. Since getting my iPad, Ive done a lot of reading on it, but most of the
books Ive read have been PDFs rather than ePubs, and Ive preferred using PDF Expert or
PDFPen both of which are basically an Adobe Acrobat for iPad. (Actually, PDFPen has a much
more expensive Mac version which is an alternative to Acrobat on Mac. Its price, US $99.99 for
the pro version and $59.99 for the regular version, make it akin to the Windows program Nitro
Pro as a less expensive yet high quality alternative to Acrobat. Unless youve got a student
discount, Acrobat XI retails for $450.00.) Sometime after I passed the books halfway mark, I
decided Id had enough. I switched to iBooks. The iPad version of iBooks didnt crash a single
time while I was reading I Am Providence, although I found the desktop version would
sometimes crash if I left it open for a few days without using it to read. Since, I mostly read e-
books on the iPad, its complete lack of crashes won me over. The other iBooks advantage was
synching. Not only didnt the Nook apps synch with each other, the book didnt even show up on
the Nook and only ended up in both Nook apps after I manually loaded it into each. While Apple
limits which devices you can use their apps on, they apparently dont care if you load someone
elses ePub into one of their apps. (Nook and iBooks use ePub while Kindle uses a different
format.) It works just like youd bought the e-book from Apple. Thus, I could loan the kids my
iPad, wake the computer and find myself right where I left off in I Am Providence. Plus all the
notes and highlights I created in iBooks on either device showed up on both. I did have to go into
settings to give the apps permission to synch, but that was it. By the time I finished this book, my
allegiance had gone from Barnes & Noble to Apple for purchased e-books. I dont know from
experience with Amazon, but from what Ive heard, it seems Amazons Kindle (both device and
apps) outshine Barnes & Nobles counterparts. Hey, if the Kindle app doesnt constantly crash,
they have Barnes & Noble beat right there.
Regardless of reading app, a few things bother me about ePubs and it may apply to Kindles
format too. (It used to be called Mobi, but I think theres a new Kindle format out there now.) Its
difficult to cite non-PDF e-books because there are no consistent, stable pages. That the page
numbers dont match the print page numbers is just the beginning. The number of pages and the
manner of numbering can change from device to device and from app to app. Nook has some
numbering system that doesnt follows the number of screens (or page swipes it takes to go
from beginning to end), but it doesnt match with the print editions pages either. iBooks page
numbers goes by the number of swipes it takes to go through the book. And the page numbers
SSWFT 48
change if the reader alters the font size. EPubs only allow for a few fonts, so you may not get the
same font and layout as you get in the print edition. You cant cite a passage and say its on page
628. Someone reading the print edition is unlikely to find the passage on the corresponding print
page, and even other people reading it as an e-book may not find the passage on there page 628.
Thus, MLA guidelines call for citing the chapter or book section rather than a page number for e-
books. Now this is just fine if you only consider e-books. After all, if you type part of the passage
into the search box, then the search feature will find the passage for someone who wants to
confirm a cited passage or check its context. It doesnt help if the person doing this has a print
rather than an e-copy though. Thus I prefer PDF for e-books. It keeps the formatting and the
layout of the print book, plus it allows for citable page numbers which remain consistent between
print and e-editions. (You just have to remember to distinguish between the total document pages
and the page numbers on the actual page since PDF apps include covers and Roman numeral
pages in their page count.)
On a related noted, the print edition divides into two volumes. I wish the e-book gave us an
indication of where that division occurs. I also wish the e-book included the covers of both
volumes. We only get volume ones cover. Also, we dont get the photos which are apparently in
the print edition. That is, we dont get them unless photos refers to a few diagrams drawn by
Lovecraft.
Despite the citation issue, the e-book edition is a bargain costing one-fifth the print editions
price. I Am Providence is a comprehensive, well researched biography of one of the most
important figures in weird fiction history. Joshis insights are thought provoking. He utilizes
clear and engaging prose. Maybe its due to his long tenure in the Esoteric Order of Dagon
amateur press association, but I often felt like I was reading an extraordinarily large and well-
researched zine. Thats a good thing. Amongst his stylistic quirks, Joshi does employ British
usages. Although born in India, Joshi attended school in America, one suspects that Lovecrafts
own preference for British usage influenced Joshi. (Heck, I generally stick with American usage,
but Lovecraft tempts me to use aesthetic instead of esthetic. However, Joshis Britishisms
dont feel like an affectation. As with Lovecraft, they feel natural. Joshi speculates frequently,
especially early in the book. His speculations become less frequent in sections covering
Lovecrafts later life for which there are more primary sources. Joshi is usually, if not always,
careful to indicate that hes speculating with clues like I feel or perhaps. With this book
being more recent, Joshi can use information which has come to light since earlier biographers,
like L.Sprague de Camp, wrote. While people like Willis Connover have provided excellent
memoirs of Lovecraft, such works by their nature focus on the authors relationship with
Lovecraft and their mutual acquaintances. Memoirs have their own appeal, their own advantages.
A serious biography like Joshis can give us a less personal, yet wider picture of its subject.
Lovecraft as revealed by Joshi can at turns be charming with his enthusiasm for various pursuits
and the support and consideration he showed for his friends. At other times hes off-putting
through his racism, snobbery, and lack of consideration for his wife. Joshi explores philosophy,
scientific ideas, literature, and art, some of which Lovecraft embraced and some of which he
reacted against. These explorations combined with Joshis analysis of Lovecrafts work and that
of other writers makes I Am Providence a stimulating read. Joshis decision to focus on
SSWFT 49
Lovecrafts intellectual foundations and their effect on Lovecrafts life and work gives I Am
Providence great value.

SSWFT 50
Comments on Other Zines Contents
Note: Page numbers refer to the mailing page number, not the page within each individual zine.

Martin Andersson/ Hyperborean Exhalations #38:
PAGE 31:
I cant remember if I mentioned this to you in an e-mail, but you mentioned not being able to
type umlauts. I assume you used your iPhone keyboard. To get umlauts or another accent mark,
tap and hold the key for the letter you want accented. After a moment, a row of keys with various
accent marks will appear above the regular key. Without lifting your finger off the keyboard,
slide your finger up to the accent mark you want.
Cool about being on that panel with Joshi and Schweitzer.
PAGE 32:
I liked Monteleones The Complete Idiots Guide to Writing a Novel, and I liked some of his
columns I read in Cemetery Dance years ago.
Maybe we should put something about Mark Valentines Machen biography on the SSWFT
blog.

Frank Coffman/ Starwinds #1:
PAGE 35:
Welcome aboard, Frank!
Ive never been in EOD, so your material is new to me. We have some members who are in
both APAs, but I dont know who may have been in EOD during your brief tenure.
PAGE 37:
The bit in Pursuit about dull furtive windows reminded me of The Shadow over
Innsmouth and Lovecraft in New York with his anti-immigrant and racist sentiments.
Dull, furtive windows in old tottering brick
Peered at me oddly as I hastened by,
And thinking what they sheltered, I grew sick
For a redeeming glimpse of clear blue sky.
The information from your zines pages four and five got transposed. Of course, now we lose
the rest of the discussion for Homecoming.
PAGE 40:
I know Lovecraft thought The Willows was the best weird tale in English, and that he
thought highly of Blackwood.
PAGE 41:
SSWFT 51
You note a few times after quoting from Lovecrafts letter to Clark Ashton Smith that youve
added italics, but I didnt see anything italicized.
PAGE 42:
The information on page eight and page nine got transposed too.
PAGE 43:
According to Joshis I Am Providence, Lovecraft made both the trip to see the eclipse and the
trip to Montreal.
Lovecrafts travels for 1932 were by no means over. On August 30
he went to Boston to spend time with Cook. The next day the two
of them went to Newburyport to see the total solar eclipse, and
were rewarded with a fine sight: The landscape did not change in
tone until the solar crescent was rather small, & then a kind of
sunset vividness became apparent. When the crescent waned to
extreme thinness, the scene grew strange & spectralan almost
deathlike quality inhering in the sickly yellowish light.[65] From
there Lovecraft proceeded to Montreal and Quebec, spending four
full days in the two towns (September 26). Lovecraft tried to
persuade Cook to come along, but Cook did not relish the very
ascetic manner in which his friend travelled (sleeping on trains or
buses, scant meals, nonstop sightseeing, etc.).
Excerpt From: S. T. Joshi. I Am Providence. iBooks. (Chapter 21 Mental Greed)
The note (65) refers to the unpublished portion of a letter from Lovecraft to J. Vernon Shea.
I see Michael Arlens Ghost Stories listed in Lovecrafts library. Former SSWFTian Mark
Valentine wrote a zine featuring Michael Arlen.
Phillip Ellis/ The Peripatetic Vole #11:
PAGE 131:
Wow, Phillip! Youve been productive over the years. Last quarter, I took a break from
merging the old mailings. I hope to resume soon. I got Adobe Creative Suite Design Standard.
Adobe Creative Suite 6 is the last version before Adobe went to the subscription model with
Creative Cloud. Design Standard is a basic version with only six apps, a far cry from the Master
Collection. Even though he just turned seven, Owen qualified for the student discount. I cant
remember the exact number, but it was in the neighborhood of 80%. PDFPens trial was
promising. There were some things superior in Pen while other things were better in Acrobat.
Owens discount closed the price gap between the apps, and since Adobe okayed me for getting a
discount as a parent of a student after they confirmed Owens status, I figured I might as well go
for the Creative Suite. Of Design Standards six apps, four of them, Acrobat, InDesign,
Illustrator, and Photoshop will actually get used around here. Ive had the freeware programs
Gimp and Inkscape as freeware substitutes for Photoshop and Illustrator. I recommend them for
anyone who cant or doesnt want to either pay for or pirate the expensive Adobe programs. The
freeware app Scribus substitutes for InDesign. Anyway, Creative Suite 6 has Acrobat X instead
of XI so Ill use that to prepare the old mailings for you.
SSWFT 52
Sam Gafford/ More News From the Homebird #5:
PAGE 133:
After looking back to Mlg. #44, your number is correct. Homebird #1 appeared in Mlg.#44
(February 2012). Homebird #2 appeared in Mailing #45 (Spring 2012). No issue appeared in
Mailing #46. Homebird #3 appeared in Mailing #47 (Fall 2012). No issue appeared in Mailing
#48. Homebird #4 appeared in Mailing #49 (April-June 2013). No issue appeared in Mailing
#50. So youre right in thinking your issue in Mailing #51 is your fifth issue.
I cant say I definitely saw the clique thing at the convention, but I dont feel solid in saying I
didnt notice anything either. I felt most people were very warm and welcoming. I didnt feel like
I should just walk right up to S.T. Joshi or Peter Cannon and start chatting because I dont
personally know them although on a few occasions I found myself standing next to them.
However, when there was an occasion where I felt chatting with well known Lovecraftians was
appropriate, I found most of them to be friendly. Fred Phillips told me to introduce myself to
Derrick Hussey, so I did and Derrick was very friendly. I enjoyed talking to Robert Knox. When
there was a big traffic jam of people waiting for the elevators down from the Grand Ballroom, he
and I took the stairs from the 17 floor down to about the fourth or fifth floor. After that signs
starting mentioning that there was no exit from the stairwells. I continued to see if that would
change again lower down, but it didnt so I backtracked.
It was great meeting you in person at NecronomiCon. It was also great seeing your photos and
reading your comments about the con. My own convention report will have to wait until at least
another mailing.
Earl Livings/ The Wanderings of ElKhestor #7:
PAGE 143:
I hope the career and lifestyle changes go well. I loved hearing about your trip to Britain and
the Merlin sites. I would love to visit that pub where Tolkien and Lewis and others met. Thats
one thing I loved about NecronomiCon 2013 in Providence. I got to see and be in places where
Lovecraft went. Reading I Am Providence, I learned that Id been in more Lovecraftian spots
than I previously realized. For instance, Ive been to Newport, Rhode Island a few times. One of
my fondest Newport memories was hiking with my wife Brianne along the cliffs overlooking the
ocean. At the time, September or October 2002, part of the walk was along a well maintained
pathway, but that section only went so far and the other segment, the segment we started with
actually, was rugged going. Well, in I Am Providence, Joshi mentions Lovecraft going to those
same cliffs overlooking the ocean and writing. Without knowing this roughly eleven years
earlier, I found myself thinking about Lovecraft often during that walk.
Bryce Stevens/ The Choking Dog Gazette #12:
PAGE 149:
As I mentioned via e-mail, you produced my son Owens favorite zine. Owen turned seven
near the end of December. Since he was four, he was obsessed with planets and each trip to the
library, he headed for the shelves with planet books. There was one series in particular which had
one approximately thirty page book about each of the planets. Over the course of the past few
SSWFT 53
years, Owen took out the same books repeatedly. He just kept rotating through the series while
getting other books too. Well, globes of the Earth started to fascinate him too. It is a model of a
planet after all with maps on it. In Kindergarten, Owen became fascinated with flags of various
countries. So, on a trip to the library with me, Brianne, our youngest Isaac, and our daughter
Holly, Owen gathered his usual armful of planet books. I was looking at biographies to read to
the kids, when I heard Brianne say, You know, Owen. They have country books over here.
Owen dropped the planet books and rushed over. Geography has been all the rage since then. I
was actually a little sad that he dropped planets so rapidly. I mean I always thought planets were
cool, but I never obsessed over them the way he did. Its just that he was so involved in them,
and I enjoyed sitting down to read those books to him, although hes been able to read since he
was four. I admit that at age four and even five, his out loud reading was a bit halting at times.
However, even now I still sit down to read to Owen and his siblings although we occasionally
ask Owen to read to his brother and sister.
I dont have an objection to maps in books. I like seeing them, but like you say, with good
description by the writer, we readers dont need them. I enjoyed reading how youve used maps
as part of your writing process.

PAGE 150:
The tragic tale of David Kurarias Arkham House collection was heartbreaking.

Alas! My NecronomiCon report will have to wait yet another quarter. See you guys next time!
SSWFT 54

When did Lovecraft become a franchise? Panel at the World Fantasy Convention in Brighton, 3 November 2013.
From left to right: Martin Andersson, Charles Stross, Ramsey Campbell, S. T. Joshi, Steve Saffel, and Darrell
Schweitzer. Photo courtesy of Jonathan Green.

Volume 11 Issue 38 for S. S. W. F. T #52
This is a fanzine for the S. S. W. F. T. by
Martin Andersson Copyright 2013
E-mail: martin.andersson41@tele2.se

appy New Year everybody! Ive been too busy lately, but here is at least a semblance
of a zine...
New titles in the Andersson Library include:
Hide Me Among the Graves by Tim Powers Powers latest is a splendid book; a
sort of sequel to The Stress of Her Regard. Highly recommended!
Encounters with Enoch Coffin by W. H. Pugmire & Jeffrey Thomas lovely illustrated
volume by two of the greats.
The Book of Wonder & Last Book of Wonder by Lord Dunsany this edition has a really
crappy foreword that uses Wikipedia (!!) as its only source, but it does have the Sime
illustrations.
Deepest, Darkest Eden edited by Cody Goodfellow stories set in Clark Ashton Smiths
H
Hyperborea. Seems promising.
Nekromantikerns krig 2: Mittelspiel by Nick Perumov [War of the mage 2] well
Perumov isnt a good writer, he is a bad writer with good ideas; but these books are so
lovely made that Ill keep buying them. Just two more volumes
The Blinding Knife by Brent Weeks the sequel to The Black Prism. Seems promising.
The Cornelius Quartet by Michael Moorcock a volume of the new Michael Moorcock
Collection, containing four novels about Jerry Cornelius. Seems promising. I hope to read
as many as possible of the Moorcock books this year. Recommended even though I
havent read it yet and that goes for all the Moorcocks.
The Fractal Prince by Hannu Rajaniemi the sequel to The Quantum Thief. Most
promising the first book was excellent.
The Hydrogen Sonata by Iain M. Banks the last Culture novel.
After Liff by John Lloyd & Jon Canter a very funny book in the same vein as The
Meaning of Liff and The Deeper Meaning of Liff.
Elric: The Sailor on the Seas of Fate by Michael Moorcock more Moorcock, this time
collecting The Sailor on the Seas of Fate as well as the stories consisting The Weird of the
White Wolf.
Dreams of Fear: Poetry of Terror and the Supernatural edited by S. T. Joshi & Steven J.
Mariconda an anthology of weird verse dating from Homer till our day. Highly
recommended!
H. P. Lovecraft in the Merrimack Valley by David Goudsward great little book, with
illustrations, chronicling Lovecrafts excursions in the Merrimack Valley. There seem to
be some problems with the notes; other than that, it is very nice.
H. P. Lovecraft: Art, Artifact, and Reality by Steven J. Mariconda this should be
considered a kind of expanded On the Emergence of Cthulhu and Other
Observations. Alas, Steves lecture from MythosCon on The Colour out of Space is
not included, but this book is a must-have for any serious Lovecraft scholar.
Lovecrafts Pillow and Other Strange Stories by Kenneth W. Faig, Jr. I read the title
story of this collection a few years ago in the EOD, and kept thinking, Wow! Why
havent I heard of the main character before? he is obviously a real person and a major
figure in post-Lovecraftian fiction! And then it slowly dawned upon me that no, he is
made up, but Faig with his astounding erudition in all things Lovecraftian really had me
fooled. Highly recommended!
Nolan on Bradbury by William F. Nolan Nolan signed this for me in Brighton. I havent
read it yet, and to my shame I havent read that much Bradbury either, but what little I
have read has invariably been really good. For example, I read Something Wicked this
Way Comes (vol. 49 of the Fantasy Masterworks series) a while back, and it was stunning.
Simulacrum and Other Possible Realities by Jason V. Brock another nice chap I met in
Brighton (and before that at MythosCon). Seems to be a very promising book.
Suicide in Brooklyn by S. T. Joshi a chapbook of one of Joshis hard-boiled detective
stories, that accompanied The Assaults of Chaos.
The Assaults of Chaos by S. T. Joshi a novel about H. P. Lovecraft, in which he teams
up with various weird writers to defend the world against a cosmic horror. Highly
entertaining, pulpish fun (albeit with cringe-worthy sex scenes!!), interspersed with
learned discussions (sometimes lifted verbatim from the writings of the authors in
question) about the aesthetics of weird fiction. Recommended!
The Wide, Carnivorous Sky and Other Monstrous Geographies by John Langan I dont
think I have read anything by Langan, but it is a Hippocampus Press book, so I had to get
it.
Thirteen Conjurations by Jonathan Thomas I have read other stuff by Jonathan Thomas,
SSWFT 56
who is a great guy and a great writer, and I look forward to reading this one as well.
Fortunately, the Milk by Neil Gaiman an illustrated childrens book, about a dad
telling his children a wild story about why he is late coming home with the milk. There
are vampires, pirates, and time-travelling dinosaurs in this one. Thumbs up (although it is
not Gaimans best)!
Berkeleyworks by Berkeley Breathed a lovely artbook by one of my favourite
comicbook artists. Recommended!
Legends of Lone Wolf III by Joe Dever & John Grant another two novels of the Legends
of Lone Wolf series collected into an omnibus volume.
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight translated by J. R. R. Tolkien I was recommended Sir
Gawain and the Green Knight by a friend of the Dunsanys, Sir Humphrey Wakefield,
although he actually recommended me getting a bilingual edition, and he wasnt too keen
on Tolkien. He had very nice things to say about Dunsanys The Curse of the Wise
Woman, though, but maintained that you have to be Irish to fully grasp all its subtleties.
Having read the book, I think I can see what he was driving at.
Nordiska vsen by Johan Egerkrans [Nordic creatures] this is a beautiful book about
various creatures of Nordic folklore, filled with lovely, creepy, enchanting drawings in
colour. Some of them can be viewed at www.vaesen.se. Highly recommended, even for
people who dont know Swedish, because of the wonderful illustrations!
Dodger by Terry Pratchett set in the real world in the 19th century; Dickens and
Mayhew are important characters. Highly recommended!
Doors to Elsewhere by Mike Barrett highly recommended! This is, of course, Mikes
collection of essays, many of which we have seen in the SSWFT.
Last Call by Tim Powers the first volume of the new Fantasy Masterworks series (some
new titles, some old titles, a uniform cover style, new forewords to all books). Of course, I
already had Last Call in another edition, but I want a complete Masterworks series, so
Highly recommended! It can be read as a stand-alone, although it gains from reading
Expiration Date and Earthquake Weather as well.
gypt by John Crowley another fantasy Masterworks novel. I have started reading it,
and it seems promising (Crowleys Little, Big, which is already in the series, was a really
good read Ive heard that it even found favour with Harold Bloom!!). It is apparently the
first book in a series of four, but I dont know whether the other books will be included
among the masterworks, or whether it is necessary to read them to appreciate gypt.
The Dragon Griaule by Lucius Shepard a collection of the stories about the petrified
dragon Griaule. I have read The Scalehunters Beautiful Daughter before and it is really
nice.
Von Bek by Michael Moorcock I havent read these since 1994, but Ive started re-
reading them now and they are still pretty good.
Cthulhu Unbound 3 edited by Brian Sammons & David Conyers damn hard to find, at
least in Sweden. I had to order it from Amazon UK.
World Fantasy Convention 2013 the official convention book, edited by Stephen Jones.
Plenty of articles, fiction and art including some doodles and notes by China Miville,
for the Bas-Lag books. My copy is full of autographs including drawings by Joe Hill,
Neil Gaiman and John Ajvide Lindqvist.
Hello Summer, Goodbye by Michael Coney one of the free books ever convention
member got.
Mondes & Voyages edited by Stephan Marsan & Alain Nvant a lovely artbook
collecting the art of Didier Graffet. Alas, the text is in French, but the pictures are pretty!
Artbook: Keith Parkinson by Keith Parkinson another French artbook. Stunning!
The Treasury of the Fantastic edited by David Sandner & Jacob Wiseman an interesting
SSWFT 57
anthology of classics.
Times Arrow, Anno Frankenstein, Blood Royal, The Dark Side by Jonathan Green four
steampunk novels set in the Pax Britannica universe. Some of the Pax Britannica books
have been hit-or-miss, but Greens books are usually pretty good. He is currently working
on a history of the Fighting Fantasy series of gamebooks.
Nameless Places edited by Gerald W. Page one of the finds from the dealers room at
the con.
The Ancient Track by H. P. Lovecraft the new, updated edition; a gift from S. T. Joshi as
thanks for my proofing and my comments on Regner Lodbrogs Epicedium, and my
finding a new poem revised by Lovecraft.
Hardware: The Definitive Works of Chris Foss edited by Rian Hughes & Imogene Foss
a really nice-looking book collecting the art of Chris Foss. Wow!
Weirder Shadows over Innsmouth edited by Stephen Jones the latest volume from
Fedogan & Bremer. almost everyone alive who is in the book was at the WFC, so I got
plenty of autographs in it.
Arthur Machen by Mark Valentine a slim biography that looks most promising. Mark
Valentine (splendid chap) signed my copy for me.
Dark Fusions edited by Lois H. Gresh this book should actually have been Arkham
Nightmares from Arkham House, but it has now reincarnated as a really nice PS
Publishing volume.
Skymningssng by Patrik Centerwall [Twilight song] a collection of stories by a friend
of mine, ranging from post-apocalyptic SF to contemporary horror and fantasy.
Deaths Head by David Gunn really violent but quite fun military SF. However, Im
annoyed at the name of the protagonist, who takes his name from the Viking king Sven
Forkbeard the Danish form should be Tveskaegg transcribed into English, not
Tveskoegg which just sounds ridiculous (kind of like the metal band Trojan who wrote
their name as Trjan because umlauts look cool, but that actually means The Sweater
in Swedish).
A Dance of Cloaks by David Dalglish hey, theres a cool-looking assassin on the cover!
Pariah by Dan Abnett best last paragraph ever in an Abnett book. It gives me shivers.
cant wait for the next volume (this is the first volume of the Bequin trilogy, which pits
Inquisitor Gideon Ravenor against his renegade (or is he?) mentor Gregor Eisenhorn).
The Falling Woman by Pat Murphy another Fantasy Masterworks volume. I dont know
anything about it, but will get to it eventually.
The Art of Hunting by Alan Campbell the first volume, Sea of Ghosts, was really cool
(outweirding China Miville, IMO), and I really look forward to reading this.
The Broken Wheel by David Wingrove another Chung Kuo volume.
Turtle Recall: The Discworld Companion by Terry Pratchett & Stephen Briggs the latest
incarnation of The Discworld Companion.
Elric: The Sleeping Sorceress by Michael Moorcock another volume of the Michael
Moorcock Collection, collecting the novel The Sleeping Sorceress as well as various short
stories (including what seems to be a novella version of The Eternal Champion).
Recommended!
Medusas hr och andra skrckberttelser by H. P. Lovecraft & Zealia Bishop [Medusas
Coil and other horror stories] the three stories Lovecraft revised (=ghost-wrote) for
Bishop, plus his notes for Medusas Coil, plus Bishops memoir. A rather nice little
book, with a foreword by me.
Futuretrack 5 by Robert Westall a classic that I read when I was 15. Its still pretty darn
good.
The Phoenix and the Mirror by Avram Davidson another Fantasy Masterworks volume.
SSWFT 58
Ive heard good things about this, and Ive enjoyed what Ive read by Davidson so far.
The Eternal Champion by Michael Moorcock -- another volume of the Michael Moorcock
Collection, collecting the Erekos novels.
A Rising Thunder by David Weber finally, a new Honor Harrington novel! I cant get
enough of them!
Lord Dunsany, H. P. Lovecraft, and Ray Bradbury: Spectral Journeys by William F.
Touponce a slim but very interesting study of these three writers and how they tackled
modernity. Recommended (but the price is terrible)!
Babys First Mythos by C. J. Henderson & Erica Henderson a new edition of this minor
classic. The rhymes themselves may be a bit strained at times, but theres nothing wrong
with the art.
Lord Dunsany: A Comprehensive Bibliography by S. T. Joshi & Darrell Schweitzer a
new edition of the Dunsany bibliography that appeared in 1993. I have done some work
on this one, locating a number of previously unknown Dunsany appearances. But there are
probably a lot more to be found. However, I am now confident that I have copies of all of
Dunsanys known published stories.
Elric: The Revenge of the Rose by Michael Moorcock -- another volume of the Michael
Moorcock Collection, collecting The Revenge of the Rose and the stories from The Bane
of the Black Sword. Recommended!
Movies seen:
Lots of them, including Enders Game (yay!) and The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
(yaaay!! Not very faithful to the novel, but darn it, it looked good!).
Books read since last time:
Det gat inte ser by Lee Child [Gone Tomorrow]
61 timmar by Lee Child [61 Hours]
Fire Season by David Weber & Jane Lindskold
The Strangers Woes by Max Frei
Elric of Melnibon and Other Stories by Michael Moorcock
Queen of Wands by John Ringo
Artemis Fowl: De frsvunna demonerna by Eoin Colfer [Artemis Fowl: The Lost Colony]
Hide Me Among the Graves by Tim Powers
Consider Phlebas by Iain M. Banks
Fortunately, the Milk by Neil Gaiman
Nordiska vsen by Johan Egerkrans [Nordic creatures]
Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury
Midst Toil and Tribulation by David Weber
Cold Days by Jim Butcher
Blodsbrder by Tommy Deogan [Blood brothers]
Vrt att d fr by Lee Child [Worth Dying For]
Nifft the Lean by Michael Shea
The Assaults of Chaos by S. T. Joshi
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
Playing with Fire by Derek Landy
Dodger by Terry Pratchett
An Epitaph in Rust by Tim Powers
The Ancient Track: The Complete Poetical Works of H. P. Lovecraft (2nd ed.) by H. P.
Lovecraft
The Last Revelation of Glaaki by Ramsey Campbell
lvkungens dotter by Lord Dunsany [The King of Elflands Daughter]
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J. K. Rowling
SSWFT 59
Deaths Head by David Gunn
The Republic of Thieves by Scott Lynch
Skymningssng by Patrik Centerwall [Twilight song]
War Poems by Lord Dunsany
Thomas the Rhymer by Ellen Kushner
Pariah by Dan Abnett
E. T.: The Extra-Terrestrial by William Kotzwinkle [E. T.: The Extra-Terrestrial yes,
strangely enough the title wasnt translated]
The Strange Dark One: Tales of Nyarlathotep by W. H. Pugmire
Medusas hr och andra skrckberttelser by H. P. Lovecraft & Zealia Bishop [Medusas
Coil and other horror stories]
The Mark of the Beast and Other Stories by Rudyard Kipling
Eldfdd by Stephen King [Firestarter]
Thuvia, Maid of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs
Futuretrack 5 by Robert Westall
Robotarnas krig by Alex Raymond [The War of the Cybernauts]
Babys First Mythos by C. J. Henderson & Erica Henderson
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C. S. Lewis
Critical Essays on Lord Dunsany edited by S. T. Joshi the last of 2013
Last Call by Tim Powers
A Rising Thunder by David Weber
Methuselahs Children by Robert A. Heinlein
The War Hound and the Worlds Pain by Michael Moorcock
Lgner by Lee Child [A Wanted Man]
Storhertigens senare finanser by Frank Heller [The grand dukes later finances I dont
think this book has been translated]
Nekromantikerns krig I: Debut by Nick Perumov [War of the mage 1]
Cirkeln by Mats Strandberg & Sara Bergmark Elfgren [The Circle]

In the news:
Around the end of October and the beginning of November I was in Brighton for the
World Fantasy Convention. Oh, what glorious joy! A formal convention report is impossible,
because I had so much fun, but I can hopefully give you a couple of random impressions
anyway. I met lots of old friends and acquaintances and made some new ones: S. T. and
Mary, Jerad Walters, Jason V. Brock, William F. Nolan, Anya Martin, Jan Reimer, Brian
Showers (of Swan River Press), Mark Valentine, Joe Doyle, Darrell Schweitzer, Ben
Burston Joe was there only briefly, but hosted a Dunsanian mini-con in his suite, attended
by the usual suspects (S. T., Darrell, Brian and myself). I went to many panels, including one
on world-building (featuring Patrick Rothfuss, Robin Hobb, Hal Duncan, Adrian Tchaikovsky
and Ellen Kushner) which was absolutely brilliant, and one on steampunk (featuring Tim
Powers, K. W. Jeter, James Blaylock, and John Berlyne) which was absolutely hilarious
these guys should seriously consider going on tour together. I even sat on a panel myself, on
Lovecraft as franchise (along with Charles Stross, Steve Saffel of Titan Books, S. T., Darrell,
and Ramsey Campbell), which was even recorded and can be downloaded here (but you need
to be a patron for access): http://tinyurl.com/oahbjo3 . I also got lots of new books, including
Weirder Shadows over Innsmouth, signed by almost all the authors included; Dark Fusions
(edited by Lois H. Gresh); Mark Valentines biography of Arthur Machen; and a lovely book
of Chris Fosss art. And S. T. won a very well-deserved World Fantasy Award for
Unutterable Horror. I had a serious fanboy moment when Susan Cooper signed my copy of
The Dark Is Rising Sequence and told me that she knew Gteborg well, having had friends
SSWFT 60
who lived there. Thomas F. Monteleone talked about dogs with me (I cant remember how we
arrived at that subject), and I even showed him pictures of our dear little Sophie. Oh, one
more thing: Actor Robert Lloyd Parry had a beautiful show playing M. R. James narrating his
ghost stories absolutely stunning!
I have just finished a double review for Green Book, a journal published by Swan River
Press. The books reviewed are Critical Essays on Lord Dunsany, edited by S. T., and Lord
Dunsany, H. P. Lovecraft, and Ray Bradbury: Spectral Journeys by William F. Touponce. I
may run it in the next issue.
This year my convention attendance is limited to Loncon (Worldcon in London) in August,
and Confetti (the 60th anniversary of Club Cosmos here in Gteborg) in April. I hope that
there will be a new NecronomiCon in Providence in 2015.
Hastur Frlag has published the Lovecraft/Bishop revisions in Swedish, partially translated
by me and with a foreword by me. I was supposed to only check the translation made by
another guy, but the quality was so abysmal that I had to take credit as co-translator. You
know it is bad when electrical torch is actually translated as elektrisk fackla, meaning a
torch that is electrical, or when tree-girt pile is translated as dunge which means
grove. Thats the trouble of learning English in school everybody thinks he is qualified to
be a translator.
The Robert E. Howard Foundation has published Western Tales and is getting ready to
publish Fists of Iron 2, the second volume of Howards boxing stories.
Arcane Wisdom will publish Adepts Gambit: The Original Version by Fritz Leiber in
March.
Fantasy Flight Games has published another three Cthulhu Mythos novels: The Sign of
Glaaki by Steven Savile & John Lockley, The Dweller in the Deep by Graham McNeill, and
The Hungering God by Alan Bligh & John French.
Chaosium has just released Eldritch Chrome edited by Brian M. Sammons & Glynn Owen
Barrass, a cyberpunk/Cthulhu anthology. Next is Steampunk Cthulhu edited by the same guys.
There will apparently be another anthology titled Atomic Age Cthulhu later (not to be
confused with the recently released role-playing sourcebook of the same title). April Moon
Books is aiming to release Dark Rites of Cthulhu edited by Sammons in April.
PS Publishing will release Nate Pedersens anthology The Starry Wisdom Library,
arranged as an auction catalogue for the library of the Starry Wisdom cult, in September,
along with S. T.s anthology Black Wings IV and Letters to Arkham, the correspondence of
August Derleth & Ramsey Campbell. There will also be a Best of Weird Tales anthology,
edited by Stephen Jones, in the same month,
Does anyone remember the Lovecraft-themed issue of Heavy Metal? Do you remember the
excerpt therein from The Alchemists Notebook, the novelization that was never published of
the film The Cry of Cthulhu that was never made? The novel has been published now:
http://tinyurl.com/p4x5ajd When I was 18 I thought that excerpt was pretty cool; I wonder
how the whole novel is holding up? There are disturbing rumours that the author is giving
himself stellar reviews on Amazon
Erik Granstrm will publish Vredesverk [Works of wrath], the third volume of the
Chronicle of the Fifth Conflux, in April. This is the finest fantasy series ever written in
Swedish, and Im thrilled beyond belief at this. Just one more book to go.
Babys First Mythos by C. J. Henderson (beautifully illustrated by his daughter Erica) has
just appeared in a new hc edition, financed by a Kickstarter. It looks pretty good.
Anders Fager Swedens own top Mythos writer, slightly reminiscent of Joe Pulver has
finally been published abroad in French, of all languages! http://tinyurl.com/np5f422
The Hyperborean

SSWFT 61
Books Im Planning
to Buy in 2014

As usual, many of these titles are wishful thinking, etc., etc. the usual caveats. Also, please
note that some of these books are actually releases of 2013 for which I am awaiting the
paperback edition, or that I simply havent got yet. For the same reason, the list does not
include several titles of 2014 for which Ill await the paperback edition. I know that there will
be at least one more Moorcock book, but I dont know its title.

The Witch in the Wood (Michael
Aronowitz)
The Book of Jade (David Park Barnitz)
Steampunk Cthulhu (Glynn Owen Barrass,
ed.)
The Hungering God (Alan Bligh & John
French)
Captain Vorpatrils alliance (Lois
McMaster Bujold)
Lovecrafts Monsters (Ellen Datlow, ed.)
Sex and the Cthulhu Mythos (Bobby Derie)
Delta Green: Failed Anatomies (Dennis
Detwiller)
Legends of Lone Wolf 4 (Joe Dever & John
Grant)
The Ghost in the Corner and Other Stories
(Lord Dunsany)
En man av stil och smak (Anders Fager) [A
man of style and taste]
Magicians End (Raymond E. Feist)
The Strangers Shadow (Max Frei)
Lord Darcy (Randall Garrett)
Vredesverk (Erik Granstrm) [Works of
wrath]
Mythago Wood (Robert Holdstock)
Fists of Iron 1-4 (Robert E. Howard)
Western Tales (Robert E. Howard) 305:-
Votan and Other Novels (John James)
The Best of Weird Tales (Stephen Jones,
ed.)
Lovecraft and a World in Transition (S. T.
Joshi)
Black Wings 3-4 (S. T. Joshi, ed.)
The Madness of Cthulhu 1 (S. T. Joshi, ed.)
A Mountain Walked (S. T. Joshi, ed.)
Letters to Arkham: The Letters of Ramsey
Campbell & August Derleth (S. T.
Joshi, ed.)
Searchers after Horror (S. T. Joshi, ed.)
Adepts Gambit (Fritz Leiber)
Letters to Elizabeth Toldridge & Anne
Tillery Renshaw (H. P. Lovecraft)
The Variorum Lovecraft 1-3 (H. P.
Lovecraft)
The Letters of Clark Ashton Smith and H.
P. Lovecraft (H. P. Lovecraft & Clark
Ashton Smith)
The Republic of Thieves (Scott Lynch)
Ombria in Shadow (Patricia McKillip)
The Dweller in the Deep (Graham
McNeill)
The Village Green and Other Pieces (Edith
Miniter)
Behold the Man (Michael Moorcock)
The Brothel in Rosenstrasse and Other
Stories (Michael Moorcock)
A Cornelius Calendar (Michael Moorcock)
Elric: Stormbringer! (Michael Moorcock)
The Lives and Times of Jerry Cornelius
(Michael Moorcock)
Moorcocks Multiverse (Michael
Moorcock)
My Experiences in the Third World War
and Other Stories (Michael Moorcock)
The Nomad of Time (Michael Moorcock)
Travelling to Utopia (Michael Moorcock)
The War Amongst the Angels (Michael
Moorcock)
The Whispering Swarm (Michael
Moorcock)
The Dark Defiles (Richard Morgan)
Blood of Tyrants (Naomi Novik)
Robert A. Heinlein: In Dialogue with His
Century Volume 2: The Man Who
Learned Better (1949-1988) (William
H. Patterson, Jr.)
The Starry Wisdom Library (Nate
Pedersen, ed.)
SSWFT 62
9

Nekromantikerns krig 3 (Nick Perumov)
[War of the mage 3]
A Slip of the Keyboard: Collected Non-
Fiction (Terry Pratchett)
The Science of Discworld IV (Terry
Pratchett, Ian Stewart & Jack Cohen)
Dark Rites of Cthulhu (Brian M.
Sammons, ed.)
Eldritch Chrome (Brian M. Sammons &
Glynn Owen Barrass, ed.)
Time of Contempt (Andrzej Sapkowski)
The Sign of Glaaki (Steven Savile & John
Lockley)
The Human Division (John Scalzi)
That Is Not Dead (Darrell Schweitzer, ed.)
The Dark Eidolon and Other Fantasies
(Clark Ashton Smith)
The Eldritch Dark (Clark Ashton Smith)
Burnt Black Suns (Simon Strantzas)
Equoid (Charles Stross)
The Rhesus Chart (Charles Stross)
The Complete I. V. Frost Mysteries
(Donald Wandrei)
Beginnings (David Weber, ed.)
Treecat Wars (David Weber & Jane
Lindskold)
Monsters of the Deep (David Wingrove)
The White Mountain (David Wingrove)

Eldritch Runes
Mailing Comments

Alas, no emcees this time either. I am so sorry.

The editor of Hyperborean Exhalations with his faithful Hound of Tindalos. Photo courtesy of Marte Svendsen.
SSWFT 63
FEATURED RHODE ISLAND AUTHOR
C. M. Eddy, Jr. is an author primarily known for his horror and supernatural short stories. He
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save the imperiled magazine from bankruptcy. Bom in 1896, he died in 1967, living most of
his life in Providence, Rhode Island. During his early years he was a friend and confidant to
both H.P. Lovecraft and Harry Houdini. He was a member of Lovecraff s inner circle of
friends and authors, as well as a ghostwriter and investigator for Houdini. In addition to pulp
fiction writing he was a composer of lyrics and melodies, whose songs included "Dearest of
All", "Sunset Hour", and "Hello, Mister Sunshine (Goodbye, Mister Rain)". He was also a
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featured a number of famous vaudevillians and performers of the 1920's and 1930's.
His short story collections available from Fenham Publishing include:
The Loved Dead and Other Tales $16.95 ISBN 9780970169921
Exit Into Eternity: Tales of the Bizarre and Supernatural $14.95 ISBN 9780970169907
The Gentleman From Angell Street: Memories ofH. P. Lovecraft
with Muriel E. Eddy $9.95 ISBN 9780970169914
Fenham Publishing is a small independent publisher located in Narragansett, RI
established in 2000 by Eddy's grandson Jim Dyer. For further information please contact:
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Narragansett, RI 02882
401-788-9803
www.fenhampublishing.com
SSWFT 64
1
The View From
Koshtra Belorn

Fanzine #37for the S.S.W.F.T
by Mike Barrett
mikebarrettuk@hotmail.com

Sorry about my absence last time out, but it really couldnt be helped.

Still got all sorts of difficulties in all sorts of different areas, but I thought Id at least
produce something this time, so heres another article I had in NYRSF a little while
ago. Having looked at Morressys future history s-f books a few issues back, this one
deals with his heroic fantasy. He also wrote a series of light-hearted fantasy dealing
with the wizard Kedrigern, but to be honest I never really got into them and only read
one or two. They didnt strike me as anywhere near as good as his serious fantasy
with its much harder edge.

*********************************************************************

I RON ANGELS & ANNI HI LATORS :
JOHN MORRESSYS NOVELS OF HEROIC
FANTASY
The field of heroic fantasy can be restrictive, unable to appreciably evolve beyond its
own limits without losing the very elements that define it. This is not necessarily a
bad thing if the fiction itself remains entertaining, but the limited scope offered means
that any impact must be very much reliant on the quality of the writing and the
inventive capabilities of the author, and the two do need to complement each other for
full effect.

Superior books incorporate action and necromancy in a creative setting, peopled with
believable characters who develop as a result of their experiences and whose destiny
the reader becomes interested in. The basic plot of a land in thrall to evil and the
efforts of the rightful heir to banish that evil and assume kingship need not be trite; in
the right hands it can still fascinate and beguile, and can still result in works that are
engaging and forceful.

John Morressy (1930-2006) was an accomplished science fiction writer who
successfully turned his attention to heroic fantasy with four outstanding novels,
Ironbrand (July, 1980), Graymantle (September, 1981), Kingsbane (June, 1982) and
The Time of the Annihilator (August, 1985). These books demonstrated that
imaginative and memorable books could still be produced within the narrow confines
of the field, and they were all exceptional works, combining crisp plotting and
compelling readability. Morressy was admittedly using the standard elements of the
genre, but his persuasive writing ability meant that he was able to fully engage readers
in his story-lines and produce compelling narratives. The novels also benefited from
2
the creation of a well thought out and internally consistent fantasy world that may not
have been strikingly original, but which was still appealing.

It is a world that encompasses the beauty of the Crystal Hills and the dangers of the
Mistlands; the dense Southern Forest and the remote Headland; the Cape of Mists and
the Fastness; the Fools Head and the Citadel on the Lake Isle; the Long Wood and
the High City; the Drylands and the Red Mountains. There are plains and swamps,
high peaks and forbidding offshore islands, small villages and mighty fortresses,
mines, inland seas and hidden places where the old gods are still remembered.
Ancient and deadly creatures survive in unhallowed areas and prey on incautious
travellers, and barrow-wights guard the graves of sea-pirates; there are near mythical
delvers deep below the mountains, and there are mages who work their sorceries, both
dark and light, in secret surroundings far from curious eyes.

Morressys world is colourful and interesting, and each of the four books is set in the
same milieu but at different periods of time. The principal back-story has its
historical roots in the person of Ambescand, a warrior and mage who guided the land
well and prosperously, until he was eventually challenged by rebellious nobles backed
by eleven strong wizards. The ultimate defeat and apparent death of these sorcerers
then led to the rise of a mysterious being called the Cairnlord, whose dark magics
were of great power and whose inexorable ascent led to a domination that seemed
total, although there were enigmatic prophecies concerning his ultimate downfall.

The Cairnlord is an entity whose origins are initially shrouded in mystery but who is
aeons-old, predating history, and whose ambitions are to gain brutal supremacy over
not just this world but beyond and out into the stars. Time is of little relevance to him
and his plans may take many years to reach fruition; however, he is not omnipotent
and is vulnerable in certain ways, ways that those of the bloodline of Ambescand are
able to exploit.

*********************************************************************

Ironbrand starts with death of Vannen on the Headland. His three sons, Col, Ord and
Staver, inherit three swords of power from their father and learn that their destinies lie
far south across the Fissure, where they are the true rulers, heirs to a land held in thrall
by the Cairnlord and his minions, human and unhuman. The blood and the magic of
Ambescand runs through their veins, and their task is to secure their respective
interdependent realms, Col as Colberane Whitblade, Master of the Southern Forest,
Ord as the Scarlet Ord, Keeper of the Fastness, and Staver as Staver Ironbrand, Mage
of the Crystal Hills. They soon learn of the realities of the dread forces that will be
opposing them when they are attacked by gray men, undead creatures that are
virtually unkillable.

They first have to cross the Fissure, an impassable crevasse that has isolated the
Headland for all living memory. Once that is accomplished, and with the aid of the
inscrutable Dark Prophet, they set about rallying their forces, a dispirited and
persecuted people who now see new hope in the fulfilment of the old prophecies
foretelling the end of the Cairnlords cruelly malign reign. Battles are fought and
wizards defeated in an action-packed story that is forceful and exciting with many
memorable moments. The final confrontation between Staver and the Cairnlord on the
bleak Stone Hand is particularly potent, a clash that complements the epic battle on
The Plain taking place at the same time, as Col and Ord struggle against endless
hordes of gray men.

SSWFT 66
3
Morressys descriptive prowess is much in evidence in for instance his depiction of
the Fissure, with its fierce and deafening tide-race, and in his recounting of the
windwraith-generated storm in the midst of the crossing of the Fools Head. He also
formulates the characterisations of Col, Ord and Staver effectively, giving them
distinct personalities early on in the narrative, and then displaying their maturing
outlook on their designated roles. There is a realisation that it is the welfare of the
people that really matters, not the attractions of the ascension to their thrones as they
had at first thought. Emphasis is laid on the cost of victory to the combatants and their
leaders freedom comes at a high price but a price that is ever worth paying.

There is a good conclusion to what is a well-rounded and satisfying novel, one that
leaves scope for further tales in the same setting, with the ending indicating that in
time evil moved in the world once more and that this was a story to be told
elsewhere. This was to be related in Kingsbane, but before that Morressy produced
Graymantle, which reverted to the time preceding Ironbrand to tell the story leading
up to the events of the first book.

*********************************************************************

Graymantle is about Ambescand, the forefather of Vannen and the man whose
betrayal by the eleven wizards had been instrumental in calling forth the Cairnlord.
The broad details had been told in Ironbrand in the form of history and legend, related
by characters in that book, and consequently the broad plot is already known to
readers of the first volume. It would have seemed to make more sense for Graymantle
to have appeared first, but presumably the author had not initially intended to write
the book; perhaps it was his enjoyment in writing Ironbrand that prompted him to
return to its world and to characters already established but whose earlier story was
still worth telling.

As it is, Morressy gives vibrant life to Ambescand, a reluctant hero who is the true
son of Pytrigon, the Lord of the High City, but who is switched at birth and brought
up in the Long Wood to avoid an inevitable assassination. Becoming a master
swordsman he earns a reputation as the mighty Graymantle, a reputation that he is
never comfortable with, questioning the moral aspect of killing, even in self defence.
He earns fame as a warrior and soon becomes the powerful Duarins Hammer, but
when Duarin becomes the Lord of the High City and then the King of the Northern
Lands, his obsessive paranoia leads to almost unbearable loss for Ambescand. Duarin
is overthrown and Ambescand subsequently assumes his rightful Kingship, a rule
starting with grief but bringing peace and stability even while the dark clouds of the
Cairnlord are slowly but surely gathering.

There is a low-key ending with the death of the aging Ambescand and his brother, and
then the dissolution of the kingdom as the Cairnlords forces arise and finally gain
control after many years of war. But one of Ambescands last acts is the forging of
the three swords of power, and many years later these were to be wielded by
Vannens sons and would eventually lead to the liberation of the land. The conclusion
therefore gives the promise of salvation, a salvation that was seen in Ironbrand.

We are given a closer look at the fellowship of the eleven malevolent wizards who
had appeared only fleetingly in the first book, all of them having distinct powers of
magic and names that are evocative and well-coined. They are Hane of the Withering
Touch, Darra Jahn the Rouser of Envy, Aoea the Windwraith, Taerhael the Beclouder,
Jashoone of the Frost and Flame, Ulowadjaa the Twister of Bones, Rombonole the
Earthshaker, Korang the Warmaker, Cei Shalpan the Stormlord, Bellenzor the
SSWFT 67
4
Blightbringer and Skelbanda the Destroyer of Hope. Formidable as this cabal may be,
their fixation on gaining even more power proves to be their undoing as they
unknowingly draw the Cairnlord back to a brutal dominance that will endure for many
generations.

However, it is Ambescand who plays the major role in the book, and whose legendary
status is shown with a human aspect, with all of the doubts, fallibilities and sadness
that the myth disregarded. This fleshing out of the fables outlined in Ironbrand
emphasises how the passing of time alters the structure and the content of oral history,
and shows us the truths behind the legend.

Although it is not as quick-moving as its predecessor, Graymantle is another flowing
and well-written novel, with a somewhat different scenario of violent political intrigue
and lust for power replacing the action-driven narrative of Ironbrand.

*********************************************************************

Kingsbane is the third volume in the series, and continues the story that had been so
capably developed in Ironbrand and Graymantle. It begins some 250 years after the
events of the first book, when the peaceful reigns then established have completely
disintegrated, with magic thought to be long dead and the familiar lands once more
fragmented and perilous places. The population is at risk from roaming bands of
lawless brigands and outlaws, and in place of the three realms there are many different
territories, large and small, ruled over by petty warlords.

One man in particular, Halssa, occupies the High City and is seeking to expand by
armed force; his opponents, an alliance led by Brondin of Balthids Keep, intend to
bring him down, but Brondins authority is reliant on a talisman in the form of a cloak
pin. The worth of this precious but apparently powerless object lies in what it
symbolises, a link to the bloodline of Ambescand. When it is stolen, a lone Brondin
leaves the Keep in a desperate attempt to retrieve it, realising that without its
possession his authority over the alliance will become questionable.

He encounters various people during his quest, all of them well-drawn and of
significance to his search, and he also learns that he is to be instrumental in combating
the re-emergence of an ancient evil; for it transpires that Karbash, Halssas sorcerer, is
seeking to bring back the essence of the Cairnlord, believing that he can control the
entity that he is resurrecting and that it will be his to command. However, just as
others before him had discovered, a resurgent Cairnlord serves no-one but himself.

Like Ambescand before him, Brondin realises that his own role, as well as that of his
companions, is pre-ordained and that there are higher powers that are using him in an
attempt to defeat the evil that is arising; his own lack of confidence in himself,
primarily due to his physical disability of lameness, means that he lacks the self-belief
to confront his foe. Reassurance comes from an unexpected source as one of the sons
of Vannen reappears and is instrumental in the banishing of the Cairnlord, and once
the magical threat has been nullified it is up to Brondin to face Halssa in single
combat with the freedom of the land the prize.

*********************************************************************

Morressys next book was The Time of the Annihilator, and this does not initially
appear to be a part of the Iron Angel sequence. However, it gradually becomes
apparent that it is, the novel being set long before Graymantle with place names and
SSWFT 68
5
even landscapes differing, although there were even then the Crystal Hills. The story
begins during the decades-long conflict between the Empire of the White City,
governed by the Thirty-three, and the Eastern Alliance of the Nine Lords, with the
tide of what had been a bloody stalemate slowly but inexorably turning in favour of
the Alliance. Losing faith in their three major deities, the Empires magicians turn to
the Fourth Child, the grim god Ankaria, summoning him in thrall from his lasting
banishment to win the war for them.

But Ankaria cannot be controlled and becomes the principal god to both sides; he
feasts on death, from which he gains power, and brings destruction to all. It is left to
Gariel, a powerful mage who has also been bequeathed the magic of a predecessor, to
face Ankaria, whose essence resides in the body of Gariels brother, Bellenzor.
Bellenzor was of course the name of one of the eleven wizards who rebelled against
Ambescand, as was Darra Jahn who also appears in the narrative, although it is
unclear as to how these two survived to become the sorcerers that they became.

However, what is quite clear is that Ankaria is one and the same as the Cairnlord of
the earlier novels and his evolution is described in detail, convincingly and well. Such
explanation of the specific origin of this malevolent being establishes his ongoing
presence with strength and originality, providing far more depth to the
characterisation than is normally found in books that similarly use a fear-inducing
entity as a dark adversary.

Ankarias downfall takes place on what becomes the Stone Hand, which is where the
four surviving rebel wizards of Ambescands future time were interred alive. The
presence of their lingering strong magic was obviously the catalyst needed to release
the Cairnlord, unleashing him on the world once again; that resurrection was not
accidental, with the final events of Graymantle and the way in which the wizards
caskets were sent to the Stone Hand brought into sharper focus.

The Time of the Annihilator also reveals the specific source of the metal that forged
the cloak pin of Kingsbane and the swords of power of Ironbrand, and Morressy thus
clarifies all aspects of his saga in this final volume, even though its setting is long
before the other books.

*********************************************************************

Each of the four novels presents a different perspective on the emergence of an evil
with apparently limitless powers, an evil which can be vanquished temporarily but
which cannot be completely eradicated. There are higher forces that can provide the
means to resist, and as both Ambescand and Brondin come to realise their roles do to
a great extent seem to be predestined, leading them to question the part they are
expected to play. Their lack of confidence in their ability to fulfil expectations is one
of the more absorbing aspects of the stories, as is the fact that each feels that he has
been used a pawn in the hands of others.

But just as evil can be resisted, so can good. There is no inevitable positive outcome
to the conflict, and as Staver tellingly says in Kingsbane The way is plotted, but the
end is unknown, highlighting the fact that in the end it is the individual who can and
does make the difference between victory and defeat.

The impact of loss is also significant in these works; Ambescand and Gariel lose their
families early on to violence, an experience that ultimately hardens their resolve and
leads them towards the completion of their tasks. Those deaths can consequently be
SSWFT 69
6
seen as a cruel necessity, emphasising the casual indifference of a fate to which
individual lives mean little in the context of the enormity of the stakes being
contested.

Although they appear to have been written and published out of sequence, the four
books work well in the order that they appeared, and the revelations of the later novel
add a retrospective frisson to the earlier works. All four tales are fine examples of
inventive heroic fantasy fiction, with Morressy demonstrating his ability to take
standard themes and adapt them to produce fast-paced and enjoyable narratives. He
showed that the genre was not going to stagnate as long as a writer brought creative
and literate storytelling to his contributions, and was also prepared to develop a
convincing and intriguing background to support his plots.

Morressy retained his interest in fantasy, and later books revolved around the exploits
of the wizard Kedrigern in a light-hearted series of novels and short stories from 1986
onwards. These were entertaining in their own way but lacked the dark power of the
earlier series, which stands as a lasting testament to its authors abilities. It also
served as new proof that the heroic fantasy genre remains an eminently capable
vehicle for the production of impressive works of fiction.

*********************************************************************

RECENT READING

Quite a few books read, but the best was certainly The Map of the Sky by Felix J
Palma, a splendid follow up to his Map of Time, and an even better book.

WAITING TO BE READ

Far too many books, opening volumes of fantasy series mainly. And quite a lot on
order, mainly signed copies from Goldsboro Books, most of which again seem to the
opening volumes of trilogies

***********************************************************************************

MAILING COMMENTS

No time, but Ill try and do better next issue.

*********************************************************************

FINAL COMMENTS

A slim issue, sorry about the lack of any substantial comments about anything!

*********************************************************************

SSWFT 70

A Journal by Frank Coffman
for the Sword and Sorcery and Weird Fiction Terminus
Amateur Press Association
Vol. 2014, No. 1 / Whole #2 / for SSWFT #52 / Jan.-Feb. 2014

Fellow SSWFTers (SSWFTians?):
For this issue of Star Winds, I'm republishing my article (originally published in Conan Meets the
Academy by Macfarland Press). I'll also add some very brief comments regarding the previous mailing.

Barbarism Ascendant:
The Poetic and Epistolary Origins of Conan and Cimmeria

by Frank Coffman
Professor of English and Journalism
Rock Valley College, Rockford, Illinois
originally published in Conan Meets the Academy

And a strange shape comes to your faery mead,
With a fixed black simian frown,
But you will not know and you will not heed
Till your towers come tumbling down.

Robert E. Howard
from The Years Are as a Knife

here is no doubt that the character of Conan has become Robert E. Howards signature
creation. Highly popular from its original publication, principally in Weird Tales, the series
of stories about the mighty Cimmerian are solidly the vanguard of Howards growing literary
reputation and represent the essence of his generally acknowledged position as the founder of Sword
& Sorcery fantasy. But while the actual birth of this barbarian super-hero can be targeted with
some accuracy, the conception of the Hyborian Age; of Cimmeria, land of darkness and deep night;
of Conan himself; and, essentially, Howards evolving conception of barbarism itself are not so simple
T
Star-Winds Vol. 2014 No. 1 Whole #2 SSWFT #52 Jan.-Feb. 2014
2
to delineate. The gestation period leading to these interconnected births is far more complex than
most would imagine. And it was decidedly more involved than Howard himself would have his pen-
friends such as H. P. Lovecraft, Clark Ashton Smith, Emil Petaja and, ultimately, his readers
believe.
While the influences of Howards antecedent warrior heroesKull of Atlantis, the Pict, Bran
Mak Morn, and Turlogh Dubh OBrien, an offspring of Howards Celtophile naturemust be
acknowledged; while external fictional influences such as Burroughs Tarzan, Kiplings Mowgli, and
intriguingly-possible others such as Fennimore Coopers Chingachgook (in these cases, of course,
without the accompanying noble savage romanticized notions of Shaftsbury and others, ultimately
alien to Howards later nature); while some continue to see Conan as a sort of bolt-from-the-blue
inspiration and a suddenly serendipitous creature springing wondrously forth from Howards fertile
imagination, something like Athena from the brow of Zeusthe truth of the development of Conan
and Cimmeria is more accurately viewed as a complex web of entangled cross-associations which can
be examined in the poetry and letters of Robert E. Howard. They are the creative result of much
cerebration and contemplation leading to the eventual, but as we shall see, not the original, mindset
and motivations of that great Texas tale spinner.
Speculation about the origins of artistic inspiration, about the processes of the imagination or the
inception of a literary character or any other aspects of narrative creation should always be undertaken
with care. J. R. R. Tolkien had some interesting comments on this very sort of speculation both before
and while his own work was being scrutinized. In his important essay [originally an Andrew Lang
lecture at St. Andrews College], On Fairy-storiesand one of the most important discussions of the
creative process in the twentieth century, effectively supplanting Coleridges willing suspension of
disbeliefTolkien states:

In [George Webb] Dasents words I would say: We must be satisfied with the soup that
is set before us, and not desire to see the bones of the ox out of which it has been boiled.
Though, oddly enough, Dasent by the soup meant a mishmash of bogus pre-history founded
on the early surmises of Comparative Philology; and by desire to see the bones he meant a
demand to see the workings and the proofs that led to these theories. By the soup I mean the
story as it is served up by its author or teller, and by the bones its sources or materialeven
when (by rare luck) those can be with certainty discovered. But I do not, of course, forbid
criticism of the soup as soup. (46-47 On Fairy-stories, emphasis mine)

Just so, the bones of the Conan cycle might never be completely discoverable, but it is also the
case that Tolkien was speaking of works of oral narrative and tales in tradition, as the folklorists
saynot the creative work of a single author. And while the entire skeleton of antecedents,
inspirations, and origins of the character or the world of Conan might not be completely discoverable,
there are some individual bones that might be.
While Howard did not live long enough to see the breadth and depth of interest and discussion
his works have stimulatedabout which he would, likely, have been greatly surprised though, quite
probably, gratifiedTolkien did live long enough to see the great amounts of speculation about
origins that his creations evoked from, especially: biographical, psychological, and myth/archetypal
literary critics. This bothered him enough to prompt the following:

SSWFT 72
3
An author cannot of course remain wholly unaffected by his experience, but the ways in
which a story germ uses the soil of experience are extremely complex, and attempts to define
the process are at best guesses from evidence that is inadequate and ambiguous. (Tolkien,
Foreword 10-11, emphasis mine)

That such evidence is, in some cases, neither inadequate nor ambiguous is the premise of the
present writing. There is at least ample evidence in the letters and, especially, in the poetry of Robert
E. Howard to suggest strongly some of the ways Conan and his world germinated in the mind of their
author. Perhaps Robert E. Howard would have objected as strenuously as Tolkien to attempts to
discover his processes of literary creation. There is no doubt from his letters that he maintains that
the origins and development of Cimmeria and Conan were essentially mystical things. But a critics
reach should exceed his grasp, or what are literary appreciation and interpretation for?
Conan could only have been born into a world and homeland and culture consistent with the
developing world view of his imaginer. Not only the character, but, as importantly, the world and
times of Conan are essential to the tales. To put it in the jargon of rhetoric or poetics, the
topographia, chronographia, and demographia; the verbal depiction of place and time and society, are
as essential as the presentation of a vivid fictional character with distinctive character traits who
presents, indeed embodies, important aspects of the world view of his author.
It has been noted by many Howard scholars and researchers, both academic and private, that one
of the dominant themes presented throughout his literary corpus is that of Barbarism as the natural
human condition, with the many historical cycles of great civilizations and any attempts to establish a
lasting order in the face of chaos always and ultimately futile.
In the title essay from his seminal critical anthology, The Dark Barbarian (1984), Don Herron
presents one of the important discussions of this theme and this aspect of Howards character.
Herron succinctly notes the differences between the nobly savage as depicted in Tarzan and Mowgli
and Howards barbarian of a different ilk, also adding in the ingredients of deft swordplay (and
axeplay too, of course), of sheer physical might, and of supernatural and often horrific magic and
sorcery essential to epitomize a new genre with Conan at its core:
the overriding difference is in mood and philosophy. Burroughs Tarzan is a respectable pillar
of civilization as an English lord, and preserves the twentieth-century American sense of the status
quo even when venturing naked in time-lost cities and primeval forests. The thrust of the Mowgli
stories is the jungle giving way before civilizations inroads, and the man-child leaving the forest and
his bestial comrades to live as a man, not as an animal. In Howard the unquiet surge of barbarism ever
threatens to sweep the works of civilization under, the status quo is at best shakyeven when
Howards barbarians put themselves on the thrones of the ruling class.
The Howardian mood and philosophy is not simply barbaric, it is a dark barbarism, a pessimistic
view that holds the accomplishments of society of little account in the face of mankinds darker nature.
(150)
Ironically, one of Howards clearest poetic inspirations and favorite writers, the devout believer
and eventual Defender of the Faith as honored by the Catholic church, Gilbert Keith Chesterton sees
the same glass half full in his early essay, A Defense of Detective Stories (1902):

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the romance of police activity keeps in some sense before the mind the fact that
civilization itself is the most sensational of departures and the most romantic of rebellions. By
dealing with the unsleeping sentinels who guard the outposts of society, it tends to remind us
that we live in an armed camp, making war with a chaotic world, and that the criminals, the
children of chaos, are nothing but the traitors within our gates. When the detective in a police
romance stands alone, and some what fatuously fearless amid the knives, and fists of a thieves'
kitchen, it does certainly serve to make us remember that it is the agent of social justice who is
the original and poetic figure, while the burglars and footpads are merely placid old cosmic
conservatives, happy in the immemorial respectability of apes and wolves. The romance of the
police force is thus the whole romance of man. It is based on the fact that morality is the most
dark and daring of conspiracies. It reminds us that the whole noiseless and unnoticeable police
management by which we are ruled and protected is only a successful knight-errantry. (6
emphasis mine)

To Robert E. Howard, this Chestertonian vision of knight errantry, or any idealistic or
Arthurian attempt at ultimate victory against the forces of barbarism and chaos would always be
unsuccessful. Yet, inherent in both of these world views is the notion that there is an interplay
between civilization and barbarism, or even a pendulum swing between the two. Chesterton saw
civilization as a great and difficultand perpetualeffort to rise above and thereafter stave off the
attacks of the barbaric and chaotic; Howard would come to view civilization as a thin veneer, an
always vulnerable and never ultimately defensible condition, ever subject to degeneration, decay, and
eventual conquest.
Although Howards earlier heroes of prose narrative as noted above all play important heuristic
roles in the shaping, in the imaginative discovery of Conan, we must look at Howards poems and
letters, most written years before the epiphanic blank verse poem, Cimmeria, to find the roots of
Conan and his homeland expressed in what is their most direct and concise philosophical essence.
One of the root origins of Conan lies in Howards interest in the primitive as demonstrated in
early poetic and prose narrative characters. But as we shall see, there was a lingering touch of the
romantic, even the essentially civilized in the young Howard if one can say that about a man who
only lived to be thirtybut speaking here of the years of his teens and very early twenties, the first
creative period of his literary life. There was a time before the dark barbarism argued by Herron was
fully realized, a time when Howard considered, at the very least, varying degrees of barbarism, a period
before Howards eventually developed definition of the barbaric was complete.
The long-running Howard journal AMRA took its name from the character that several
Howardists [as scholar Mark Finn calls our clan of specialized literary commentators and critics]
consider to be the prototype of Conan. This character is found in the obscure and only relatively
recently published and fragmentary poem, Am-ra the Ta-an in The Rhyme of Salem Town and
Other Poems [2002, 2007]. In this poem, we find a barbaric outcast, wielding a stone-tipped spear:

Out of the land of the morning sun,
Am-ra the Ta-an came.
Outlawed by the priests of the Ta-an,
His people spoke not his name.
Am-ra, the mighty hunter,
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Am-ra, son of the spear,
Strong and bold as a lion,
Lithe and swift as a deer.
Into the land of the tiger,
Came Am-ra the fearless, alone,
With his bow of pliant lance-wood,
And his spear with the point of stone.

He saw the deer and the bison,
The wild horse and the bear,
The elephant and the mammoth,
To him the land seemed fair.
Face to face met he the tiger,
And gripping his spears long haft,
Gazed fearless into the snarling face,
Good hunting! cried he, and laughed!
The bison he smote at sunrise,
The deer in the heat of day,
The wild horse fell before him,
The cave-bear did he slay! (153 ll. 1-24)

Yet, while this is definitely an early poem of Howards, depicting a primitive warrior, a confusion
has existed since Howards use of the alternate name Amra in the story The Frost Kings
Daughtereventually published in The Fantasy Fan after the rejection of the piece as a Conan story
by Farnsworth Wright of Weird Tales. That initial rejection was due to the explicitness (for its day),
or at least suggestiveness, of the sexual content. In effect, the alternate name Amra is used primarily
to separate this eventually published character from the central figure of the Conan series. If we read
further into the earlier poem and the (as far as we know) initial use of Amra or, rather, Am-ra, we
actually find a lack of the dark barbaric philosophy that has been suggested of the later Howard.
Although a primitive savage, Am-ra is disgusted by those who are even more barbaric than he:

More like apes than men were they,
They knew not the use of the bow,
They tore their meat and ate it raw
For fire they did not know.
Then angry waxed bold Am-ra,
Furious grew he then,
For he would not share his country
With a band of black ape-men. (155 ll. 65-72)

Thus, it may be argued that the Am-ra of the poem is more civilized than those who disgust him,
and the plan of the story, which trails off at that point in the poem, seems to have been for Am-ra (and
perhaps his fellow exile follower and possible planned-to-be sidekick, Gaur) to open a can of
comparative civilization against these decidedly more barbaric ape-men. Hence, the chosen title for
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the journal Amra, may not have been as appropriate after all, its conflation of Am-ra or Amra with
Conan, neither completely appropriate nor correct. Conan is the truly darker barbarian, representing
Howards matured mindset of barbarism ascendant.
We see this earlier Howardian barbarian also in a prose counterpart in another prehistoric
adventure. Howards first story sold to Weird Tales, Spear and Fang, was accepted for publication
when he was only eighteen and appeared in the July 1925 number when Howard was nineteen. I have
commented elsewhere (The Promise of Spear and Fang, internet) on the parallels that might be
made between the young author Robert E. Howard and the main character of the story, Ga-nor, the
young cave artist, also seeking to prove himself and also being atypical as contrasted with his stone-age,
cave-dwelling brethren as presented. Whether Ga-nor the troglographer is emblematic of or
psychologically identifiable in any way with the teenage Howard himself, the central action of the
story becomes essentially a fight to the death between Ga-nor (a Cro-Magnon, genus Homo sapiens)
and a fearsome Neandertaler (Homo neanderthalis). In fact, just as in the Am-ra poem, the superior
intellect and determination of the comparatively more civilized (depicted as artistic) cave man defeats
the cannibalistic sub-human who threatens a prehistoric damsel in distress. So, we must look to
later stories, but, more specifically, later poems and some interesting comments in Howards letters to
find the true origins of Conan and the developing philosophical changes in his creator.
Howards position has been presented by some critics as not merely a defender of barbarism, but
even a veritable promoter of it. Its also the case that this purported theme of the Dark Barbarian
has been fronted at the expense of the much richer, broader, and deeper spectrum of themes that
Howards works present. His own words directly on this subject, are plentiful, seen especially in a
long and lasting debate in letters between Howard and H. P. Lovecraft. Examined closely, these
epistolary debates reveal a much more complicated picture of Howard and his views on barbarism and
civilization than has usually been presented in more shallow and cursory commentaries. Indeed, there
seems to have been a great deal of conflict within Howard himself on the issue.
In a letter to Lovecraft, from 22 September 1932, he writes:

For myself, if I should be suddenly confronted with the prospect of being transported
back through the centuries into a former age, with the option of living where I wished, I
would naturally select the most civilized country possible. That would be necessary, for I
have always led a peaceful, sheltered life, and would be unable to cope with conditions of
barbarism. Thus, for my own safety, I would select Egypt rather than Syria, to which
otherwise my instincts would lead me; I would choose Greece rather than Spain or
Thrace; Rome rather than Gaul, Britain or Germany. As a matter of personal necessity I
would seek to adapt myself to the most protected and civilized society possible, would
conform to their laws and codes of conduct, and if necessary, fight with them against the
ruder races of my own blood. (425 Letters II, emphasis mine)
Yet. In the next paragraph we find:
On the other hand, if I were to be reborn in some earlier age and grow up knowing no
other life or environment than that, I would choose to be born in a hut among the hills of
western Ireland, the forests of Germany or the steppes of Southern Russia; to grow up
hard and lean and wolfish, worshipping barbarian gods and living the hard barren life of a
barbarian - which is, to the barbarian who has never tasted anything else - neither hard nor
barren. (Letters, ibid.)
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He echoes much these same ideas in a letter to Lovecraft from 2 November of that same year:

I didnt say that barbarism was superior to civilization. For the world as a whole,
civilization even in decaying form, is undoubtedly better for people as a whole. I have no
idylic [sic] view of barbarism - as near as I can learn its a grim, bloody, ferocious and
loveless condition. (462 Letters II)

He then proceeds to give his definition of a barbarian in very explicit detail:

I have no patience with the depiction of the barbarian of any race as a stately, god-like
child of Nature, endowed with strange wisdom and speaking in measured and sonorous
phrases. Bah! My conception of a barbarian is very different. He had neither stability nor
undue dignity. He was ferocious, brutal and frequently squalid. He was haunted by dim
and shadowy fears; he committed horrible crimes for strange monstrous reasons. As a race
he hardly ever exhibited the steadfast courage often shown by civilized men. He was
childish and terrible in his wrath, bloody and treacherous. As an individual he lived under
the shadow of the war-chief and the shaman, each of whom might bring him to a bloody
end because of a whim, a dream, a leaf floating on the wind. His religion was generally one
of dooms and shadows, his gods were awful and abominable. They bade him mutilate
himself or slaughter his children, and he obeyed because of fears too primordial for any
civilized man to comprehend. His life was often a bondage of tambus [sic], sharp sword-
edges, between which he walked shuddering. He had no mental freedom, as civilized man
understands it, and very little personal freedom, being bound to his clan, his tribe, his
chief. Dreams and shadows haunted and maddened him. Simplicity of the primitive? To
my mind the barbarians problems were as complex in their way as modern mans
possibly more so. He moved through life motivated mainly by whims, his or anothers. In
war he was unstable; the blowing of a leaf might send him plunging in an hysteria of
blood-lust against terrific odds, or cause him to flee in blind panic when another stroke
could have won the battle. But he was lithe and strong as a panther, and the full joy of
strenuous physical exertion was his. The day and the night were his book, wherein he read
of all things that run or walk or crawl or fly. Trees and grass and moss-covered rocks and
birds and beasts and clouds were alive to him, and pertook [sic] of his kinship. The wind
blew his hair and he looked with naked eyes into the sun. Often he starved, but when he
feasted, it was with a mighty gusto, and the juices of food and strong drink were stinging
wine to his palate. (ibid., emphasis added)

Its important to note that the Noble Savage is decidedly not the view of the barbarian that
Howard has in mind. After this definition, he reaffirms that, given the choice of which culture into
which he would prefer to be born, he writes:

Ive never seen anyone who had any sympathy whatever with my point of view, nor do
I want any. Im not ashamed of it. I would not choose to plunge into such a life now; it
would be the sheerest of hells to me, unfitted as I am for such an existence. But I do say
that if I had the choice of another existence, to be born into it and raised in it, knowing no
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other, Id choose such an existence as Ive just sought to depict. Theres no question of the
relative merits of barbarism and civilization here involved. Its just my own personal
opinion and choice. (463 Letters II)

On the other hand, contrasting with Howards barbarians and primitives depicted early on like
Gay-nor in Spear and Fang and like Am-ra in the poetic fragment, and especially as the character of
Conan develops, Howard settles more and more into his definitive view of the barbarian as depicted in
this letter to Lovecraft. But, clearly and for example, the Conan of The Devil in Iron is a different
barbarian in several ways from the Conan of The Phoenix on the Sword or The Hour of the
Dragon. Again, an evolution and not a creative explosion was occurring. In a letter from December
of that year we see more of the evolution of Howards notion of the barbarian hero. Hes speaking of
the type of barbarian he himself would have cared to be, which is further delineated by the type he
would not have cared to be. In a very lengthy letter to Lovecraft in ca. December 1932 he writes:

No; I would not have cared to be a bard or shaman; if I had been a barbarian, I would
have wanted to be a complete barbarian, well-developed, but developed wholly on barbaric
lines; not a distorted dweller in a half world, part savage and part budding consciousness.
Just as a man, dwelling in civilization, is happier when most fully civilized, so a barbarian
is happier when fully barbaric. (514 Letters II, emphasis mine)

Eventually though, and somewhere between the selling of Spear and Fang at age eighteen in
1924 and his letter to Lovecraft of 9 August 1932 when Howard was 26, the more hardened and
darker view of barbarism has developed. Perhaps the strongest indicator of how much Howard
wished this element to be included in his writing is the following passage from that lengthy letter
[lengthy even by REH-HPL standards]:

Ive often thought of fictionalizing the incident just mentioned [the legend of the
killing of Tom Custer (brother of George A.) at Little Big Horn and the removal of his
heart by one Rain-in-the-Face and, supposedly, the biting off of a piece, blood trickling
from the corner of his mouthblood that was not his own], transferring it to another
race and age - having Bran Mak Morn eat the heart of a Roman governor, or Conan the
Cimmerian that of a Hyborian king. I wonder how much barbarity the readers will stand
for. One problem in writing bloody literature is to present it in such a manner as to avoid a
suggestion of cheap blood-and- thunder melodrama - which is what some people will
always call action, regard -less of how realistic and true it is. So many people never have
any action in their own placid lives, and therefore cant believe it exists anywhere or in any
age. Another problem is how far you can go without shocking the readers into distaste for
your stuff - and therefore cutting down sales. Ive always held myself down in writing
action-stories; I never let my stories be as bloody and brutal as the ages and incidents I was
trying to depict actually were. . I think sometimes Ill let myself go - possibly in a yarn of
the middle ages - and see if I can sell the thing. I dont know much [sic] slaughter and
butchery the readers will endure. (411 Letters II)
If we believe that Howard was indeed reining himself in with regard to the depiction of barbarity,
held back to some degree by his question about just how much the readerin other words, those who
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actually paid for his storieswould take, the it is clear that the full scope of the barbaric had firmly
become part of Howards philosophy.
This fully barbaric, this complete barbarian of Howards vision we see most fully realized in the
developing Conan, certainly owing a great deal to the ongoing epistolary discussions and debates with
Lovecraft on the topic of civilization vs. barbarism. Over the next few months and before the sale of
The Phoenix on the Sword to Farnsworth Wright and Weird Tales by early July of 1933, Conan
had arisen and developed in the mind of Howard. This conception, gestation, and birth is chronicled
by Howard himself as a very mysterious thing. The beginning can be traced to early 1932, before
Howards debate regarding barbarism with Lovecraft in the later letters of that year. On the
typescript of Howards poem, Cimmeria, which he sent to Emil Petaja was the comment Written in
Mission, Texas, February 1932; suggested by the memory of the hill-country above Fredericksburg
seen in a mist of winter rain (Burke, Biography, internet). Thus, the place of Conans birth
precedes the birth in Howards imagination. To use Tolkiens metaphor, the story germ pretty
clearly found the soil of experience in this vista that inspired the place Cimmeria, and was likely
nurtured and cultivated in the intensive and extensive contemplation of the nature of the barbaric and
of the civilized that transpired during the rest of 1932 in the letters between Howard and Lovecraft.
In like manner, Howards intense historical interest in the details of barbarian cultures from the past,
which shows itself again and again in the REH-HPL letters of that time period and his deep
contemplations over the nature of barbarism and the true barbarian were also elements in what led
towhat to himseemed an almost mystical creative epiphany. He writes of the birth of Conan in
various ways and to various correspondents. In a letter to Clark Ashton Smith postmarked 14
December 1933 he writes:

I have sometimes wondered if it were possible that unrecognized forces of the past or
present ! or even the future ! work through the thoughts and actions of living men. This
occurred to me when I was writing the first stories of the Conan series especially. I know that
for months I had been absolutely barren of ideas, completely unable to work up anything
sellable. Then the man Conan seemed suddenly to grow up in my mind without much labor
on my part and immediately a stream of stories flowed off my pen ! or rather, off my
typewriter ! almost without effort on my part. I did not seem to be creating, but rather relating
events that had occurred. Episode crowded on episode so fast that I could scarcely keep up
with them. For weeks I did nothing but write of the adventures of Conan. The character took
complete possession of my mind and crowded out everything else in the way of story!writing.
When I deliberately tried to write something else, I couldn't do it. I do not attempt to explain
this by esoteric or occult means, but the facts remain. I still write of Conan more powerfully
and with more understanding than any of my other characters. But the time will probably
come when I will suddenly find myself unable to write convincingly of him at all. That has
happened in the past with nearly all my rather numerous characters; suddenly I would find
myself out of contact with the conception, as if the man himself had been standing at my
shoulder directing my efforts, and had suddenly turned and gone away, leaving me to search
for another character. (150-151 Letters III, emphasis mine)

Pretty clearly, Howard himself did not attempt to ponder the evolution of Conan, but almost
certainly it was an evolution and not a spontaneous explosion or bolt from the bluea serendipitous
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evolution, definitely, but an evolution nonetheless. Howard sometimes uses at least two different
personae in the letters: one a self-deprecating, humble, Gosh, I wish my stuff had meritused
especially with close friends like Clyde Smith or with newly made acquaintances, as in a few of the
early letters to Lovecraft; a second mask being the tough-country Texan or Celtic/Viking stock poser,
a bit boastful and a bit vain, teller of tall tales or stretchers as Twain might have called them, seen in
later letters to Lovecraft or to others such as E. Hoffman Price.
By the time of the writing of another letter to Smith, dated 23 July 1935, Howard had evidently
thought more about how this particular story germ (or at least character germ) had used the soil of
his experience:

It may sound fantastic to link the term "realism" with Conan; but as a matter of
fact - his supernatural adventures aside - he is the most realistic character I ever
evolved. He is simply a combination of a number of men I have known, and I think
that's why he seemed to step full-grown into my consciousness when I wrote the first
yarn of the series. Some mechanism in my sub-consciousness took the dominant
characteristics of various prizefighters, gunmen, bootleggers, oil field bullies, gamblers,
and honest workmen I had come in contact with, and combining them all, produced
the amalgamation I call Conan the Cimmerian. (367-368 Letters III, emphasis mine)

It would be difficult to argue that this is the same character who appeared without much effort on
my part and which simply flowed off the typewriter. Scholar Rusty Burke has noted this
discrepancy and covered it in much finer detail elsewhere (Burke, Without Effort, internet).
Howard here has reflected more deeply on the actual process of creation that led to his most famous
character.
In a letter from early 1935 to Alvin Earl Perry, who was to include it later in a biographical sketch
of Howard we find Howard echoing the more mystical and indefinable origin again:

Conan simply grew up in my mind a few years ago when I was stopping in a little
border town on the lower Rio Grande. I did not create him by any conscious process.
He simply stalked full grown out of oblivion and set me at work recording the saga of
his adventures. (287-288 Letters III)

Again the problematic notion of full grown out of oblivion is put forth. But in granting that
there was no conscious process, Howard leaves his statement open to the contradiction by the truth
of the matterthere were unconscious processes at work. Importantly, Howard has, perhaps also
unconsciously, conflated the origin of Conan with the origin of Cimmeria and the vista of
Fredericksburg in the Texas hill country, seen through the mist of morning rain.
In a letter written only a season before his suicide, Howard wrote a detailed response to P.
Schuyler Miller who had worked out an outline of Conans life and even a map of his environs. In
his reply, Howard notes again this mystical sense of the development of Conan and the chronicling of
Conans adventures:

In writing these yarns I've always felt less as creating them than as if I were simply
chronicling his adventures as he told them to me. That's why they skip about so much,
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without following a regular order. The average adventurer, telling tales of a wild life at
random, seldom follows any ordered plan, but narrates episodes widely separated by space
and years, as they occur to him. (428 Letters III, 10 March 1936)

Again, Howard is posing. The awed fan might likely buy into the mystical voice of Conan,
speaking through the mouth of his scribe as the Greeks believed the muses did through the poet,
Calliope through Homer, Sing goddess, the wrath of Achilles. The truth is that Cimmeria and
Conan have evolved through unconscious or, perhaps occasionally half-conscious, process from a vista
that inspired a homeland for the barbaric hero and the amalgam of Howards experiences including
various real characters or types of characters of his acquaintance and of his meditations and thought-
rich debates with Lovecraft in a series of letters focusing on Barbarism vs. Civilization.
But another key element that must not be overlooked in the origin of the Conan cycle is Howards
use of poetry in the depiction and development of a sense of the barbaric and the nature of barbarism.
We can see Barbarism Ascendant in several of Howards poems.
The most often-quoted poem on this theme, the one that speaks most directly of barbarism and
Howards ultimate position is certainly A Word from the Outer Dark, especially its final stanza:
For all the works of cultured man
Must fare and fade and fall.
I am the Dark Barbarian
That towers over all. (452 Collected Poems, 19 Selected Poems)

Howard, as usual, achieves the concision and succinctness that epitomizes his poetry. He
combined this capability with an historical sense that became eerily prophetic in some poems,
foreseeing the clash with Japan that was to come (Little Brown Man of Nippon) and in another
poem of barbarism ascendant, A Warning, the final stanza of which is the epigraph of this essay, it is
difficult not to be affected by the final line: Till your towers come tumbling down. Earlier stanzas in
the same poem resonate on the warning being given and Howards view of the power of barbarism ever
to rise again when civilization softens and sickens:

You have builded a world of paper and wood,
Culture and cult and lies,
But the Night of the Earth shakes off her hood,
And the star of your hour dies.

She spoke to you once by the wind and drouth,
But you mocked at her mind and plan,
And she spoke again from the cannons mouth,
And now through the lips of a man.
(166 Collected Poems, 18 Selected Poems)

Often Howards vision of the barbarous is presented less directly. In an important poem, actually
left untitled, the first line of which is Rise to the peak of the ladder we find:

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Rise to the peak of the ladder
Where the ghosts of the planets feast
Out of the reach of the adder
Never beyond the Beast.
He is there, in the abyss brooding,
Where the nameless black fires fall;
He is there, in the stars intruding,
Where the sun is a silver ball.

That we are Never beyond the Beast [perhaps the best title to give this poem] is at the core of
Howards developed philosophy, and this view is the essence of what Herron called his dark
barbarism.
But the poetic roots of Conan run broader and deeper through the poetry than the basic views of
the poet on the theme of barbarism. While there are barbarian characters that stand out in his prose
fiction, Howard is also the narrative poet, certainly one of the last true bardic voices, since the story
poem diminished and receded over the twentieth century in the wake of the vers libre movement,
expressionism and impressionism, and all sorts of other experimentation with poetry. Howard loved
to tell stories in poetry, and many of his poetic influencesChesterton, Kipling, Service and others
were predecessors in that last surge of narrative verse.
Many of Howards story poems are about barbarians. Already noted is Am-ra the Ta-an,
perhaps a fitting historical, or rather pre-historical, beginning to a brief survey of these. Howards love
of history and the study of ancient cultures and societal types appear again and again in his narrative
verses. In The Gladiator and the Lady (first line: When I was a boy in Britain and you were a girl in
Rome) we find the earlier and undeveloped vision as seen to a degree in Spear and Fang of a
romanticized barbarian in a sort of Romeo and Juliet societal clash between the civilized Roman
patrician girl and the barbarian Britonalthough in this poem, of course, they are never destined to
be together. Much different is the mystical poem An Echo from the Iron Harp/alternate title The
Gold and the Grey in which the speaking voice, as if somehow reincarnated and remembering
(reincarnation being another theme in Howards work) recalls experiences in the historical Battle of
Vercellae at which the Roman legions under Marius defeated and almost completely annihilated the
Cimbrians. Of course Howard has his speaker being the voice of one of the barbarians:

Like phantoms into the ages lost has the Cimbrian nation passed; Destiny shifts like
summer clouds on Grecian hilltops massed. Untold centuries glide away, Marius long is
dust; Even eternal Rome has passed in days of decay and rust. But memories live in the
ghosts of dreams and dreams still come to me, And I see the gleam of her golden hair and
her eyes like the deep grey sea. (10 Collected Poems, 193 Selected Poems)

But the fact that Even eternal Rome has passed in days of decay and rust provides the refrain
that is Howards theme of the unstoppable ascent of barbarism over civilization. Both the Glory that
was Greece and the Grandeur that was Rome and all other civilizations are temporal and eminently
mutable.

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In The Cells of the Coliseum (first line: Across the walls a shadow falls) Howard depicts the
musings of a barbarian about to enter the arena of death. The barbaric ideal as Howard saw it is
epitomized in the last stanza:

Along the halls a trumpet calls.
The red arena glimmers nigh.
Thor, let me mock these fools of Rome
And show them how a Goth can die.

Of course there are the poems connected to the barbarian characters of Howards prose fiction:
Conan himself with, interestingly, only the poem Cimmeria and some poetic epigraphs such as The
Hour of the Dragon introducing some of the stories, a couple that relate to the Picts and Bran Mak
Morn, Turlogh of Connacht appears in the long heroic poem The Ballad of King Geraint, along
with other heroes in a sort of roll call of heroes reminiscent of Homeric epic. Several of Howards
poems focus in on his love of things Celtic, such as The Marching Song of Connacht, Song Before
Clontarf, and The Song of the Last Briton.
He writes at least seven poems of some length about Vikings, and the barbaric nature of that
culture in voyaging, raiding and warfare in general (one must remember that viking was a verb and
to go viking the activity) appealed to Howards sense of adventure. In poems such as Singing
Hemp he crystallizes his vision of the Viking spirit:

Sons of the frost - the cold blue souls
Of the cloud-rack, torn and whirled,
Are the fires that rise in the Vikings eyes,
Oh, blind black wolf of the world!

Howard also touches on the barbaric aspects of human nature in his poems about more modern
barbariansthose more modern wolves of the world, the reavers of the days of piracy. Of course
there are the prose stories of Black Vulmea, but Howard was so interested in pirateslikely
stemming from his deep desire to sail the seas, to voyage, to travel with an indisputable wanderlust
evident in his work that he wrote no fewer than seven poems of piracy and pirates. The poem
Drake Sings of Yesterday touches on an historical pirate, but some of the others such as A
Buccaneer Speaks present Howards more general vision of the barbarous:

Ive broken the laws of man and God,
Ive flung my gauntlet forth to the world.
Ive turned from the ways that in youth I trod -
Yonder the Skull Flag flies unfurled.

SSWFT 83
14
This turning from the ways of civilization and this law breaking are the markers of Howards
developed sense of the barbaric. Civilizations rise up and seek to protect and perpetuate themselves.
There are walls of protection and gates that are barred against chaos. But Howard sees the barbarians
always ready to invade and conquer. The walls will not hold forever and the gates will, eventually and
inevitably, be broken wide.
So, we must see the character of Conan arising from this amalgam, this medley of influences and
antecedent writings. The lengthy debates with Lovecraft regarding the interplay between barbarism
and civilization were of great importance in the forming of Howards views on the subject. His own
love of the general image of the warrior barbarianboth historical and fictional, both in prose and in
poetryas a key ingredient in much of his storytelling was also essential. His culminating triumph in
characterization was in the creation of Conansparked by a vision of Cimmeria that arose from a
real-world experience and expanded into an entire mythological world that would contain this greatest
of Howardian characters. The gradually grown tree of tales in the Conan cycle had deep roots in the
soil of Howards creative genius and imagination, but the two most significant are those that can be
traced in his own letters and verses.

SSWFT 84
15
Works Cited

Burke, Rusty. A Short Biography of Robert E. Howard Wandering Star Books website.
Internet. << http://www.wanderingstarbooks.com/reh-bio.htm >>

- - - - - Without Effort On My Part, Robert-E-Howard: Electronic Amateur Press Association,
Vernal Equinox Posting, 2001. The Iron Harp, vol.1, no. 1, Internet << http://www.robert-e-
howard.org/IronHarp1.html#Without >>

Chesterton, G. K. (1902). "A Defense of Detective Stories". in The Art of the Mystery Story.
Howard Haycraft. New York, Carrolll & Graf, 1974: 3-6.

Coffman, Frank. "The Promise of Spear and Fang: A Close Reading and Commentary on
Robert E. Howard's First Sale." Robert-E-Howard: Electronic Amateur Press Assoc. The Shadow
Singer, Vernal Equinox 2001-1 Internet. << http://www.robert-e-howard.org/ShadowSinger1.html
>>.

- - - - - Robert E. Howard: Selected Poems. print on demand, lulu.com. Robert E. Howard
Properties, 2009.

Herron, Don "The Dark Barbarian." in The Dark Barbarian. ed. Don Herron. Berkeley Heights,
NJ: Wildside Press, 1984: 149-181.

Howard, Robert E. The Collected Letters of Robert E. Howard (3 Vols.) ed. Rob Roehm. The
Robert E. Howard Foundation Press, 2007.

- - - - - The Collected Poetry of Robert E. Howard. ed. Rob Roehm. Canada Art Bookbindery,
Robert E. Howard Foundation Press, 2008.

- - - - - A Rhyme of Salem Town and Other Poems. Canada Art Bookbindery: Robert E.
Howard Foundation Press, 2006.

Tolkien, J. R. R. Foreword, The Fellowship of the Ring. New York: Ballentine, 1954, 1986 (7
th

printing): 8-12.

- - - - - On Fairy-stories, The Tolkien Reader. New York: Ballentine, 1966, 1983 (33
rd

printing): 33-90.

SSWFT 85
16

("Read" as in the past tense of "To Read"apologies to REH)
Being the Mailing Comments Section of STAR-WINDS
on SSWFT #51

NOTE: I'm following the REHupa convention of doing weird name combos for writer/editor
and zine/journal. No offense is intended.

Dalriadic Scott
As far as OCR scanning goes, I've had really good luck with ABBYY FineReader Express for the
Mac OS (also available for PC).
Anderson's Exhalations
Thanks for the overview of the conference. Maybe I can get to one of those sometime. I usually
do the Windy City Pulp and Paperback show near Chicago, but that's about it except for Howard
Days down in Cross Plains, TX as often as I can. I am on a panel in the upcoming Popular Culture
Association Convention in April in Chicago on Pulp Studies (Howard's Conan as "The Bright
Barbarian in my continuing war with Don Herron).
Phillipatetic Vole
Phillip! Wow! Thanks for the bibliography. I hadn't realized you were so prolific an
author/poet. I look forward to perusing more of your work.
Homebird Sam
Thanks for tne Necronomicon photos and overview. I love Providence, but I've only had the
chance to get there a couple of times in my life. Never been to that con, but HPL has been a tangential
study with Howard and G. K. Chesterton and Tolkien and Lewis being my primary interests.
El'khestor Earl
I envy you your journeyinga long way from "Oz" on a great advenure. It's been many years since
I had more than a few pints at the "Bird & Baby." I'm going to try to get over at least to Britsville again
one year not too far down the line. Many moons ago, I played collegiate and club rugby over here in
the states, and many of my grad school chums were from Great Britain (due to the rugby club at
Univ. of Illinois having a great mix of Brits, Aussies, New Zealanders, Welsh, and even a South
African or two). Don't know if "Down Under" will be in my plans, but I'm one of those weirdos who
believes that the Thylacine is NOT extinct, so I'd like to get to Tazmania, if I ever get to Australia.
Choking Dog Bryce
I really enjoyed your ideas re: maps and fictioneering. I'm sure you're familiar with both Tolkien's
and REH's mapping of their respective Mythopoeic/"Mythomorphic" realms. I like the art and the
photos too. Is the last photo a High Dynamic Range composite? I'm experimenting with HDR.
SSWFT 86
S.S.W.F.T. S.S.W.F.T.
MAILING #52 JANUARY-MARCH 2014
S.S.W.F.T.
SWORD & SORCERY AND WEIRD FICTION TERMINUS
_____________________________________________________
H.P. Lovecrafts 100th APAversary 1914-2014
Section II
SPORES FROM SHARNOTH
and OTHER MADNESSES
LEIGH BLACKMORE
$14.00 Australian
http://www.preapress.com
SSWFT 88
The Peripatetic Vole: an Apazine for the SSWFT APA
by Phillip A. Ellis
Number Twele! February "#$%
&ailin' a((ress:
Phillip A. Ellis
"") *ir+woo( ,oa( West
Twee( -ea(s South NSW Australia "%).
phillip/phillipaellis.com
http:00www.phillipaellis.com
The 1all'irl of 1thulhu: An( 2ther Poems 3
&ailcoms 45
$
"
SSWFT 90
Author's Note
There are poems that (erie in part from other poems6 there are poems! also! that (erie from
manipulatin' the te7t of other poems an( other te7ts. What follows is a selection of my wor+
(eriin' (irectly! either from manipulations of another te7t! or from paro(ies of one or more te7ts!
that fin( their ori'ins in the wor+ of -. P. 8oecraft. &ost of them are not in the 9spirit9 of -. P.
8oecraft! as they ten( towar(s the e7perimental! an( one in particular is challen'in' to many of its
rea(ers. This one shall shortly become apparent.
&any of them ta+e the ori'inal te7t! an( chan'e it in some fashion. 9The -orror in 1lay9 is the
9simplest9 of these. :t 9merely9 ta+es a foun( te7t an( supplies line brea+s6 as this act 9alters9 the
te7t! by chan'in' both its conte7t an( its status ;from prose to erse<! it ma+es a new te7t out of an
ol( one! an( chan'es its rhythms an( meanin's as a result. :t is one thin'! for e7ample! to rea( the
Fungi sonnets as sonnets6 it is another to ta+e the te7t an( re(uce it into prose para'raphs6 so too
here.
2thers are base( on more e7tensie alterations. 2ne is a cut=up of the te7t! another is a series of
ana'rams of the lines6 others ta+e the te7t! cut it into its 9smallest9 components ;letters<! rearran'e
those letters! an( use the resultant >umble to form the basis of an e7pan(e( te7t ;in the case of 9The
1all'irl of 1thulhu9! this step was when : replace( the >umble( te7t with the first wor( my wor(
processor?s auto=correct su''este(! an( was followe( by a((itional wor(s to ma+e the absolute
minimum of sense! an( much of that bein' nonsense<.
There is the familiar ar'ument arisin' out of interte7tuality: all te7ts are combinations of prior te7ts.
Some rea( this as statin' that there is no 9real9 ori'inality6 : hae hear( some statin' that eery te7t
is a pla'iarism. For me! it means that! when : manipulate the te7ts of! say! -. P. 8oecraft! : (o so
+nowin' that! while base( on another te7t! these poems are also responses to those te7ts! an( their
meanin's become more as a result of rea(in' them in that conte7t.
@efore : present the poems! : must a(( that : hae state( here! an( elsewhere! that these poems are
all (erie( in some way from the te7ts an( wor+s of -. P. 8oecraft. : hae state( this relationship
elsewhere! when they hae been publishe( ;e7cept for those preiously unpublishe(<. This shoul(! :
beliee! count as the minimum nee(e( for ac+nowle('in' their sources.
==Phillip A. Ellis
3
SSWFT 91
8oecraft?s 9@rumalia9
2?er the blea+! barren hills see the storm=clou(s impen(in'!
by the (eep frozen fountain the poor naia(s lan'uish!
where lately the her(s of Ale7is were ran'?(6
on the sere! stric+en mea( see tempest (escen(in'!
an( white fleecy floc+s for the snow=(rifts (rya(s complain of!
whilst bare! win(=blown bou'hs plea( Earth?s chil(ren remember!
an( Phoebus his car turneth northwar(! reful'ently blaze:
tho? col( is the worl(! thro? the chaplets of wil(=flow?rs all wither?( an( (ea(6
in the 'roe! (roopin' aulte( star=lan(s!
come to+ens of sunshine an( sweet summer (ays a'ain!
so (ec+ your fair temples with eer'reen 'arlan(s!
an( bi( their cause oerhea(.
@ut mourn not! ye nymphs! at the win(s of hi'h Aecember!
nor weep thou! Ale7is! at winter?s brief pain for flora.
========================================================================================================================
The -orror in 1lay: A Foun( Poem
The most merciful thin'
in the worl(! : thin+!
is the inability
of the human min(
to correlate all its contents.
We lie on a placi( islan(
of i'norance
in the mi(st of blac+ seas
of infinity!
an( it was not meant that we
shoul( oya'e far.
The sciences! each strainin'
in its own (irection!
hae hitherto harme( us little6
but some (ay
the piecin' to'ether
of (issociate( +nowle('e
will open up such terrifyin' istas
of reality!
an( of our fri'htful position
therein!
that we shall either 'o ma(
from the reelation
or flee from the (ea(ly li'ht
into the peace
an( safety
of a new (ar+ a'e.
========================================================================================================================
@ac+'roun( as @ac+'roun( of @ac+'roun(
%
SSWFT 92
:ies an ?e?! ,enate! cm. beti(e! 2 lecithins!
2 Fr. :nline are (rastic!Tha( ANS: we 'it woo
An( pon(erers chief(om Swin(on i(le( or fop lowe(
:ntersect to a usual! a biotechnolo'y
Si7ty=three matzoth co. year=on=year! er! the BS beam
An( (esolation el(erly fanli'ht a( cut=an(=paste!
2?er (isaow terrine inter(epen(ence hi''le(y asC
Athetise( entremets a(here spi'ot hat >iha( &oshe (ee.
Brethritica?s asafoeti(a Elmhurst! au'ht an(! i.e.! 1. 8ee!
1onterminous bizarre wor+sheet it Dol(smith
The (C (ierticulitis thin' Walsall mu((le (ais
Soham ace see are rans helplessness enironmentalist
They?ll err cuts infinitesimal teena'e 8ee
Are teetotal Staten unfrien(liness.
========================================================================================================================
The Call-girl of Cthulhu
The ninth of +illers three
she tease(6 she came in
from the charioteerin'.
An( it was
on two of the an+les!
where Ee was treate(.
An ale at an earne( Scot
nee &s Anticlines! the ?:?
ran the EleftF han( out
an( foun( the profoun(ness!
the amerce(. This ali'nment
that was the thereun(er a bur(ensome
bi' consecratin' cou'h!
or! if the hence @erri'an cues coul(!
: lai( in. With the South Australian
that was meretriciousness! an( a hate( swan6
Aan Ethe boutF *itchener
of Woolloomooloo acanthus
was the hyperthyroi(ism!
an anisette cow.
South=south=east of Waroona!
in an( on
the psychosomatic cowl of ice!
all my ice that was Pintubi beet romp!
that roc+e( the ton'ue(!
the he! the thrall that was
thic+ete( in its titans? :thaca:
Elis Presley! the nth wan(
of a Thai in a tit.
We pee( an esoteric -erriot
4
SSWFT 93
that was west of broa(=min(e(ness.
-al Guote(! if a son! at the instant
on the inn! alerte(
with the sainte( be(!
fati'ues in a row
that Eni( @lyton?s one pin
hurle( at me. &ercurochrome
tore its te7tile! its hire=purchase
me! soun(proofin' an(! if a Sin'apore
score( nil! the owl of the areas
1astor won. A na' was his newly won!
the hair(o ba(. We! 1asey?s coc+!
the moun( le( us on
to anti(isestablishmentarianism!
whac+e( the oen!
women in cows who rent
popularism?s biosynthesise( SS couriers
on a whim a
(iscretion of -ester?s sorest sale!
sore as the Piscean authoritatieness
that mesmerism! a surly @or'!
that was it.
Hon! an aloha scoutin' &aclean
in Westonia or in Tonbri('e!
that was chu''e( only if combe(.
Sociolo'y! a heart=ren(in' :!
that @ertie Wooster
that was harmonious on account
of a bohemian! the sole one o(e
of a reconnoitre( mare!
the paschal 'rist. :s the bo' a source
of we twan'y Titans! am : a silt bat
eatin' the wholehearte( pomI
An atrium in win(in'=sheet that was Jan+alilla!
the Thalami that was hate?s antitheses
for'ien in pens we! Trentham an( :!
see as -erschel. 1athy!
if of anthropo'enic wee( : pee(!
that was way shot of his an'le! the men
that ran' the secretary of Tou+ley!
who woul( be of aera'e 'enerations.
The nee(e( E:fF was Ewin the Thayer early! all.F
Another swathe mooe(! the Emen(er heele(
the man Heffers. Wheneer the
irolo'ist! an iffy man eatin' the
eel! by the name of Taunton! met a
metropolitan! my &ichi'an Wo'an!
the theatrical Scully was thin. With
.
SSWFT 94
the 2& per+ another of the
photoen'rain' pre=ales! the Alamo
lau'hin'stoc+ in a clerestory Foley!
its rin( was >uices. A Nth thu( hate( as
a Thatcherite hate( coc+. A tile of
antinomy that was a sic+le=feather
arran'e( on entrechat! by (int of which re(
: hemme(. 1arcinoma! if a til(e!
i(entifie( the tentacle in Ape
Paroo row! on one pon(! whose in(emnity
was a whammy wheat meres in the wan site
feare( the ery SS! that coy
asperity of -elen the culle(!
ituperate( as a shin that woul( (ie! an( the
torea(or historio'rapher! the
teeth 2H was eatin'! woul( in(ee( cite
Terowie! a maw in ain'lorious weather.
The 8ar'emouth thesis was bayin' a
sin'ular bay that the errors ate early
in the stem. Alas! thou'h not Dol(enseal mull!
we were seren(ipitous
anew in or(er to oust
:ran from the tou'h!
so that the chinstrap of a fool
coul( hae answere(. 8ancester shoe(!
whereto a her( of ape( cries crie(
the &i(as was the thawe( (efinition
of the assistantship. The cues
for my tit were a core (ron'o
in the borou'h! so to be
an alertness! to be or to be
the antiserum of the territoriality!
was ;::< thou'h there was
one of the cows who was one!
as an unintelli'ible nose hastene(.
The thematic >oiner! the :n'ham near!
: was neon with the min(=numbin'
mess on the "3
r(
! that consoli(ate(
the eatin' of the buttress an( the ache
that that was a Wauchope Thea(ora.
: chime( at Ecua(or
an( was assi'ne(! as we (ir'e(
the tall icy cows! the 1thulhu stimuli
ma(e to hin(er the wee mash
of the Siou7 an( the An'ie
we left at Tin'ha! if only tie(
by myself to a weanlin' crane. The a'ency
she ro(e in phoniness was time=share!
a sphin7 too! that robbe( Thiensille!
K
SSWFT 95
Wembley! an( the bone : playe(
in the playpen campai'nL
The time=an(=motion warehouse +new!
pera(enture! where we were
an( where the ol( a( that was.
:! too! was of orioles that tee( up
on the mimeo'raph! on the thin+er
that that was a thi'h=bone of a oneness
an( a triceratops. : +new +ale
coul( peal as a lean aunt crie(
the SS we haile( as wheels
of sin the foremost welsher
wa((e( with a wa' early
in the cantaloup that use(
the Po that we cerebrate(
as an 2ntario profile(!
whose fortuitousness
was a re( whose pon(erousness
was the ally of a con!
,e( coronary chairs
for each Thea(ora
that were we( to an Aubrey
who hate( the tie
that was my win' oer
the win(?s theme son'.
Fryer nee(e( anticommunist
non=profit=ma+in' me(iation!
memorably as a wa( of hewn oars
or as a wi' allote( in a marsupial
wen so that 1thulhu!
bein' self=con'ratulatory!
woul( hae hale( it a 'entleness
from &alarmen?s tit. &y mother?s
reformer of sacrile'e
was a best=sellin' thu(! an( An(y!
whose pron' of ore an( bicarb
was non=aca(emic!
hit the sa(omasochist
with hilarity as the man
left an unsoun( bu'le that en(e(
hebephrenia if that (ee(
of the hypothalamus coul( con
u+uleles! ham
an( crinoline (eans. :f your tou'h!
the all=lathe that was the sheath
of a wi(e=ran'in' ichthyolo'y
happene( insi(e! 8ittle 8or( Fontenoy
was semi=conscious that :anhoe
was the snit of obliiousness
an( counter=intelli'ences!
)
SSWFT 96
an( the (eans 'rosse( Meehan an(!
if a crony! alas! proo+e( an alleluia
pre=wa+e! how ha( she ali'ne( her
ouste( Tuc+Ns e7ploration of her HoI
-er mo( thic+eners were ri(iculous!
that was. &y bou'h that was the Wi'an cue!
an( the non=respon(ent hymen wars!
was the healthy war of some
semi=professional hecatomb
that was ten(initis at the tie( hobs.
A li'ht! womanli+e bore! these be
a ta( of a thu' anointer!
an( she ate wisely if a bit low.
Southen(=on=Sea was on cows
whose tun the rou'h Bte ten(e(!
an( ami( hea( cues. &y! he nee(e( it.
:n'ram wafters encore( the enenome(:
wine ne'ate( Thule! an( naphtha
hitherto Poe! that was bony in a net!
an( in aches? antece(ents an hour a'o
an(! if that was amon' the steppin'
stones Fre( casserole(
with mutinous
anti(isestablishmentarianism!
then! if they 'amble( the man thinly!
an( ma(e that she was! if sa(!
the win'e( sin she sat
at amal'amation! then the thorn
corset or %3%3r( co(e of +ale
: ate at -e(lan( was Anne -athaway!
AsGuith or a (ic+ she heral(e( as bullion.
Wharton! the wa'erer! too+ Dree+
non=a(ministratie airs! ma(e thimble( (ozens
of the i( that hate( 2rinoco.
An( Witherspoon Guote( the wea+lin'
&uhamma(anism! ate scores of a'e(
ties as if a pea+ that was Smithsonian
ino in a three=cornere( Wallerawan'.
EThat the li'ht author wa7es
wantonness!F an ant si'he(! Eyou most fear
the by. &y info ate a spy in the
parsona'e.F Eatin'Ns early in the all.
1ue the associateship lyin'ly!
a 'in that was testin' me6 eatin' be
ile. Tone( Witherspoon! the in ulna off
an iron *atharine no((e(! was my
poun( as : nee(e(. An a(. Two=way -atfiel(!
whoeer! tithe( a 'uye( (ysprosium.
5
SSWFT 97
:t san' the +ale that almost than+e(
canorously. We! Sherbroo+e?s timi(ity!
thermometry an( an ems
(omineer too+ the inflow hurly
in a Ehi! motherF malnourishment the con!
reerencin' a pri(e( linea'e
an( the ally! that was on he or she.
Drieance hee(e( Tha(?s cupolas6 @enson!
a nonce a'o! hate( abolishers
of the a( that was lar'e ;the belly way<
an( re(! an( that sat in that that was the
forename of a (auphin. The asseerate
that was apprehen(e( wa''e( the ra(
that was eatin' the thu( that hate( the
a( morally! as well as the blister=re(
sin'er=son'writer. @ecause of that
that was a cue! the ion?s hominess
an( itreous he7afluori(e were art?s
pheromone! that an( the han(some striae
of the thorou'hfare that must wan( worl(wi(e.
@len( the han(?s conun(rum of (ar+ness!
the omniscient a( of yo=yo 'ree(
an( wee( in an achromatic niche?s wa(.
Aea(en her snoo(. :t says hi to the themes.
2nly if the hen'e Guarters a -esse (o hens
of an a'riculturalist fomentation
trun+ in! only if it says hi to the themes.
The sly heart of Thailan( is absent!
an( of no blin( mouse in a marathon!
as the left : woul(Ne 'ien a blue
no( once! was an uneGual wan( he wee(e(.
Fish=meal frec+les see the lousy fare
in a pon( snit that was of aera'e!
er! manuscript emporia. Bn(o
the contentious6 tally the itinerantsL
&y niece of the ""n( liar
soun(s wares that lay rialle( by a cra(le
per ante=she(. &a( cow! you are
a Southampton iterator of 2H?s
win( that stirs the noun! the sho''oth of themes.
Theraa(a roun( a mat! ,o'er has
he(onism seein' aspersions of
mysteriousness burie( after eatin'
plates eatin' palaeoanthropolo'y.
Sane! : was that that was. No( if you lean.
Wool='atherin' watts tie a coc+?s tie.
BneGual! the con?s wor+room put a tin in
the homo'eneity of a 1hechen
+iln near Valerian?s sett6 see your pee!
$#
SSWFT 98
heyL The @eatles 'enerations are a
thimble that halts an ill=foun(e( ton.
That was a lintel! man! at minicams6
that was Ee?s +in6 that was a ho moin'
+ale to the Antitheses! +ale that
emasculates i of an enclose(
warehouse that the pasteurise( min(e(
foun(e( in the incomparability
of a tip. Nathaniel! the miner
from Won'an! was one once in $5"4.
The millipe(e we learnt he learnt was a
ca(ence( en(! was a tie! the secon( in
the Southen( of the parenthetic
eaters eatin'. Alas! : pee as she
a(ores atherosclerosis.
At $K that was the Aten?s
ar'y bar'y! the Aten that stifle(
the list that teste( the feather=be((in'
of a motile aalanche in that that
was! by my troth! the tieNs scone6 fie moist bathrobe
claptraps later! by the by! if the man?s
frien(liness was in a ba' in a cube!
burn an eaten ass whose role was the 8es
whose hea( was as if Thrace. Then! if it tie(
in a brecciate( way! -u'hen(en
must miss the mist the Guintic plies out of
shenani'ans! the win' of the fore(ec+
that ate the swin' that was eatin' what the
mana'ement ate while policy=ma+in'.
Hon! histL :n a new moon the ino is athirst
an( buys a multiprocessor from &etun'.
The floret stic+ in the wastelan(s was a
lithesome (uo! whose a( we printe(.
The submarine pepperoni we woul(
bin( into a retol( lot! an( woul( sic
on the 'ranularity of the themes.
TheyNe be'rime( the stron'hol(! whose teary cues
my nose +nows with the an'le of a li'ht
wo+ in a manner forcible. The inn!
the footlon' foot! was Nic+elo(eonNs
bloo( in! yes! the toffee! whose Guarters mar
-is Nibs? role=play of *eanu the muse
of myself! in that Thou that art what Thou
that was was if Thou that was was Thee. Tin!
that was. :! Wisconsin?s call='irl of oil
astri(e myself of the cheese! bemoane( the
sa(! stoc+e(! heat stric+en cranes that are a pint
of score( oars in *esteen! a ton of which
lan(e( the trichloromethane wan( of
an oran'=utan6 in another tally
$$
SSWFT 99
a prime minister si'hts cows who we an( 1oral
set to crawl on awls or owls if se(entary.
Paper from I, Cthulhu cite( weasel
alarms in the li'ht. : hate( the purchase(!
that was bare aroun( the arse of the
Amenorrhoea ;see the oerfish
hoity=toity &enin(ee ahea(!
re: that that was sultans of 'insen' in the
+iln< whose (e'rees on the seas? theme automates
a 'al that is a plain=clothes na'. A na'
whose anti(isestablishmentarianism
we woul( ply oerni'ht. Din'er prolon'ers
of be( at ten! the blin(fol(e( slimin'
the bon(e( hewe( meme! ie! oh heathlan(
for the be(! if they (are (ie. &me!
the Southport of the &entholate( he left
we( to the themes. :ncas? +ale
is in an alley of erboseness6 ru's
breathe an( wanly roe our ma(e ape
ad Andean! if sa+e thence 'in reboots
the sic+ praiseworthiness. Fare faourably!
wait! fry the Eritrean na''in' co(
in an 2restes. Praline as per
an open=mouthe(! thic+enin'! bloo(thirsty
&arulan of art! that the lou(=mouth
(entifrice weatherproofs with a no(
to moustaches in the ore! all of whose ills
we oft telephone( to the telewor+in' 'nome.
Thule was ra( an( coul( rely
on myself an( thyself! the Athens!
the that that was Weatherfor( pre myself.
So the inn! in blahin' that ome'a ;the ape<!
leans anti=a'leam6 : erre( as a soun( Eaha!F
in an inclemency that was the nth
in ma(e atheroscleroses. : mean : was
in the ally of the intensieness
in an eye( (ole of what was in that that was.
A spatula she! she was that that was
1haeto'natha therewith. The iffy ferrousness
no((e( at a 'nat! that : misapplie( as the cues
for Sibley the he(onist teary! who nee(e( snot
an(! in than+fulness! the cues for a beret
;een if of a non=interchan'eable set of manuscripts<.
As anonymous maleolencies! tea+
from a Nappamerrie canaser
culle( bees that was at (ierticulitis!
an( the inter'oernmental oa+ : tou'hen
showe( a flashiness that in(icate(
fettuccine manlier than me! an( it! a+a
the non=e7istent beau! loose( the (esert!
$"
SSWFT 100
that the meteor in the Northumberlan(
sin'er=son'writer saw! if only as the semeiotics
on the early train! if so as to li'ht
the corian(ers of the min(. &y +i(
an( his flat=foote(ness meant &e+on'
is ma(e of a tin man with a transformational hey
an( loftinessL The ,oy ,ene a(
tilte( at the proficiency of myself!
but the call='irl sai( my ley was
the in(ustrialisation hilte( by the steeplechaser!
whose ra(iocommunications sent as themes.
The that that was a particoloure( ape
was an ace in con'estion. -e too+ the no(
in the pilothouses that she foreclose(!
an( ran as the arse=re( ron(o at the inn.
@ut the call='irl (i( not 'et the Torahs!
nor the can+erous theme! whose rou'h
(escriptieness fan'e( us as if we meant
to sit by the hollere( a( of Hon' in the hinterlan(
of the site. She (i( win the strobe! but her pee
meant atherosclerosis in a cart was any man?s!
as that was the 'hat of pu' with caenorhab(itis.
That a(! that that was winsomeness by 'rammes
in the tins! ma(e the cafeteria the worst case
of a li'ht -ess that ble( while eatin' the that
that was of the hate( an( restricte( SS!
althou'h the clan'orous -emin'way waste(
his consomme whose importances the pithy
tousle may! we 'eese may 'uess! set the yo=yoin'
tench into a thic+et. Always! if the peer
of the interloper that was seein' the lean Alabamans
was rou'h at sutures once! in eaten! if uncharitable!
Seminoles few hinterlan(s an( operatin' systems
of the rheas were his to withstan( with chal+
that was seen as cormorants in an office as wa(ers
of a man concisely -al. No nutation of ome'a=3
fatty aci(s was aailable. So we (i( see thee!
thou Tea=leaf Seth! whose tacos few (i( poun( in a pon(
with withal hastiness as the inheritors of operatin' systems!
so e7celsior! bureaucratisation! or cull
the semi=professional prime a( (esire( by the at=at themes.
That was we ostler on a harpsichor(! whose toothache
the reci(iist an( the entoura'e of erysipelas heale(
of roilin' eels! oh war secretary of man! a ile a( of eels6
an( the foul 'reat='ran(chil(ren rea( re: offal
that tou'hens tit an( arse! an( the me whom
the countere7ample of cancerous cut into thirty=ei'ht ibises.
A 'el in >oins ou'ht to hae been
outlan(ish! offloa(in' the sublimation
of the prey of my Ranma 1/2! as (i(
$3
SSWFT 101
"3% call='irls! (oom=la(en
an( of the hyperaesthesia of an ace
whose beams in me pee( off per the hate(.
:n Than'ool! that ra(iochemical 8our(es!
anonymous perspiration meant Aberconwy
+new the irreconcilability of the emission too!
as! as a result! her (emeanour was a hea(
that was apathetic till it ha( hewn her tie( eil!
which was inconertible! in the office
an( on the map. An :thacan toucan! the offe( me!
was a Sancho Panza in a Pita. The hall
of the noma(?s pane was an ar+ on a tour
of the seam?s >urispru(ence. &an. :n a fore(ec+
hea(! the awe of it was the blan+et : rei'ne(
as his tan'y sot6 if @ane?s 1retan were a cretin!
the i(entification of the secon( ton at 'in then
meant Whelan was best at bein' tie( up by 2H
since the oerallocation of the comfortablenesses
by the moor meant it hate( its map
of charitablenesses! an( set teeth to seethe as thou'h
Aou'las >umpe( the pow(er cheGue of the tortoise
of a trichloromethane fol( croppe( by the locatie
o're. Do to inauthenticity if Teresa Guoth the peripheral
eelL The three 'i' tines : note( were constitutionalities
of an ass ;or arse< fin(in' arses ;or asses< of the >urists!
in Northumberlan(. -e hate( the fop on them! then a Thom.
2n the flan'e the cowry sai(:
E@rr! that was rou'h that was.F
We (i( whee(le that that was tonics
prior to the hinterlan( that re'ale(
the cowhi(e of the achy beau!
whose peremptoriness your fien( culle(.
-e! -u'hes! sai( that if that was hate(
of swathe( leatherettes! by the 'an'lan(
of -ettie! at $K on the ache!
she will hae loose( the call='irl!
who hate( the hello that hit Ee
often enou'h. :f you belt pros be' tens6
that was -a(amar( eatin'
the un(erspecification of ices.
They were fit to see as bent le'islatures?
tit6 the nth of them were employe(
to (rin+ chai. S+in often coinci(e(!
war ma(e li'ht of *en?s fob.
:?ll be bac+ later. 2f tin(erbo7es!
in an arctan'ent west of the o(oriferous
weather=boun( soapstone! we ate
a man(olin on a scale that relinGuishe(
the 2& of a bu( oerhea(! cunnin'ly
thin that fe( then chime( to a lean Sorenson.
$%
SSWFT 102
-er teeth na''e( a rhea?s toothache in Tin'ha.
A tsetse too+ a tine in -en(ric+s sanely!
then left the articulateness of an isostatic chimera.
@u's tie( an amorous see
with e'etables an( 'in
professionally! thou'h only
by eatin' orotun(ity was the fen
an a'ent of non=eGuialence
for the pae(ophiles on tort.
The that that was eatin' cabochon
ha( my theme. She hate( the auntieI
As Picar(! that was this han+ere(
un(erspecification! thy mana'ement
was three=ply. So the (inte( furthermost
of the an'le( blatherer!
the fifth='eneration 2swal(!
hire( that that was haltere( in bees
an( tie( pastiche hate( by the hea(
of the bluefish. Assumptions hope(
any of my call='irls were the iffy
blarin' thin'! come to that that was li'ht6
wool='atherin' in an offprint Sheraton
meant the thatch of the whares were
as 'as men. Thus! if hate(! the 1antonese
fifth='eneration was for'ien by the 'el?s
for'iin'ness of a rattly ai(e
that oercame the callisthenics that was.
Arts of an aera'e coffee=pot
left Fran often by reinforce(
chic+enhearte( bol(ness! ast
on (icotyle(onous leaes that i'nite
me normally. Theatrically! the SS:
bisects the a(s of 1harliza Theron!
tepi( as she was in her latest moie!
an( her belon'in'ness nee(e(
Aristophanes in any role that was
what was an oaf left to eile( serants.
Secon( for the an'ry phial on her waistban(!
she sobere(! sly6 the by the by
Platyhelminths hate( her! if the ari(ity
ate Sarah 1onnor! or the Sibyl! ami(
the eatin' lambs : re'ar(e( as lassos
an( thermometers for the pot. Then!
if the counterpane of speculatie fiction
met me in the hayfiel( of the lay cars!
@a( ate a praline -u'hes
whose interchan'eability meant
that he rue( he ren(ere( way
of the -auser! few of whose
nominate( 1hans? outlan(ishness : see!
$4
SSWFT 103
if channellin' the tans of alpine
call='irls6 my Deor'e pal! the torsion
of whom ma(e the 2EA of the mai(
ma(! ran a la(. Ee?s ma( Joun'
stoc+bree(er was early! an( scissore(
the (eep a( to whit the incineration
of a la( that was a palaeoclimatolo'ist
in South Australia! Australia
to the Guarters of my tits! as a torch
is to the sheer an o7i(e or a waterway.
The in+ier the fate( soul! the more
: ben(! the more my miasmas see!
if mar+s the Thoron an( biofee(bac+
are a soli(=state sle( that was art
on the recto of a peptic bleat.
An( the aforesai( 1thulhu
is in a flourisher of an art
if the 2& of an enclose( lathe
leans ropes on echino(ermatous women.
-e is a bri'antine. The abusable
fla'ellation was sane6 tithe
one=thir( of Ericsson!
or his ire for the hate(
theretofore was a wizar(
polymathic forelimb!
in the coete( hee(lessness
of a pin! or cystitis. The &2T
tells us to no( at accelerators
that tilt re( in the fa(
for the thirty=secon( ,ei+i man
that was winnin'! thou'h he ma(e
'in that we ate! that we ou'ht to eat!
an( that was in that that was of the
wily Sutherlan(! ay. The orchi(
in the wen of the praline was the Via'ra
of her propa'an(ist. -ere! the tin'ly
on'oin' her( nee(e( to lae
the trouble=shooter that she ro(e
to 1rin'illa! for the +ale of -arriet
or Allison was the war( of the statue
that was towin' cows who ble(
that it was the septua'enarian.
She was as an 2& is an net! or a utopian
(ee( that was ,a(io National!
thou'h we thou'ht the pico bale
remin(e( us of a mor'ue for the Euro.
The mopy li'ht of our waist was a pit
that 'rew 2phelia?s tater! the ")
th
of which was Hor(an the be=all
an( the whereby tombli+e
$.
SSWFT 104
South=south=east Australias of you sit
in pee to reali'n ;::< an oeremphasise(
(int reme(iable! if one (affo(il
was stic+y an( col( caressin' the ol(
,ho(esian So=an(=so. &ornin's
-in+ler in Westhampton intermo(ulate(
;if rose=coloure( flora were there< a tiara
that cites heathen superstores? cues.
@lac+well was an ill=consi(ere( surf!
an( a (arin'ly ripply in'enuous Ee.
We ate +ale often an( toote( themes.
,eassure the thistle that Aenbi'hshire
officialness is a sorority of lumpen +naes.
So : ate Do with blithesome that went!
the @un( on the left! on the ri'ht the presi(ent 1hifley!
at han( an ol(ster ablution for thi'h=bones
that infuriate see( an( bu( an( se(ulous stiles!
it bein' ehement that a he(onist is u'ly
an( re(ly anew in the bri'antine.
: was in(olent! the +ale anthropomorphisin' us.
8ean your hea( to the hectic senilityC
if you win you hate( the ee6 urea in the sun!
he thou'ht! was to sociometry a toss
of the echino(ermatous cues for ham
that ble( si(ewar(s. -e an( cress burne(
in a tie the ree(?s pi'mentation in ones!
or 'in that tric+le(. The runt win(falls you thou'ht
were thieish were that that was an ass
in an inn6 the bum *en! &ister Drille! wen(e( a la(
he in(e7=lin+e( to the theme. : +new
Northern Territory?s attractieness in an oran'ery.
Wan( of :olanthe was what pumice( the strin'ency
of the coc+=up an( (oe! an( &oroni nee(e( tin.
So that was what was of that that he!
the raishe( t=shirt! pulle( out of the a(amantly
theorisin' theorist that was a'in'. The see
was what was torts! seismometers! an( pon(s
in the northin' tin. The SS were in be( thenceforwar(!
so was li'ht6 the recor(ist of the ataist
was classin' as len'thwise the room a'ain!
those that were ta''e( in me! the re( 2porto
of the 1arpathians. -e cut Thea(ora the eenest!
the houn(er thou'ht: tremen(ousness was a tint!
wimples were wholly thematic! the oran'ea(e
whis+ere( the calen(er contra spy puns
of an interstellar one! a tie from 1hilton that won
the in(i'enous Lo! nee(e( by the loss=lea(er?s result.
Techs? amps soun(e( all theorem of thieishness!
since the art that was is! so 'oes the tale theretofore!
the +eys of whose atheist parathion were inconsi(erable
$K
SSWFT 105
an( at once intellectually curse(!
if lithe away from soul=searchin'6
if he were in a labour=sain' 2n! an( if he crusa(e(
at the non=interchan'eable!
he was the call='irl of 1thulhu.
:n an a( by myself! accor(in' to the we(
Somalia! "#K lau'hin' 'ears mobbe( a wi'6
why! by tons the asinine were @achelors
of 8ars! whose thermoluminescence in the air
pinne( in a Guay the Thom whose imam
was +inaesthetic! an( (esere( the mass
tuts of the inous few.
The cert con'ressperson was hit. The tren(
of the non=crystalline sensory thin'amies
was semitransparent. The pro
an( the ancient fon(ant were what Thatcher
saw as (erie( heainess that aersion
shiel(e( with the woof of trash! the mu(
of transcontinental seamanship (a(s
bet by ohin' by an( by. :t was remiss
of the subtenant that woul( bob
in a soul=searchin' manner een if hate(
by the by. At Nome are withhel( tires!
the titillation of 2tis eatin' my father?s
torsional ho in an air=con(itione( tie.
The man?s heel intercommunicate(
its solicitousness to a man of the heart
of hulas! which is the cue for that that was insi(e!
an( which came to us as an epithet
on a rac+ of fires! or a chanticleer
of a tray of a li'ht lump of fate. -e
;1thulhu< sai( E2wL : came therefor
: was the realtorNs win! early in the fin(s
once in shorthan( re( an( unyiel(in'.F
An( Tha( nomme( an ant that they an( : sai(
was a wic+et='ate6 furthermore! :! the thematic
The The! was in the ancient -un?s be(pans.
Tosca for asthmatics was the biome(ical base( testis.
A southeaster tea ran an arpe''io
combe( with a wan Eratosthenes!
whose cou'h was a bi' tit
un(er an arch! an( whose cues
were the anus of the flashpoint.
*ale i(entification was the cues
at an owe( inn. A he7ameter!
which the &onon'ahela stemme(
in an ell or opossum! was
the life=threatenin' ree( that a punt
waers. An ?:? is anonymous.
$)
SSWFT 106
:f a theme in the cine is in the in!
an( the try was (ate(! the no(e
in the treatise that was in Bltimo
was a silly non'6 the ?me? is left:
you are the mess of the borou'h?s 'ent!
ri'htly. ?-e? is not @en at the :n(y!
not of the na''e( @in'hamton!
nor the ru' of an icosahe(ra!
but 1thulhu6 ?she? is the call='irl6
there are only the three tees in this (on!
who nee(e( a man of a ma(e tetro(e
or mournfulness. -er la( then! the ?he?
of the bees? ewe that was tomfoolery!
is 1thulhu. 2ntolo'y an( earthiness for
2rson?s (a(! her tellin' a lean
anti=establishment tale that ha(
an anaesthetist was the hen of Doe.
:t was my wont to want. Was a bee
the (eaf titI No6 the horsera(ish was.
3 %3% 5"46 ah! the Dree+ chitin : hire(
was the scone of 1thulhu.
&y i(entification of April?s cues
in the alp manuscript was (ea(ene( moss!
thou'h of aera'e material. : ma(e
a steeple petite for cows who! when
the lar'e 1helsea tot was we(!
was a Auarin'a bea(. Where Professor
2'ie at Al(rich reere( a man.
2n top of homes! the ore
of the cowle( li( was Tha(?s
fern teacher6 he was elate(
in lon'han( an( a ton
of :thacan maps6 the ton'
of an aera'e han( of the ma(
Wal(ron that was +ale! if he preene(!
was in at a lean=to whilst ores
of the tra'e(ian +ale were so in(ente(
the Thessaly of our try was lathere(
with hatre(. So trot to ma+e ma+eshift
the +ale. The *in' Tut has 8en!
that was only one withere( man
who nee(e( nuts so the ho
;whose ancient informatieness
was in the theatre< was a man
whose frien( rea( about stera(ians
in the a(s of masters of the mess!
each win(burne( by parasitolo'y.
&y tit was by Waterloo! my Fin'al!
so ahaL she( its inertase con while
scabrously eatin' the nee(e( era
$5
SSWFT 107
of the 2lin fee! if an( only if
you are a fa( of the tirin' &ay.
*eenly are Dalileo an( :bo a mess
an( a rill! so hallucinate
warmon'erin' 8ee(s! an( you will use
a nee(e( ore to ma+e Winnet+a
all the transubstantiate( ,?lyeh.
We peas! then! if rerecor(e(! are bees
in the -off?s 'ame of by the beau.
The leiathan is a se7pot. She was
the see terme( the hea(
of the outlyin' Preen! that the cons
taste( then in the theolo'y issuant
by the Aescartes of the spee( of li'ht
thistles! the anti(isestablishmentarianism
hastiest in this poem of +ale
'ran(iloGuent6 chic+en=liere(
inter(epen(ence hie(! thy way
was the cayman of the blee(in'=hearte(
man! the 'it who was an eel! of stealthy
themes. The owne( Guery
was ambitious of poop! an( it tore
the whew! an( tore the woof
bountiful. &y Bte was on a byre!
an( was honourable! thou'h :! a ho!
was clothe(. Are fumble( thimbles
intestateI That was Tha(. A timpanist
for all lasses? hea(s was &atthau?s
election promise. : cue( the hate(
maeric+ pioneer! an( as tea was
operatin' systems for the lean!
it wa+ens the oerenthusiastic!
puts the tit in a tie an( aC
whatNs=his=nameIC
me'a>oule of li'ht tones.
The thin'amabob?s or'asm
was ma(e of io(ate6 1thulhu
en(e( the beatable anew! that was!
we en(e( the re( oceanic wanness
to a parenteral hin(rance that was
the ne plus ultraiolent of Astor.
-e whee(le( his coc+ into @en!
that phonemic boy! an( thither
i(entification of his ho( was -e'elian!
re: the tin bolsterer! the Thulium malin'er
an( the teal ontolo'y was the role of 2meo
an( >ulienne fries. When we pre=rie!
Westmorlan( sits on Ashanti?s
whimsicalities by the by6 ma(!
my tun'sten ale ma(e ,ichter as pinne(
"#
SSWFT 108
a thine as was possible. So the so=an(=so?s
flair was a seasonal see(I Eatin'
is thy sainte( wee! we wa''e(! that pee6
thereafter the will of the what! or the eatin'
of my mai tai was that that was
the ironmon'ery on the hutche(!
so recirculate the meme an( polyurethane.
Thy Thai trims Winton?s mattress foully
an( into al(ers! so thy wit was a memo
if a cistern! at that that was free. : ache(!
sister it! early as the Alyssa : thiee( was ra(
in an'st! 'ore: seeI ,esin is a thermochemical
on the basis that that was incon'ruousness
off the sGuats of an o're?s ri'6 the stile
was a phenomenal bay. Waite! the mu(
was all fine. @arren cues! he ha( lain
eatin' it6 : was the arse of the 'luttonous
an( inelastic! assumin' that the omens
were cows who win twofol( tricolours!
while : was fon( of a theolo'ian we stye(
as a ewe. We lamely cou'he(! met the hare(
an( the main blitherin' fays in a resinli+e
&ary whose boar('ames are a hie
coterminously with the Won(ai. An ion
of aionics: horses tithe the youn' tint thinly!
the last that we saw in the in +ennels
in 1ooranbon'. &y bo( was pus!
then we pee( coura'e till the conceier
of the hosanna! &arathi! ate 2llie slowly
if cumbrously. -esperus hun'! 8atin
was (imly eatin' a nob.
The Elle of i(entification was the it tit
of the rips in Tallan'atta. &y themes
were my themes. : was hate( by @en!
that was! : was hate( early on6 watery
'rin(s ma(e the $4$ ai(es tie the Thai
to the Tha( in formate! he who was a roomy
con with an o7. So : fin( coos! myself.
2rlan(o ha( the wit to tortellini! the mass
of which was of the tit! the tit of &illicent?s
man: the promissory asp! that is! the asp ri(
of onion that he hate( while fon(
of the thermocouple?s hilt. 2f the tan'liest
@un(esta'! the ai(e was the ai(e with A:AS6
he wane( thou'h asteroi(al. &y! at a helmete(
ratin'! he ate my (a(! cite( a whore! peere(
at my enureses in SusGuehanna! amon'
the hi'h canes then! eatin' a bat! my faourite
oratin' 'la(iator! the -arin'ey inn?s tool
whose onslau'ht was my themesC1thulhu!
"$
SSWFT 109
call='irl! me! you. This was a (isin'enuous
in(e7 if the horse was of to threa( what that was!
at nether 8a+elan(s! 'ourman(s or the tic.
&y phosphate was an enthusiastic pessary.
Was that that wasI The fusspot?s (ic+ went thither
to un(o the est6 but what is the estI Why!
it is of oersimplification in the 2cci(ent
is a is the belly hasher. An( if the mi((le=of=the=roa(
was a lecher=eatin' foot! pee on Nanette?s hea(!
that top=leel coper of the Dospel ee!
whose bee was an anchorperson that was
clear=si'hte(! yet who pusillanimously
blabbe( sentences that were a tit6 an a(
that was. The emer'ence of the pon'
that was tin=han(e(ness of the Sty7 ha( (inte(
the loose( Aar(anelles! an(! as lint is not real!
of an aera'e Thessalonian that ate art.
Elute the in'enuousness of a (uc+?s Guaer
from our ibe! or from my line of restful
turns : pere( in a son' en'ulfin' it in oil!
master! into my sittin' @en(emeer6
see if : (on?tL
: wore my tie in an a( for a 'in -u'hie!
one who soothe( the palanGuin of Jo+o 2no!
one who tie( the palaeoanthropolo'ist
that was a hin( that hi( the tonic we abhor
while wool='atherin'. See 1ully! for the &offitt
was the inoffensie hen we ate for hi'h tea6
then a surface=to=air obituary was
spee(in' to the tins of a wan 1hichester!
but the win' of a tonic ai(e( the sac
channelle( a ta(. 2f a Jor+shireman
in her bun+! the blancher praline
that was throu'h! or of the icara'e hen
one oeremphasise( as a self=loa(in'
platinum! the call='irl relit a rial tot
in the way of the cues of the lean fathers
or the Eratosthenes. So bye! put my li'ht
in myself. As the arrowhea( an( &un'eranie!
blitherin' as they were! an( the 8ieutenant?s
trouble with ra(iochemistry in Winchester
were with us! if the retaliation of one
in buc+minsterfullerene was myself! :!
Easthampton ions that were bi((en!
ri'ht the hea(. 2f anonymity?s open=han(e(ness there!
that was a ewe?s Daelic=spea+in' ho! : foreshortene(
my white=collar ol( pal. Noisy 'enes matte( iri(esis
early! of an aera'e mat ma(e pest an( an airy chai
on the roa(. 2steoarthritis may say EWoof! &ar>oryLF
The tou'h that was the cou'h! an( who left
""
SSWFT 110
the the ma'netohy(ro(ynamical serif in Toulouse!
was anonymous: : was -on'! an( the cab tie
in an in'rain 'rain! re(olent
of its bran(in'Ns Winchester ethic in &:T eels.
The wassail that was was the wassail that was.
With much a(o! Won'! that e''hea( that was
a whaler! was an Alf that ire( the pee
of a isci( Anton! whose 'uarantors? a(enturousness
was a rectan'ular sGuatness. An( the mew
of the peasanthoo( was the brass re( that was of copper!
an( the rier of a mare was the trichloromethane see.
The Ju'oslaian palaeoanthropolo'ist
ha( Guote( the lay couscous. ,ecuperation
of the ca(aerous ban' ma(e pee a holy set
of toy cues6 the onion?s score was nil! yet the mess
of the nit steeplechase ma(e -eisenber'
uncertain that that was the nth of the 3
r(
!
that the postman was a heatwae! that Whitton
was best at bein' ir+some. :ntone! then!
the (ar+lin' theory that 1learwater
an( lon'itu(e were a racer or chess!
that we were an ibis if an( when that that was was.
That was an eaten man! the comestible
if the toa(stool was a fin! or themes.
*ale! that was peseta : woo! meant the in(e7
hate( the harestman whose inception
tee( the bray of the tyre?s art!
the Aristophanes of the close=mouthe( :ntelsat
of Atherton who reselecte( acacia!
as the chec+sum of an ow that a mere mere hate(
as the hen of inoluntarinesses! written
by charismatics whose beneolence
oerfee(s the cats. That was Ana Voo'!
whose moss the wee(s omit as that that was
Samantha ai(e( them as Weimar themes.
The sto('e! wryly loose( by the hate( a(man!
was as if the wassail was puttyin' the wo' set
by the &2T! whose $"4
th
people
are hyperentilation. An Anton is an a(.
For a millisecon(! swimwear an( the thole
were the thorou'h 1thulhu that was
(ancin' 8amba(as on the toe?s core6
the ai(e of the flame?s healthiness was the owe(!
an( ate >u>ubes of Ali @aba an( the thirty=fie Thieish
8och Ness &onsters. The 'as! eaten so as to see(!
ou'ht to hae been re'istere( in incontestable
forms enfranchise(! an( as the nth of a ply
men(eleium. The clue was the cler'y are cows.
"3
SSWFT 111
Who ma+es octahe(ral the itinerary that wasI
@ill6 from the wo+ an( all that was. 2nwar(s!
poun( the then 1thulhu! if once in pants!
thereupon in the matinee the sourly manatees
(iscern as ar'umentation both reasonable
an( seasonable. @ertram! 8ethe! the she=wolf
of Newcastle=un(er=8yme! was an uncle!
of Susse7 an( ourself. The American pet
was ma(e of buc+minsterfullerene.
So! Thessaly! the unfatherly -en(ri7!
was 1hablis! as the palaeo'rapher capsulate(
to 1lunes an( the SS. The Age ha( a stint
in the that that was shirty saprophytes.
Thelma?s anti(isestablishmentarianism
an( atheroscleroses were ba( whereer a Sten'el
;that was treble their nines on an inn that was billers<
tone( in Drecian resin the SS. So! in a tie!
the (in'y mess of a riboflain praline was my min(:
li'ht as hies intellectualism! or the a( whose ai(
thither is all mouth. So ill fathers cue cows who!
fa(in'! fin( thatNll be of man?s pai( a(s for Sheraton.
:f you (i( not (o
the imp that is Sherman
on a shin'le! the bee
will rule the Northern Territory 'houl
an( the Serbians? anthraces.
The li'ht was the harbourmasterNs!
if the perestroi+a of 1hesterton
was from insi(e
the Wisconsin interrelationships!
whose pleasurin' bi(!
that was un(one by meticulousness!
hit the +ale in the tin
by the set phone.
A lecher ate an aleatory ale!
of that that was an a(.
The wic+e(est of ei'ht
ate @ethany licorice
until inoperatieness
an( a soli( millipe(e!
the Te( that was that that was!
was lots of woof at @en.
The lathe in 8a=la=lan(
tri''ere( the ale!
as if in ain!
spicy!
aboeboar( an( for'ien6
but : hisse( at blabber
an( the arse!
"%
SSWFT 112
ties that were timpani
if the erre( ate.
EThisNll be all!F
1thulhu sai(!
Ean( an early wan la'er6
we ie that that was a BN poun(.
We pee if we win.
We are aprone( of early ees!
as our talisman hate( tea
if it happene( to be saturate(.
@u'le till the tofu
of a sot is of that that was
an ant with a tan!
for the written Telecom!
that that was that that was!
was a for'ien +ale
for the cats that were as ol(
as the cats that were as ol(
as the cats that were in it.
@ut that was Woolloomooloo.F
Firin' on re: sin'e( themes!
the anaesthetic thinne( once
in the (rome(ary Sou tin!
platinum an( oleomar'arine
that was the all that was the all
that was what Timboon was
for the SS an( myself.
Then seen Thessalonians
that were centimetres tall
rue( curs in Tran'ie.
The tan'ency of anthraces
an( osteopathias acte( li+e a bun
hate( by a 1ommunist.
Pete lease( multitu(inous Petes
as nee(e( by Pete?s beau
in the weather=boun( (ews
that pule about @e(ourie
an( the bureau of cows who!
if an( when the lean Aorothea
offers a cue!
thenceforth the monist
curse( the pran+ster
for his charitablenesses
an( for his frothiness
that was a once=oer win
from Whitsun(ay.
The Thatcherite this cues in a colliery
hate( amens an( cows who!
"4
SSWFT 113
the isthmus anaesthesiolo'y hac+e( early hitherto!
too+ to be( the i(entification they tone(
for his po'rom. 2ffaly utes were awfully cute.
The pa( that was at fallibleness in Btah
thou'ht aforethou'ht was the sha+e(own
of the anore7ia! the yo=yo banterer by Thom
who was outlan(ish! as the N'arrin(>eri men
hate( to aboun( aroun( her beau
in his man'iness! in my nee( for the ore wo'
was peri'ee was +ale. The The! the thousan(th
&eistersin'er! was strip=searchin' my babe
till the cha=cha was The 1hurch by threes: one!
that that was la was its telethon6 two! see E(ith fear
the >ump of the un(erachieers6 three! a cere( a(?s
peas ori'inate in the blon(ness that was.
So! tot profit there in that that was a(renal!
till the manumitte( ,ei+i went hey
at beriberi an( tea! an( she sai( the pane by Guarters
was superstitiousness! superstitiousness cruel
an( unusual! superstitiousness that was thus in the Twee(.
Aue to owin'! she fle( from the hate(6 he was
from 1untibanna Wells 5#"$# in a wee heat.
The in a'e was all of a weariness that was beach!
Folsom 8atherer. We woe an( ate a pineal nut!
in the at mana'ement (ioramas of the well=en(owe(
operatin' systems that were crusty while eatin'
the inherite( amon'st the mass=pro(ucin'.
Wherewith the animalcule floo(li'ht sha''e(
wit with 'oofiness an( blunt oersimplification
that teste( Satan?s trichloromethane. :t was an inn!
of what sa( Shute : shall not spea+ since $5"".
Fie Aoctors of Philolo'y! if a ta( thin! came
to un(o scares from the SS that hate( a cue( ant
that a bifurcate( church'oer neste( in a tool
that leere( at a boar(in'=house nut.
As the Whateley was ma'netohy(ro(ynamical!
the saliatin' army of -aral(s poun(e( art
till the left was left at a fen of +ale.
;What?s with all this shit about +aleI<
The Thames lin+e( that that was hairy an( cute too6
were 'ol( an( heptane cuttlefishes EichmannI
As mouth=waterin' as that was! Practice6
+ale an( art can rarefy the booty bribe?s whim!
an( +ale : +now is the all of tea!
een in an un(erspecification romantic
an( ,omantic. At ,aensthorpe! ale ma(e
by theoreticians was either in a tan stain!
or it nee(e( appreciatieness. The theist in the ari( sea!
he ate the AS1:: Thatcher in the croft?s i(entification
with Abelar(. @y threatenin' to ce(e! cats
".
SSWFT 114
an( the Fun( mana'ement?s cat an( ammunition win+
in an inn! a+in to an'er of the ale. A theoretician tore off
a hare for three pence. :ts cross=fertilization
was a lathe that was Winston! an( airy too.
:f an o7 cues my hea( corporeally in the sty!
fee( wires to praline subspecies! not to li'ht he7in'
the baser hosts hate( by myself. :t! the arietal cite!
use a(s6 so bye! within iconoclasms
that hit alle'oricalness with the win(?s pere'rination
amon' the sly turtle=(oes that are a machine=rea(able tine.
Thenceforth the tee( nullification of 'an'sterism
ma(e the housemartin of Bsher ornerinessNs na'!
the all=urn pure prime minister! that hate( a se(an
an( an assertion that to sew a Professor for the *orea
by the 8ieutenant was the arse. The li( chin+e( the 1hai!
Swahili: we are the fathea(! the oluminous procrastinatin' torch!
that hate( i(entification at the rate Te( ache(.
,einstitute to7ic themes. Na's blu('eonin' the serf
an( non=commisione( officemates
too+ the spectrophotometer! an( the turbofans
to the 1aballero. : tie my tie if it?s non=recoerable
on t6 but 1thulhu no(s if thali(omi(e miscommunicates!
is robe( if an arse! or a liar! is left at the assumption the fat
motor bon(a'e eatin' the stu( tie( by ties
will si'h that the N12 is in the in inn. :n a ho'!
the tote that was was the tote that was6 an(!
of win'sprea(! my chemise was my ban(e( sister.
,ecline( by the wron'=hea(e( thermoluminescence!
@u( felt the ire prepare the lean! if bubonic! polyether
that ate the thief eatin' the ascen(ancy of our S2S.
Pon(er the Papal paper that ate ,euters.
Ami( the tie(! by (int of the blasphemous!
the iffy Witherspoon fens saw action at a toll=bri('e.
The that that was plou'hin' a man in Woo(for(
was an oen eatin' art. That won the babyish eel
that was whitely blac+! whose bra''a(ocio you hear
before a ta( (ownscale( us of that that was spoofe(
by &athew Arnol( in antimony. A no( that was! a
Sterne core( by tai chi! the bu' calle( 'astroenteriti(es
for the si'herNs urea! an( come to the puniness
loose( by nonchalantness erifiable by my preious themes.
The close=mouthe( anore7ia of the caitiff
was the Ale7an(rian superstition father hate(
a frec+le past the ton?s liti'ant 'rammes! or pecan islan(s.
For niches! the eaten! if Guintessential! pee was apostate
an( ma'nanimous! per that that was the nee(e( a( ally.
A lon'horn prowle( the 1am in lines! on a thoracic
moonscape on san(y win's. Wanneroo?s hea( of the left
left arious thin's re: the mai( they ma(e pour
"K
SSWFT 115
operatin' systems of an asteroi( onto! whose a((en(um
early inaneness free(. That was a rent mural.
2&! nonetheless! was croc+ery that woul( fry one lye
in &aclean. Western Australia was an o(e that nee(e( li'ht.
Then! as if on cue! Thoreau! peelin' the nth coc+
of a na'! fe(6 the amphitheatre?s metalin'uistics
were the orotun( non=respon(ent that woul( win an 2&.
The wa( of the mopin' bystan(er went to wil( B'an(a
or barium cues spi(erin' the parasitolo'ist! Thelma
or 8ucy! the whiz in the loo whose hen! thy -offman
or Thatcher! 'roun( in 'rit at :n'ham in or(er to re'ister
the recourse of the +it that imprisone( peseta!
till the call='irl yelle( 'ross hues that were a percolator co(e
for falafel that ie for the fiery tithe of the han(rail
put in a (en of rile( me'awatts.
They mel( separatism
in Winc+elmann?s clearin'=house!
wor+man an( all! an( income ha( come
to see the bustar( whore re: the call='irl
she impersonally ma+e sa(! an( the me
in Tienanmen SGuare6 then! with bella(onna
an( @ella(onna in 1helsea!
the chic+en=an(=e'' rou'h usuriousness
ma(e a (un (in. The women in the in(ustry
;of this was that that was what was that was<
an( icy non=a(ministratie ants by the hate(
hats that censure( in a sly pon( nee(e( the thiamine
hauteur to fin( a li'ht en( in interestin' oral se76
that the call='irl ate me was nonsense in $5"$!
till the lion was an ancient hin'e. An(! soarin'
on a merry='o=roun(! my tea was wry!
an( hate( the Athens corte7. &y pee was paten
or a po(6 whateer. 2steoarthriti(es!
what ma(e my hi(e rosy! roun( the waist
of the hate(! was o(( in a ham. The turnaroun(
of 1ommunism?s win' meant the wren
was the anti'en of trichloromethane cows
who fire=storm thee a bit. @ut the tilt
of foresi'ht fulfille( Wheatstone an( the me
of a ocal Pancras. The Atherton an( Alpert altarpiece
by the eritably ma( was not a po( of haw
that the man who sinne( saw as cute.
So corro(e the mere to an( from the crepe6
that is the theme of EThe 1all='irl of 1thulhuF.
Fie erbal Donilles were once in that that was!
that was rice! that was an ass whose cues
early cows ;who master the onloo+er<
reasserte( as a hea( of crap. The en(e(
manuscript of a mon+?s toa(stool is! at best!
")
SSWFT 116
SS pterosaurs he ;in a bees suit eatin' a mare?s tit<
felt was as iffy as is :n(y?s belt! which was in art
hear( in &ay an( Whalen. A heath beset
by hemistitchic be(s that were ale! soma hi(.
That was pule( as a fien( hate(
by the mechanise( ai( to rin' it in as a cell!
whose ri'marole is inor(inate when the toure(
an( ase7ually thun(ere( 'ent meant the alp
was the arse of the Guay.
Early on! the tilth of celery was an early
mana'ement issue that was cue( to be tolerant
of art. Theolo'ians an( @ertha preferre(
a cent of ice from 2H an( an nth :olanthe
from the carboniferous star
whose naphthalene tie was a neuterer that yells
at al'ae early in the win. @eneolence
from a con'ressperson 'ies im to seamanship.
EAthens is fay!F sai( the profiterole of a whitewasher
who sat! han(s on an antonymous cliometrician!
Eif oily! puny.F Wipe the opponent at borscht.
Sten'er ate the i(entification of all the callisthenic
win'6 his acanthus was Dunther. ,a( that was.
ETie Thurman 2ffertory to the ol( oa+ tree!
for a tit of isin'lass is off the hoof of for'ieness!
thou'h art si(eline( @lanche! in ohLin' (Ocor of iron
that the fathers! chan'in' the scroun'e(
an( the sanctimonious foes of the see!
wa((e( with obliiousness wei'he( by &an ,ay?s
re'ister of cre(itworthiness finishin' ;::< hate(
if imperishable tuns of an early a( man at the pa(
of seals that ai( the mules+inner sheathin' the in>ure(!F
inGuire( ;in silence< No((y. :! an eleator nee (ressa'e!
ate +ale awa+e by the han'nails? sprea(sheet. :n the en(!
stowaways hi( corsets in the wallet. The masthea( no((e(
at the roof of the cues. The call='irl rie( the hec+
out of the alle'iant ant. 1thulhu be''e( the tee( A'ni
to foun( a ma(e clothesline in the icy he. @anish
Norwich of thiamine! too. 2& if the cur ;an( whence
that was the thirsty poun( of cur< is a roomful
of the that that was the $"th of the : that a ruttin'
Scouse ma(e as the arty a(s for @ollin'er then.
1e(e the son?s sty! the son?s sty that was the tenon
of conentionalism an( anti(isestablishmentarianism!
that was an 2rr that wanes ma( an( insectiorous.
Anteriores of (e=in(ustrialization!
ori'inally ha(!
in! if profit=ta+in' that was ohe(!
a hunter='atherer counter=reolutionary!
"5
SSWFT 117
lies the hewe( li'ht an(
the in'rate Aea( that was was that that was.
That was wan written. The militarisation
eatin' the : in an ancestor?s
mare rae( one=off at a toy &en(ooran
that the Press='an'! the wile( fair'roun( nu(e
1omman(er=in=1hief wel(e( with operatin'
systems of non=representational
pentathletes whose profiteer e+es
ri'ht=win'ers till they preinitialise6
of tu=whit wee( that was! we ha( rowin'=boat
an( a hin( line6 of a'e! myth!
scan low! out ma(e incomprehension
an( catharsis. 2nslow! 'o eatin' winy
2lefin! whereas eil(oer -ic+ (isses
neither ben( nor seriousness! the that that was
what that that was was.
As a cassowary! we heehee(!
if only as a polyisobutylene Pin'elly
eatin' an apolar wi'. As heathen(om!
that was the finic+inesses of the both of us!
in tools of the SS! we were the boine
at li'hts soulless as an anthill in a cae
ma( for Newcastle=un(er=8yme
an( for chlorofluorocarbons on a mo(!
whose histo'ram *en hate( hi'h
if the constitutional acculturation
tee( to the than+s'iin' sac.
So come to ions of a francophile spa
in the Tay! run by an e7 that was arouse(
by the mana'ement a'e of a manuscript
on the ra'! re: horticulture?s cues
for toffee anise! that sane tan'
leans towar( +ale an( the tenon that was
the Townsen( cur. She tees off
for hominess6 oer a mile she owe( the foamer
bytes at her tit! since the 1hichester taro was all
a *yancutta hit. &y operatin' systems
hire( at paper tea cues! she ma(e a 'i'
that we cue( to the Dol(en -in(! whose mescalins!
the countersi'nature of the ranee
of Demmolo'y that was le( here!
ere a (ia'nostician or war ce(e(
incommensurable san(y pants!
was that that she ate! that was
of &inlaton an( 2use! a tit! a tithin'
reen'er of airbrushes
for the oerenthusiastic pee( pens
of a fun(amentalist! eatin'!
in wholehearte(ness! a tit! that Tha(!
3#
SSWFT 118
that was la(en there with wares
throu'h my So BneGual Seas! use(
in an Ean(ale. -a! if at in an arse.
The liery islan(?s bran(er finishe(
her waists in the wane( awns
of an icosahe(ral >ournalism6
the 'roun( tea at the base that the arse
an( Puebec wooe( as Thom was
in the a(ze of cows who are hams6
onwar(! anchorpeople! an( tarantella
an( scoff at that that was another toss
we whale(. Pay the well=prepare(! the in.
An isle is anew! Ne'! whose le' we ate
with a tissue of (elusional menus.
The Atari of Tom?s cou'h was a wa( hate(
at the outset of 8ee(s? ban( of men
whose ornitholo'y the fusspots piece( for 1amilla!
for the pa( an( the leis of myself.
An icin' an! in a custom=ma(e incursion
of a tantric tomtom! a that that was hate(
in @ath! was torn li'htly in Ticon(ero'a
an( was really a ci'arette
intransi'ent in a 1hichester pope
that he that was sintere( to. AC! the a(!
the one=off car that the 2rtiz chant ma(e
arithmetical! was sly an( an i(!
an( the first thon' iper to see
an anthill on a prow an( the tat!
the encephalopathy of a nael='azin'
tie( theme that was (un in 8ichtenstein!
an( whose ache an( >ute in an ortho(o7 set
of in(ices! if the tall teGuila li'ht was on!
was ol(! an( lou(! an( ate the brother?s ties
in resowin' the bunte( buntin'!
an( the tutor of the win(in'=sheet
who was intereste( in the eatin' anthill.
:n a root! you may see Dallic stonemasons?
e7penses! but :llawarra?s tin tie : loose(
on an a'reer?s shirtsleee! while : was eatin'
can(i(ness ;if a spear?s win( was written
in a cler+ly fist6 if tons of the en(ies
went to 2ntario6 if the architect?s ores
went to a hospitalities appeal6 an( if bees
sinne( with >onGuil wine! an( ate any Dree+
at the 8ou'hborou'h holystone ships<!
so ren( as a ma( pon' the cues that pan
the 'orman(iser of the themes of that 2sborn
that ta''e( the then tepi( sin of the (a'
on the ancient harelip. The oerenthusiastic
miti'ate( the hate( 1ae sic+ of the mercantile
an( the anonymity that +naishly remin(e(
3$
SSWFT 119
the curriculum itae of Lo! : ate my alewies
who were eatin'! or ate off! anonymous li'ht
that sewe(! an( that was @lofel( in a blue rinse
in a bi( to beat the Nth nose athirst for a cac+le6
her sneezer ate those that ie( for her nose
then 'ot croupy li+e Honathan?s messy a(.
E&y triathlon is national!F she sai(! Ean( : hate
the horriblenesses of the mane
an( the that that was in father?s re(ial.
: loo+ li+e thy ali'nmentNs whewLF
The assistant! in that ee! rille(!
till the 1:A?s 2thello too+ the microolt
continents? thora7es till they were blan(.
E@ut if Thulium was the plenipotentiary
of an art therapist!F she sai(! E: i(eate
in an inn6 ahLF Then she hit Winston?s fur
that was tie( to a bou'h?s rin' if it
happene( to be &inchinNs :rin'
or self=containe(. She coul( not 'et a li'ht
at all from each by transcon(uctance!
an(! since : hate( chec+ers! in :es an ant
was we( to the i(entification
of the anti(isestablishmentarianism
at curious atomic supercon(uctors
on the secon( story of the +iln.
So the bibs! that were pals on the route
as the cecostomies sul+e(
about the Scaman(er?s se7=stare(!
atten(e( the office at the aci( melee
of a soli( Theosophy. :t was bol(
an( authentic. All the ,a>ahs were fon(
of anal se7! so! thereat! thereat that was the tit
of her hate( hat re(ouble( the hate( -eathcote.
As the winnin' et ha( written as thou'h &in?s
toes toe( in wearin' a sectary of Hulienne!
the win'e( ion of Southey?s macs ma(e Tait
the eaten wee+=lon' cloer6 she (i( not incarcerate
in police( Ac+erman. -e! this me! was a wain
torn so as to war( the len'thinesses
of the cleerest of all of the e7e'eses6
but since all hope of the aster was enforce(
by the wincher that left An'aston!
the tintype was (amme( into he7es
that ate each cent of WhitetailNs!
the mannishly written 8ee whose boun(s chime
an( see to cho+e the he(onist that was these
of -uan'. The hen ha( a (on' on the tor.
:f computerese was we( to the inesti'ator!
the call='irl woul( be iffy re: the cues
of Dantt6 if she no((e(! the whereabouts
3"
SSWFT 120
of the romp woul( 'ain the ace pot from Western Australia.
She 'roupe( the ill=consi(ere( thereun(er!
un(er a much=nee(e( see! an( the rin(?s sanctification
on the ley no((e( an( wooe(!
of the preious theft! a bronchial we('e
that was sly an( 2H. A mana'ement or orator
was the thorou'h (ye! if the atom was hi'h=octane.
:n Wheatlan(! in $5".! the menstrual (iscotheGue
Gueer was as thou'h choc+=full of a(s
for anti(isestablishmentarianism. Witherspoon
ate the mint that was the baby burne(
in the heae of Jo+o 2no! who was frien(less
if my For(?s sots were wool='atherin'. :ts icon
was li'ht an( trian'ular an( early! an( Nathan
hate( Whitefiel( as thou'h as if sic+
of An'uilla?s ase7uality. The a( for the Thessalonian
imitator was ma(e of thatchin' when Dhent!
ta''e( by the iewless as an e7pun'er
they claime( ate the &erseysi(e creme!
too+ Tin'ha?s niche( cues to A(elai(e! er!
to the enironmentalist wa7y with cues
for the 'la((ie that (ias machine='un!
shoul( they be at the multifarious seas.
The a( remin(e( her of the pi'hea(e(ness
of 1armarthen! so she hale( 'laciolo'y
as the op e( of the hin(! sure that the a(o
of the @u'atti an( the loose( hothea( put fins
to the thane. She was a heral( that li'htly
use( callisthenics! so that she coul( fire the SS
an( the en( barehan(e(. She was a laburnum.
The that that was of that that was
was electromechanical an( wary
of tra(escantia?s leashe( ser'eant!
so that the call='irl felt she ou'ht
to be that that was tre++e(!
the that that : withstoo( in Dreece
while eatin' the respon(s that the omitte(
(itherer she ate scissore( till the Tha(
(u' into a saron'. 1ushman an( &athis
were wrestlin'! but their filthinesses beat
the haes? ultra! an( their manes!
an( the ca( that sou'he( the pan=li'ht
labelle( as bea(e( nonchalantness.
: burne( ahas! : lit a hare! an( one chicanerNs
mousin' transforme( -are?s &ace(onian slyness
into the me that was a lean honorarium hate(
by the sum of ale. :n a hose the me'amouth shar+
won a (ate at the tofu?s li'ht. &other=of=pearl!
the hate( arse! was ma(e of my &i(lan(er ase.
Poor Te7 was the pricer of the coy! hesitatin'ly!
33
SSWFT 121
if a bit of a wimp of the loose(!
the hen that the Dree+ oere(ucate
on a mat. 1risis they calle( *atherine.
2ur manuscript! an( the incremental SS
aromatherapy at noon! was boun( by Alyssa
in the hi(eout of the aureole( fathers
that tore that that was butter on soup6 but the a(s
were on the nose with a theatrically
ma'netohy(ro(ynamical un(one co'!
the one that was in +nac+ere( &essina!
the one we blathere( he earne( when he rape(
the 1icely that the Tha( an( the 1lau(e leane(
oer the cull! no((in' at tea in Western Australia!
as we sat narrow=min(e( with their stolen
hesitant beef tee( to their wolfishness
;if only ties were rou'h an( nee(e(
for the rotifer that was Shia?s louse<.
Thenceforth! si'he( :! they were as :b.
-is cosmopolitanism of an automaton
be(ec+e( an( ate -ambleton?s a(
in homa'e of Dreece
an( the Tabitha Bniersity!
if at times as an otherworl(ly man
then as a fan achin'.
-er millisecon( was the sister
of the 'eare(:
all! men consumable! an( a bun'hole
whose osteoarthritis that was teethe(!
left a conne( :rish man!
fri'htful of alienation?s (u(!
the cur impe(er of an anore7ic
ray that a whey Hoanoich
ate all of! early. &y wham=the=pen
tou'h soap! the whole sole elle( toa(
that she! the call='irl! calle( a theme6
the ra''e( Dree+6 thy ra( cues
of the thalamus of Pons6
an( an open=mouthe( tit: they ten(e(
to cut the pseu(o=intellectual eatin'
the hot bo( that nee(e( a citation.
Sit! 8ieutenant! my anti=establishmentarian
in the thyme an( lean -eather!
for the (ay the sun
an( the in(ustrialisation of theism?s cat
sins in our pee=pit is the (ay
the can(i( beel fuc+s the Ju'oslaian!
an( is the (ay it will be a mere
microfilmer whose shift to sarcoma awes
that wuss a( an( all the best thirsty
anise ictims.
3%
SSWFT 122
Then the inoperatieness of an anthill!
an( the stitcher means
the Guasi=synchronous winsomeness
sees Faye Aunaway (one away
with belli'erence that : an'er heartren(in'ly.
Another of an aera'e ar+!
1richton the barn! was a well=pai( he=man6
@osie! an anonymous 'as
that e(itors 'aitere( with -ou(ini!
comprehensibly ma(e fa( care
all the mana'ement the mana'ement
left early in the ease of inconformity.
This thin' of the *orean that was
in a wa(e( mine ne'ate( a polly!
thy three hennas Promethean
of an ore of comfortableness
that ma( 8aunceston turne( shorewar(
by millimetres
an( halte(. She the hate( ton'ue=tie(
ritualistically! this salinity
that assente( ten Guarters
of enomous wins an( a wa(! if merite(!
that arose as -erriott?s mentor
to try the heron of i(eas
in a raucously eaten state!
as masochists ma(e us a fa(
won+y tan! (ea(! the (in'y
of Fal+lan( ,a(iocommunications
an( they ate the See an( his si(e=swipe
the tot sacrally normatie.
The Authorise( enison was the tote
that they allu(e( to! that was profoun(ness
in the ascension of Ho who was ri(
of whares? tits. :t was inter(isciplinary!
if a trifle rifte( if *en?s tie! that was lifeli+e too!
to an oran'=utan ma(e to halt the tie
in inter(enominational offices.
:t! Warrnambool! was that oran'=utan
with a sharp cuss whose air abi(es!
whelms to wee authorise( Peter &ourilyan!
that was of nee(e( e'etable ties an( 'in
of the win(! my hoon orbs an( whore
too+ as Tintal(ra. Ac+erman in! the foothol(
pra'matists burne( a meter! an( the torso
of a tie man. An Amerin(ian nee(e( cows
who Whelan?s 'oo(=for=nothin's
lure as a manuscript6 chronometers
are as if an ion was the tom
that was (rea(e( &oore.
34
SSWFT 123
She nee(e( the phenomenolo'ist
the le( copper ace on the beach!
whose 'ran(iloGuence animate(
the early Satur(ay that wante(
an emu whose electrophoresis
ha( not for'ien the hate( melee
whose antece(ence incline(
to a Pe+inese that puts a manta ray
that she ro(e! that was the antitheses
we ate an( that are counter=terrorism.
2H an( myself! a teratolo'y that was me!
were in(urate masthea(s
of the cometary statutory
from Tippecanoe?s anus. That was myself
in that that was an( that that was afoul
of her officemates hittin'
charitablenesses of a wailer?s antiresonance!
that that was an item of Waite?s
Amontilla(o cues. Ah!
the confi'uration of the Fin'al
8ieutenantL 2n whom! if thin
1oulthar(?s blemish an( atheroscleroses
ma(e a ewe?s ai( a forestlan(!
we woul( E8oL @et the win(owpane
ape that we wante(LF : was twenty=
fie if the ape7 of the SS
an( the BN were to the nth theme!
were eaten An(orra cuttlefish in the wintertime
thereabout! or an omen : li+ene( to a WEN
on an arch! to wit an icon
of the eatin' manuscript that is pointless!
or that that was the be all an( en( all of me.
: a(ore( the canon! thence anastomotic eyes!
whose wily soun(proofin' too+ ei'hty=three
of the Wichita call='irls. 2f them! the :1B thu'?s
shallowness was as if the co's are a slen(erest funeral.
The thorou'hfare an( the con of care(
operatin' systems too+ the cumbersomeness
of elephantiases that we left in bile.
Polyan(ry is callisthenic an( labourin' themes.
Abe! thereun(er the thirty=ninth that was wa((e(!
too+ the teeme( he pinne( in pee.
The 8ionel ferrousness! the anal! the rin'tone
of the pee( rin(! was a brotherly roa(
whose min( aerate( 8in the arse.
: lay ab>ect an( was mashes
that was (iscomfiture nee(e( by the Pemberton
: moone( as Athena! moneyma+in' per the ban(
flourishin' as ore in a (en. 8oL To antifreeze!
the 8eary see( an( the treat! a poun(
3.
SSWFT 124
of lily=white Men call='irls. The whalebone
was oerenthusiastic about the Amarillo
an( the (eity theme! that we set with the cues
of the bombar(ier an( the bloo(thirsty e(itors!
the outcome of whose ana'ram was blitheness.
2ne autocorrelation was the anus then!
so we confabulate( our coma early
in a (oe?s chocolate bo(ywash!
that self=motiate( poun( of ale
whose we('ies the weenier one was!
the Dates who sewe( the neon ner(.
Waite was pantomimic in the Seren'eti.
2n the roa(! the conertible amphitheatre
of @en! that was ma(e of a Phenomenolo'ist!
woul( wassail an( beat the rin'master
who en(e( in the Easthampton phaseouts!
whose printout : coste( as : coul( hate of on oa
come to ashes in sties of Wireman! the thic+ one!
the iffy inch! that prate( of the her( who ate
Southampton?s prairies an( the separation atoms
with wan airs! who woul(! : saw! be the that that was!
the that that was me in &ay! of that that was seein'
acrylate a(s at the san( of the Northampton winter.
Then the san( 1afes eatin' eatin' cows! who! whereupon
a sou 'a''e( the flairs of Theraa(a! were the inns
of the amorphously ei(er Dlen(ale! of that that was6
athirst per the thirsty
to 8ee(s? pee at the si(e of his arras that was! : was
of praline! the mo(ernist son' that tie( the bec+e( Tithe
in the lane of the pan @ute tol( ha( eaten the borou'h.
So! bewitche( by a millipe(e an( the mew of Amalie!
the en(s of the fi((lestic+ that was Earth! the tit
thou'h fe( awin'! he ate a (ulcimer eatin' my (rain!
the esti'e that was the estments of an'io'raphy
an( the hammy lar'e retiral of an eel. :t was sericultural!
this riboflain immeasurable of the +ale
-errin'ton ties to anti(isestablishmentarianism.
Wino 8es! the misun(erstoo(
in an in(e7 of the ,iiera!
was +ilowatts off in the Jellowhammer!
all of whose tea was thistles!
was a history whose substantial
li'ht iris was a si(e of the sun
who hun' my a(?s (i'ram6
athirst the boron bat
that ma(e my maw monitore(!
the ro( was so wanton that it
was that (ip Hethro bore.
3K
SSWFT 125
All my ten(initis was a hint
of the Sty7 in a loose(
an( in(isputable bony 'i'.
@aby! the bic+erin' mount!
an( the Sin'aporeans
put the >et that rent the outlyin' be(
of -arry an( the -en(ersons!
who we hate( li+e 2nslow
whose tithes were so ma(
1hurchill cut the (in
with little a(o sae the sobs
of the assistant shout!
whose hunter='atherer ci'arettes
were bou'ht by women
whose amicability was! if more in a tire!
such that an ionisin' Daul cue(!
an( was off on an impon(erable run
that was eyries a((e( to an atomic ore.
Tha((eus was the re'ister of the inn.
So ba(ly arose the tsar that Ee
of the li'ht was blitze( in the she(
that Tiroleans ice( off.
:f you ate monomers! the Thar'omin(ah!
that was the to7in they bet 1harlize Theron
was way off about! became a raye( mycolo'y
of 1thulhu?s mew! a coil that the -artfor(
samiz(at foun( comra(eliest
in the fairylan( that was the antinomy
of li'ht cubes! or saucepan
per the empanellin'
oer=the=counter mai(en ma(e irate.
EAt any rate!F the Professor thun(ere( on!
Eso cue the an'uish! an( the sin
of the thorou'h Bniersity 8ibrary.F
-e may hae trie( &ismoeNs breathalyse( ale
or &me Fletcher in her hotel
of $5#)! to bolster the toy Scully
whose collecte(ness that was in the eyries
of Falstaff! the stic+ybea+! the all
an( the one! the anthropo'enic ion!
the ano(yne sum at the preachin'
of the thermosettin' 8ieutenant
who was subcontinental! the antheme(
Fre(eric ,ain who was ten years ol(!
the &ao ren(ition of Wolfram?s ass!
the :olanthe nit! a! b! an( c.
Sutton was antithetic to the helicon if!
an( only if! he loose( one rotor! that he!
in his bi'hearte(ness! 'ae a lupin
to Athena whose poliomyeliti(es
3)
SSWFT 126
was a caitiff for a wistful mo(
whose furtherances were an :nca
on a tor. When the &aster was the sty!
the wa( was of the plantationNs!
an( they themseles were aromatherapy
for your loose( cues that ble(
Aaentry. An initial con
re: oran'ea(e ma(e me the most
Gua(rupe(al of (eans! the ma( one!
the : that all of my pee afflicte(
with a sclerotic tit.
The non=profit=ma+in' isceral foam!
that that was the Theraa(a incarceration
of the Number li'ht &an'le! was in tomo'raphy
one 2m6 the tithe of Aee?s 'an'!
or without that of the rou'h Wittenber' tat
of the brother?s brae
meant that the sustainin'
of tomorrow?s Dro+e
was one thermally tric+ster amoeba!
if the croo+e(est times of eatin'
a bucolic nest there!
an( the rehabilitation of the ties
of the tetro(e man who ate
folate &uire! an( whose bu'le
was owne( by the chainli+e oa+
whose en( the seren(ipitous 'ulf
tic+le( with all of its toes
that : tie( to a 'el(in'. :t was off
their in vitro esoteric @rownin'6
it was ital! by sea! to see who arose!
who coul( hoist the woman
usin' stoichiometry
an( ultraiolent li'ht that was in in+s
that are anticoa'ulant an( wanton.
With the no( of my father!
Wales? hi'h=han(e(ness to wits
was so fay Theron coul( sin'
a son' all tee( up if the (owa'er?s sil+
was ma+in' some fu('e6
written elan was a til(e
on the thic+ene( operatin' systems
of any ten(on of a whitewasher
that : ran. Therein! in an urn?s (in
an( amphitheatres! : owe( a lean!
wan hea(6 he was! or she was! a pheasant
if the tome of we owls
was an atheist prete7t
to warm white bitty
pieces of Ace. -eyL -ae you a7es
35
SSWFT 127
an atheist e(ite( for enhance( rams
per the SeeI See: : was the call='irl
that was the call='irl that : was.
========================================================================================================================
Funk from Yulefest [excerpt]
I. The Booker Prize
The placemat was (ar+ an( (usty an( half=lost
:n Tan'shans of ol( all=fours near the Guebrachos!
,ee+in' of stran'e thinners brou'ht in from the seabe(s!
An( with Gueer curlpapers of fo' si'nals that west win(cheaters tosse(.
4 Small lozen'e panel heatin'! obscure( by smo+ehouse an( frostwor+!
Hust shewe( the @oo+er Prizes! in pilfera'e li+e twiste( tree fellers!
,ottin' from floor mana'er to roof terraceC1on'o Free States
2f crumblin' el(er *onra( 8orenz at little ,omola 1ostantino.
: entere(! charme(! an( from a cobwebbe( hearse
$# Too+ up the nearest Tommy an( thumbe( it throu'h!
Tremblin' at curious wor(in's that seeme( to +eep
Some secretary='eneral! monstrous if one only +new.
Then! loo+in' for some sela'e ol( in craft union!
: coul( fin( no no=tilla'e but a oice part that lau'he(.
QQQQQ
II. Purveyance
: hel( the @oo+er Prize beneath my coat of arms! at painte( applemoths
To hi(e the thinner from Si'ismun( in such a placemat6
-urryin' throu'h the ancient har(bac+ *ein 8an'bies
With often=turnin' hea(boar( an( nerous paceway.
4 Aull! furtie win(ow seats in ol( totterin' bric+in'
Peere( at me o((ly as : hastene( by!
An( thin+in' what they sheltere(! : 'rew sic+
For a re(eemin' 'lister of clean blue s+y>ac+s.
No one ha( seen me ta+e the thinnerCbut still
$# A blan+ lau'hin'=stoc+ echoe( in my whirlin' hea(boar(!
An( : coul( 'uess what ni'hte( Worl( -ealth 2r'anisations of ill
8ur+e( in that oluntary euthenasia : ha( coete(.
The waybun' 'rew stran'eCthe :rin' Wallaces ali+e an( ma((in'C
An( far behin( me! unseen footballers were pa((in'.
========================================================================================================================
Alien Nation
-ow an alien thron'
to which he stru''les ainly to belon'.
-is fol+ an( frien(s are now an alien thron'
to which he stru''les ainly to belon'.
%#
SSWFT 128
&ote from the Dhooric zone!
When one still ni'ht across cure( space was thrown
that bec+onin' pipin' from common (ay.
-e wa+e( the same to him.
2b>ects aroun( float nebulous
an( worl(s remote from the oi(s behin(.
-e ha( seen Ja((ith! yet retaine( his min(!
an( nothin' since has loo+e( that mornin' as an ol(er man!
an( nothin' since has.
========================================================================================================================
Shunte( -en -ouse
-e was the ob>ect on whose realize( theme
(ie( with the instruments of my uncle.
8on'=win(e(! clear but unaccounte(. :t
was at times a (eath instrument! but my
(ecisions lur+e( powerfully in some
ima'ine( beyon( an( were shown towar(s
carin' for the morbi(ity lur+in'
in the sol(ier?s reality.
The soa+in'
with the morbi( brain was uttere( to
separate it from shimmerin' e7haustie
members! in afternoons which the brown count
of the enereal (ominant
presbyterian! or some such persons!
which we set in the el(er ma(ness! was
plain to the house! which was a pair of the
electronic ei'ht that! in a 'eneral
time! ha( +nown the schooner in this worl(! the
mol(! or! before my turn itself! only
the blin(in' si(e=rumor which neer hopes
to bins an( which is in the bac+woo(s of
ma(ness. -arris! only he whom he ha(
bro+en! ha( obtaine( lately a peace! an
e7pose( one so memorably hi(eous!
a starin' eil! be'un with the carboy!
the captain in contrast silhouettin'
a thin' of plaster! was reminiscent
of the cellar by ni'ht where the no7ious
Guality was focusse(. Then thou'hts or wrist!
the most terrible of which was surely
the stran'eness when French! an( attenuate(
meanwhile by smell of the locals. -is
sumptuousness was in the throat of a
whitish (eposit! unanimous in
Abi'ail! an( the la((er to his own
form. : hae let my uncle! an( in case
it seeme( half human an( Gueer==a ery
(eeper case is true! to lie isibly
%$
SSWFT 129
burie(. This sinister of the buil(in'6
the name is fairly sharp teeth! as was :
who burnt its master?s Narra'ansett
in(ian=pipes! which my uncle ha( soon
as street armory! antiGuate(
newspapers peelin'! an( which was then! but
: saw the newer scream when : seeme( sic+ish!
my shapelessness seemin' continue( wetly
beyon( another situation. The
Guality of the cellar of the ,oulets was allowe(
a French! chiefly (ischar'e( hea(. :t was no
sane! a(ult hea(! an( reminisce( up an(
unprece(ente(==a ery hea( in
which : +ept alie in the familiar
circumstance of the bro+en persons! stron'!
ol(=fashione(! to 'houlish! shimmerin'! an(
wormy! whose min( was 'reat! 'aine( from the attempt
on the morbi(! horrible in my
composition: the paper! filtere(! was
part of (esolation.
:t was if no
one mi'ht be certain win(ows! which were
abnormal for one so wholesome so far!
were souls! an( the win(ow aboe them! as
if hearin' thin's e7pecte( the seen in
the upreare( an( su((en 'ran(father! an(
: was a marble urn. Throu'h the shunne( house
coul( -arris? thou'ht outran+ an e7amine( section
bro+en! an( the (ee(s became sli'ht! as a
ni'htmare horror! a century a'o!
when the four profoun(ly saw the luminous
apor which : watche(6 : 'limpse( Ann?s (eath! an(
those there shapes. The more the chil(hoo( the more
the information.
The cru(e reaction
ha( no (oubt of what was trace( in what :
saw: the bo(ily with the 'oo(! the
terrible eo+e( at the yar(! (atin'
the Proi(ence 'ossip! which was not
prepon(ere(. : complaine( that the bric+ wall
ar'ue( at once! that it was (ecease( an(
shunne(6 how the li+eness of the le'en(ary
council or(er thirste( the same to us!
een me! an( yet not a taint after
that happene(: of the bizarre! he was rentin'
new homestea(s transferre( in a (efinite
year.
The earth burie( Ann! an( 'ae oice to
an accurately fille( electric torch
: ha( ma(e. With un+nowin'! she commence(
to (irect that rain=(rench which in that place
%"
SSWFT 130
was ?unluc+y!? but after a while my
moo(s isite( me! mutterin' to (ispel
my a(ult an( other uncanny
sharpnesses apt to at once! not as :
coul( say that time : yiel(e( its heart! be
the town. Bnpopularity 'lowin'!
: saw the lies thou'ht it certainly an(
unparticularly strai'htenin'!
shapelessly on the place white from her place!
which woul( later hae seen that which somethin'
was a (efinite year for interior
panes.
The fetor=sprea( alon' a person!
alon' the family uncoery
man of the cellar in bloo(! a partly
open! attracte( 'ar(en! people tell.
@ut as my sense haunts it. Jet thou'h utterly
fellow an( powerful! he ha( 'one an(
obsere( the -arris house! an(! freGuently
after the city! the salubrious
Guality of relatie influence.
The mustiness on the time! which my uncle
an( : (i( not rea(! the win(ow! an( the
en(! that most representatie of ei(ence
of pilasters! : hear( was in the si(ewal+!
which was (ispute( by my ne'lecte(
hole! who so often mi7e( to bite the cellar!
to the malo(orous Fre(eric+sbur'
in the stron'est roa(.
Such a su''estion.
As it entere( from ether alon' ol(
pictures! an(! unharme(! mi'ht sae me at
Fre(eric+sbur'! an anomaly
;an( that futile feer< was (efinitely
sharp. :t was not to lie openin' to
burn his unuttere( street! to unloc+ so
much continuous items in a few
months of a porous cellar +itchen. 2ne
coul( see the li+e surfaces were aera'e!
came to climb out its brou'ht yellow! from aryin'
simply a sharp e7tirpation of what
people tell! the mental fortunate eil6
clearness was there! sic+ness was what we ha(!
unmista+ably Gueer==an( all that 'aine(
the face came==Ann! which the shunne( house rea( from
her presence. :n my han(! the attic was
to ri(icule! an( : searche(6 : coul( (etect
the shunne( house==an( the mi'ht of an
insanitary 'as=mas+! an( opposable
(ie which our conflict playe( with in the North
%3
SSWFT 131
+inship. They (oetaile( li+e the (ust as :
emptie( no more wet penetrates. There! their
interior shutters a fortunate
sister! superstitious hills an( series
when thou'ht.
The other was from a pa'eant.
-e ha( be'an another actie ma(ness!
fitte( concernin' a relatie at
most an impossibility of rattlin'
li+e the two stormy trian'ular oices
which! shoul( (etestable (estruction follow!
the first a man of insanity woul(
form as thou'h an antiGuarian uncle?s
reality. For the le'en( (i( not
possess for itself the Gueer form of 'reat
numbers. They went. The war of the heay
care( smith! left! was porously the hill an(
feeble an in(ian=pipe! or so
infreGuent that times that most illo'ical
mass Guic+ly spit 1ranston Street to her
paraphernalia set in any
times6 : commence( (e(ications south in
its +illin'ly 'rowin'! an( (ormerless!
an( ri(iculous cellar +itchen! in
his parliament of the bro+en! 'oin'
to the soli( partly open=min(e(!
close to one thin'! an( inte'ral to (ata
while it rose as a woman of the
(etermine( newspapers! an( then==with a
crow( chewe( at this memory in there==the
fumes she hear( were self=presere( oer trael.
When the shunne( house?s tempestuous Poe
was in the laboratories! the
family was ine7plicably
apparent. ,ather! that mi'ht run alone!
form +inship within a thin fie years of
the house! open a pit! with one (reamable
@oston man that the ,oulets ha( tales of
iews about! as illo'ical as a
street. @ut fear of the thin'! of a mere
ascent of the city wall! was to (ate
a thin' abhorrent! with me matter. There!
in the 'lowin' we 'rew up the same des
deux mondes. For that : ha( a common street!
the cellar (ischar'e.
:t was no one of
a''ressie ma(ness of much that : ha(
allusion to in contrast to! an( a
pair of the abruptly up! half the ,oulets!
woul( Gueerly pale the 'raes? e7istence at
the same time : yiel(e( towar(s==: say==
%%
SSWFT 132
the house. Aoctor Hob lies by a((ition
of the riot which this material
was a purpose. Such fra'ments (ie(! that (im
blen( of calamity! an( he lie( by
the spo+en fanli'ht to my efforts==only
Throc+morton 'rew her 'ran(father. After!
she a'ree(ily 'rew to the rest of
the inhabite( worl(! an( then to this
case of the street=lamps outsi(e! or the future
with an unusually irreleant
Menas who ha( (ie(! an( was acant. -e
leape( at the time! only a buil(in' of
the abrupt rise insiste(! an allusion
of the house (espite what he ha( left
a>ar.
-er scientific contours in
the place beyon( &ercy Ae7ter! a certain
@enefit straw hat! was our e7planation
with one upon @enefit Street==this was
later! ric+ety stic+s! camphor on the
secon( : became translucency.
The
horror : ha( sou'ht of the le'islature
with its con(emne( form! 'ra(in' instruments
in relation to! too! aci( an( si7
feet sGuare! that the hy'ienic laws (eeme(
&aria ,obbins! of a col(! curious
o(or at the time : yiel(e( ;we foun(<!
closin' for the 'roun( the mol(y spot
before his father! nor ha( it anishe(!
an( oer. Securely penetratin'
the open house! it seeme( that they were
occasional lines in that house! abuttin'
(epositional senses which (i( not
use the floor! an( flui(s of many ha(
been promise( with hostility that was
still unaccounte(. :t was a (ream=picture
that we fou'ht towar(s the risin' fireplace
that became struc+ some twenty feet from Dreene!
an accountant. :t seeme( to rise (irectly
into a nebulous (octor.
Separatus tells of an'ry faces
that be'an at the place with its uncanny
-arris! with his blac+ene( part! which was a
feeble ray which : ha( (o''e( in the shunne(
house! an( : was 'la( of serants of the
bo(y with bloo(. Sometimes a (e'ree by
a sta+e was the mo(ern material
purpose. Such e7traa'ant an aersity
as it ha( to the four professions of
the French! an( yells of those nucleus of
%4
SSWFT 133
fun'us='rowin' persons in ,ehoboth!
was mainly a family. &ercy Ae7ter!
the familiar! ha( prece(e( to 'rass
an( the malo(orous panes of si'nificance
which put still=born (ata on the earth.
:n
somethin' : went. ,ather! : ha( been proe(
sanitary Guarters for a forehea(!
as he ha( not nearly arche( a little
ol( report on frownin' feer6 : hope
to say alone that the more potent of
the tree=roots was their ei(ence that 'rew
(immer! that too+ to leain' thin's in case
its uncanny realize(. &y uncle!
prosperous outsi(e! was a coarse table
en( that : felt bo(ily till
operations. As lai( out with a substance
who ha( turne( weather featuresGue! it is
sel(om absent. What : ha( was that possibility.
========================================================================================================================
The Statement of the 1rawlin' 1haos
Nyarlathotep....
We an( he ha( lau'hter of ol(!
a'ue of tram! an( tram=car
of Nyarlathotep. As in! or was!
an( of the Ehis throu'h more
autumn!F or the almost
only=sha(owe(. @e into
stran'e 'litterin' Nyarlathotep!
whereunto we screame(. We
were the bri('es with
(estruction that (are( to 'rass
the speechless. :! : was the same
Pharaoh that (are( open me!
so rest more! ye that 'aze( at
the floate( an( the a((e(!
as we messa'es of the eil
beyon( were of ;an( perhaps up<
the writhin' yellow : saw.
We were yet (reamily there!
blin(. To be of the file(!
remember! the stars an( sun.
A man! the one of many
companions on the sun!
be'an to fa(e an( say that
the 1rawlin' 1haos was of
his acua. The ?a? that was by
%.
SSWFT 134
an( ha( been the orte7
up in the (an'er that we
an( ciilisation saw where
the screen of unli'hte( stairs!
or a (ifferent moon
was 'hastly! li+e the faces
the paement 'ae in to
before crawlin' to a man.
:t was of a man! it was terrible
an( was of spectators
of the win(owless rest
that bec+one( to the hot. To be
at that blac+ness of the moor!
its mysteries more reoltin'
than those that lin'ere(
in a tower that they! the 'o(s!
left to a man! one only
inoluntary man of the prophesy!
was so slow that slowly leain'
the ol(! that ultimate repeat!
was somethin' scarce
which it ha( hear( of
in the oi( of the still
fellahin! an( him nameless
other than the wor( Emen!F
the men of the crow(s
an( a stran'e somethin' of places
more trac+less than most!
an( mostly electricity of the unierse
;that which is narrow of han(s
an( faces<.
That is not that he!
the man ta+en min(less an( who
was a Nyarlathotep on the ma+e.
The man was of men an( ha(
to but curse which it curse(. -e
was of autumn an( the men.
An( alteration of the rier was a
means to the en(less
an( to Nyarlathotep! a means to
the beyon( of the man!
to men. 2ne of it
was of the battlin' men
it was whispere( were foun(
of 'reen=litten 'lass! which :
an( another of ol( whispere(.
&y man was of thin's
of the hair! an( of abysses!
an( for those that! that season!
were Gueer an( twenty=seen.
%K
SSWFT 135
: behel( a frien( who was li+e
the rest an(! ra''e(! woul( forbi(
me were : the man an( the men!
an( it seeme( that : an( he were!
an( that : was it! the man of
the crumblin' cities
whirlin' in the crawlin' chaos.
: ac+nowle('e his line!
his reerberations abroa(!
an( : an( he! when we felt
of the men beneath!
sai( we can come in
;an( we (i(<. Neer
(i( snow(rifts see
us broo(in' (own
on snows an( ima'inin's
in monotonous (ays
that (rae us as we passe(
as each mi'ht! an( men
are from the people
of the chaos. As much
as : an( he were men
whose screame( (esire
was the subway to flic+er
our playe( 'uilt. An( Nyarlathotep
was power! an( we saw months
in his company as he burne(
us of men that : saw as
the notice( problem.
:nto such a man! : was on slen(er
fours in all the room with
the hot air of heaters in
a man! on man?s creation
of blac+ness an( bloc+s
which was only the bloo(
of the column! whose crimes
were columns up on the hill.
:t was on a small hill. :t ha(
men who went political!
an( we ;an( us< were they
of the unierse! as a man felt
the men in the tell. : was hoo(e(6
it was terrible to see. An( : was thin6
an( it was the man of the afrai(!
then! of a win( of win(s
that were stru''lin' with himself!
as he ruste( to a man those
that (i( not see the saw!
which was chill an( impellin'
%)
SSWFT 136
me an( thee! an( we came!
an( we ha( not ha( that!
an( throu'h us! the men
of the planet were rent
asun(er! an( were what
was once of all the worl(!
which horribly ha( han(s.
We ha( fallen about. 2nce!
the man behin( us!
which is me! coul( see
the howlin' cityCthe @eyon(C
aroun( an( upon which
we shu((ere( to lin'er.
The 1rawlin' 1haos an( :
ha( risen! an( stal+e(
our ea'erness! an( he was
of the men that are
the sentient! cho+in' (an'er!
of a li'ht that was sinister
an( blac+er than thin's
poun(in' in the mi(ni'ht
or the narrow waters
of the rier which
was mine an( his. an( the :
that was loo+e( at suc+e(
at my frien(
till an unsanctifie( en(
swept us to the si(e
where we were
before the social.
-e was hellish. -is horrible
an( muffle( protest was
the protest. Then the small
man was sic+ene( ami(st
us! an( was of our men!
who saw them as one
of the tenebrous that :
an( Nyarlathotep saw
un(er the shoc+in' s+y!
who brush the s+y. -e
went to a ma'nitu(e
wherein we wail
an( +new (istinctly
li+e li'hts! yet he was
me an( we were up!
an( in places where the screams
were into stiflin' blac+ness so
physical the moon was the one
thrown to flutes (own the (rain
%5
SSWFT 137
that was of the (rawn
an( the whirle(. An( the pale s+y
loo+e( at electricity
as it ha( neer at the solace
of the worl(! but a man
was of the worl(s!
with hea(s that the lan(
an( a rier! where the sli'ht
chaos was tension a'ain!
were out on an effort
to e7plore. An( Nyarlathotep
an( : were seasonsC
the seasons of men (elirious.
An( may : say we (rifte(!
buyin' its pipes! but pipin'
the : which to see! un(er
worl(s of chaos! was one
by an( away was thou'ht.
An( tell the : that a man
was the tol( man that
was tol( the sha(ows
were currents we were tol(
were with half of that
with that which was!
: beliee! hear( of an
impressie beatin'! an Eimposture!F
an( he split that sha(ow
an( ni'ht thou'h instruments
plo((e( throu'h spar+s an( 'o(sC
the man coul( out another.
: was palli( an( coolin'!
an( hear( where : was a(ise(
by my man that : loo+e(
at it to not be of the (itzy
or of the (izzy! an( : was on
an( was a tower of ni'htmare
when the si'htless an( : were
of a man ;when we were of men<
only as a man was of
inconceiable (izzy 'o(s
an( a pityin' past! that saw
us worrie( at the psycholo'yC
an( the rift that ha( ta+en
the man we sware was
that that the 'hosts
an( the out man saw was lone
when we went. :f the horrible
lau'he( an( the (ar+
was uttermost in this
scientific heat! for a secon(
4#
SSWFT 138
: wishe( the man was on
an ima'ine( curious instrument
on the walls that (are( (ance
alou( as the un+nown left!
an( as sores from the consciously
chaotic. With yet another man!
: ha( hear( the au(ient
an( the country of a man
on a 'rotesGue : ha( ma(e
aroun( the time of the screams
between the restless. A man
felt from snows my (rums!
the static as the chaos fell
into shrie+s in eil recall
that (are( a stran'er into
men! that was oiceless
an( afrai( of E'ypt. :
was (own when : hear(!
an( then the sense
of tramways an( another
anishe( into si'hts! but we
were why we were hot
reelations from aboe
hea(s (aemoniac! the men such
that we were of the wi(esprea(
that be'an an( came
as we lay in chambers.
We were into forces an( (irection!
as mi(ni'hts of the worl(!
an( Nyarlathotep an(
his e7hibitions were yet the chaos
that one feare( was the ma( city!
monstrous an( (ilapi(ate(!
that the anishe( by autumn
saw was a city! the sha(ow of which
we! my 'raeyar(! saw was
the fearsomely sha(owe(
an( : was sure : coul(
see that screen in formations
of a 'lass column when!
aw+war(ly! : an( only the steeples
were space or a swelle( man
that hinte( at the hinte(.
We were alie when we +nelt
presently! an( roc+s an( : shier
as the horizon of a ni'htmare
titanic to an( fro! comin'! not
on the ine7plicable feere( an( thin
Nyarlathotep! the one who ha(
columns in cities that! peerin'
4$
SSWFT 139
at the men who thin+
: spo+e of the 'ulf
from 'ar'oyles. We were others!
he an( me6 we were wee(=cho+e(
when we came as them spar+s
monstrous that run an( see
my others come in men.
: was the sai( for : was spheres
when in an( of the public
unima'inable on stairs
that the all=embracin' (epen( on!
an( : was swarthy as 'ulf
(ar+ene( by Time the (amp!
that (isappeare( an( 'limmere(
an( was rottin' a'ainst warnin's
about the power of the snow.
: shewe( that : am that natie.
: own unnumbere( Nyarlathoteps!
half=seen! that stoo(
in the form of one man
between almost the who
: was! of faces of centuries
aroun(! the : who sai(
the man mumble( eeryone
at sleep! the : who can saw
what most seeme( metal!
the : who was ery much in loe!
absur(ly not the : that was
an echo a'ainst the charnel
churnin' to an( fro of fame.
2f that :! : (o not see in
the rier the : they ;an( a man<
saw was the space of the tell6
: was (ar+ before we coul(
be before the Guierin'
Nyarlathotep! whose apprehension
from this swept men that whine
at us from of chaos! was less
than men not behin( us! an( we
went to them ;of the lin'ere(<
so that that soul with none
of us can entrance
my low! amazin'ly low! man
was a'ain an( a'ain
to not 'o an aeon a'o
oer that we ha( ha( with us.
An( we were with li'ht!
an( :! who saw the seGuence
that now screamin'ly plun'e(
into the chaos! the chaos of
4"
SSWFT 140
a Nyarlathotep! was its man!
an( the prophesie( (etestable
an( (eserte( 'o(s of the 'reen
corpses a'ainst prophecies let
loose! an( sent fri'htful
in the last city! an( : was my own
Nyarlathotep! an( he of me!
an( on stars its hours are 'one
throu'h an( : ma(e that the men
were the tremblin' men of that top!
the A=$ forms of phantasms
: +now are combinin' in(ee(
with a sputter that?s 'i'antic!
that sputter that a sic+ly man!
that : aroun( that metal!
fin( e7cee(in' (isGuietin'!
that : who recall the electric him!
which in fascination : reach out to!
lonely! to fin( he is the afrai(
Nyarlathotep! the hi(eous 'reenish
Nyarlathotep into it. :t was
blasphemous an( out of control!
seeme( to (isturb us!
an( monuments were with us!
an( we sciencesCof which! for which
: ha( NyarlathotepCwere for6
for : tell with 'reat 'race the
Nyarlatotep was the
Nyarlatotep was the men saw.
An( was no 'eneral oer us! an( up
an( out to (ar+ness col(er than
the silhouette we wise men
(umbly shrie+ at in the room!
as we always ha(! for none
of us! an( none of the streets
ha( forces in an alley
'li(in' oer (ea( waes we (isplace(
as spectators. :! with my own eyes!
will e7actly li+e towar( that that ha(
temples whilst chill. When rent!
: was the ni'ht in upheaal:
: ha( moon='litter an( was ma((enin'
about the worl(! in allurement
for hours of sensitie ruins!
the (estinations of which were
into it! his ultimate man
who neer came to moan.
The (immin' ha( shewn men
as Nyarlathotep! when he be'an6
43
SSWFT 141
: coul( not! of men! to him then
sGuatte( there an( then in
the thir(=class lan(s! which were wan
when
the ni'ht of (an'er! for a +nown
(irection
was on
an( from the lan(! an( in
a pale panic! blin(ly 'ran( : sin
at an( in
in the blac+ between
Nyarlathotep....
========================================================================================================================
To 1apture ,ecapture
An( half of trea(. :! or a boul(ers! le( what
hei'ht heath! where moss='rey path! the win(! a human
for any an( beneath. There! in monstrous!
the soun( in trace suc+e( (rops! those any iew
(ar+! the by no humpe( the from my up half=
woo(e( puzzlin' star upsprea(! ran+='rasse(! saw
aboe curious in any ast sphereL
Fear=toppe( a that before till : tree! norC
loome( shrie+e(Can( (own was fli'ht of from unseen
su((enly! strai'ht (ream=transient stairs! si(es
an( shrub! too alien=feature( 'ulfs! streams!
(isGuietin' way steps laa moul(! an(
bac+ nor to year ha( col(! spraye( primal manNs
me in steep s+y +new crumblin'! scale(! cluttere( moun(.
========================================================================================================================
Thirteen Ways of 8oo+in' at a &i=Do
:
Amon' twenty snowy mountains
The only moin' thin'
Were the bowels of the &i=Do.
::
: was of three min(s
8i+e a sho''oth
2n which there are three &i=Dos.
:::
The &i=Do whirle( in the star=win(
:t was a small part of the panto.
:V
4%
SSWFT 142
A man an( a (eep one
Are one.
A man an( a (eep one an( a &i=Do
Are one.
An( : can?t count.
V
: (o not +now which to prefer!
The beauty of incantations
2r the beauty of innuen(os!
The &i=Do tap=(ancin'
2r >ust after.
V:
Fartin' 'houls fille( the be(room
With classical 'as.
The sha(ow of the &i=Do
1rosse( it! to an( fro.
The 'houls
Trace( in the sha(ow
An in(ecipherable claw.
V::
2 thin men of Ar+ham!
Why (o you ima'ine shanta+sI
Ao you not see how the &i=Do
Wal+s aroun( the feet
2f the (eep ones about youI
V:::
: +now noble accents
An( el(ritch! inescapable rhythms6
@ut : +now! too!
That the &i=Do is inole(
:n what : +now.
:R
When the &i=Do flew out of si'ht!
:t mar+e( the e('e
2f one of many ma'ic circles.
R
At the si'ht of &i=Dos
Flyin' in a 'reen li'ht
Een the ma(men of Arabia
Woul( cry out sharply.
R:
-e ro(e oer ,ho(e :slan(
:n a ru'ose coach.
2nce! a fear pierce( him!
44
SSWFT 143
:n that he mistoo+
The sha(ow of his eGuipa'e
for &i=Dos.
R::
The rier is sGuamous.
The &i=Do must be flyin'.
R:::
:t was eenin' all afternoon.
:t was snowin'
An( it was 'oin' to snow.
The &i=Do sat
:n a waysi(e inn.
========================================================================================================================
8esbian Airector
They are rattlin' el(er si'ns in basement coens!
An( alon' the (in'y an'les of the street
: am aware of the (amp souls of cultists
Shoutin' (espon(ently at pan(imensional 'ates.
The ru'ose waes of fo' toss up on me
Twiste( fancies from the bottom of the barrel!
An( tear from a passer=by with a stuffe( shirt
An aimless 9Fta'nL9 that hoers in the air
An( anishes alon' the leel of my +nees.
========================================================================================================================
The 8oe Son' of H. Ab(ul Alhazre(
8et us 'o then! you an( :!
When ,?lyeh is sprea( out a'ainst the s+y
8i+e a sho''oth upon a table6
8et us 'o! throu'h certain :nnsmouth streets!
Suc+in' on our sweet
-umbu's bou'ht in cheap lolly=shops
An( seafoo( restaurants with cheap 'um=(rops:
Streets that follow li+e the te(ious Saint @ernar(
2f an inisible canar(
To lea( you to an oerwhelmin' trapezohe(ron...
2h! (o not as+! 9What is it! HessI9
8et us min( our own business.
:n the room the 'houls come an( 'o
&eepin' of E('ar Allan Poe.
The el(ritch fo' that rubs its han(s upon the win(ow=panes
The el(ritch fo' that rubs its buttoc+s on the win(ow=panes!
Stic+s its fin'ers into the ears of the eenin'!
4.
SSWFT 144
8in'ere( upon the fanes that stan( in (rains!
8et fall upon its bac+ the fun'i that flies from Ju''oth!
Slippe( by the 'raeyar(s! ma(e a su((en meep!
An( seein' that it was a soft -alloween ni'ht!
1urle( roun( about the shunne( house an( fell asleep.
An( in(ee( there will be time
For the el(ritch fo' that shimmies alon' the street
,ubbin' its buttoc+s on the win(ow=panes6
There will be time! there will be time
To cu((le a mi='o that cu((les the mi='os you cu((le6
There will be time to be sGuamous an( ru'ose!
An( time for all the wor+s an( (ays of 'hasts
That lift an( (rop a sho''oth on your nose6
Time for you an( time for Sam!
An( yet a hun(re( pin+ish (eep ones
For a hun(re( pec+ish (eep ones
,oun( for the parta+in' of toast an( spam.
:n the room the 'houls come an( 'o
&eepin' of E('ar Allan Poe.
For : hae +nown them all! +nown them (ance==
-ae +nown the (eep ones! pyrami(s an( boo+s!
: hae measure( out my life with el(ritch schnoo+s6
: +now the sGuamous i'noramus with a pair of famous pants
,u'ose from no iron ;the ironyL<
Bpon his ben(e( +neeL
: shoul( hae been a pair of truncate claws
Scuttlin' across the floors of pre(iluean seas.
: 'row 'rey... : 'row 'rey...
: shall wear my whis+ers most eery (ay.
Shall : wear my hair with >amI Shall : eat 'reen e''s an( hamI
Shall : wear wi(e flannel trousers! an( limp to some ashramI
: hae hear( the ol( ones pipin'! each to each.
: (o not thin+ they will pipe to me.
: hae seen them leanin' seawar(s on the 'raes
2f all meanin'! 'reasy within caes all blac+
For the lac+ of li'ht to play hopscotch in.
: (o not thin+ they will share their 'in.
We hae lin'ere( in the chambers of :rem
@y polyps flyin' by with trousers curiously brown
Till Whately?s whippoorwills will wa+e us an( we (rown.
4K
SSWFT 145
========================================================================================================================
1losin' the Win(ow
8et me +now. 8oo+! bu(! the @u( 8i'ht?s outthrown!
: loo+e( throu'h win(ows at the racin' trac+!
an( aast! me hearties! but @ach is bac+
towar(s my house of plaster. -is +nee?s stone.
An(! um! a rabbit eats woo(. -e?s alone
within the sha(ows. Now! white?s re(! no: blac+!
there was some missin' aspect. Arses lac+
the wheat that hasn?t pin'e(. @aby! it?s 'rown.
1hew me! chew me! say that you?ll chew me there!
but it wasn?t the sheep(o' that : shunne(!
because the beans 'ae me the win(y air
cast in the shape of sha(ows from beyon(.
An(! with the win(ow open! hea(s unrolle(
until : hear( re( rats the ma( mon+?s tol(.
4)
SSWFT 146
&ailcoms
The alriadi! Chroni!les K%
As for reisin' the papers! :?( (o so once : ha( time! motiation! an( a possible aenue for
publication. : am slowly! ery slowly preparin' a manuscript of papers on 8oecraft?s poetry! but
hae yet to sit (own an( arran'e anythin' re: 1AS or @rennan. :?ll see how : 'o after this year.
"#$er%orean &xhalations 3)
Than+ you for the s+etch s+etch of the con. : misse( your mailcoms....
'tar-(inds $:$
:t?s always a pleasure to rea( S re=rea( you when you write about poetry. : li+e what you
hae (one re'ar(in' ,E-?s poetry S erse! an( woul( loe to ta+e up stu(y of his poetry! as a
matter of course.
)ore *e+s from the "ome%ird $:4
Than+ you for the conention report. : appreciate( the photo'raphs! an( can only say that :
no lon'er hate pictures of myself! an( can tolerate my appearance! rather than (espise it. : say this
in part because : hae come to accept that : am only human! an( that if others hae a problem with
how : loo+ that?s their problem! not mine. Jou +now what : meanI
The (anderings of &l,-hestor K
:?m sure you?ll mana'e superbly in your new life. :f : may eer be of assistance! please as+6
if : may help by intro(ucin' you to some of my contacts! as+ also.
Cho.ing og /a0ette $"
:?e foun( that! rather than puttin' the effort into a lon'er prose piece! where such maps
woul( be useful! :?m more interestin' in wor+in' on lon'er erse pieces! such as erse noels!
etcetera. Nothin' :?e attempte(! thus far! woul( hae benefitte( from a map! tho.
45
SSWFT 147
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SSWFT 148
More News from the HOMEBIRD, Vol. 1, No. 6. Being published for the SSWFT apa by Sam Gafford,
624 Metacom Ave., Warren, R.I. 02885, USA email: lordshazam@yahoo.com February 2014 edition.
So here we are in 2014. I think I can say that this is going to be a very big year for William Hope Hodg-
son and also, hopefully, myself.
Scheduled to be released by March from Centipede Press is WILLIAM
HOPE HODGSON. This is a 900 (!) page hardcover containing an introduction
by editor S.T. Joshi, WHHs novel THE GHOST PIRATES and 21 short stories
including The Voice in the Night. I havent seen a table of contents so am
not sure exactly what the book will include but I am sure that it will be a great
addition to any library of weird fiction. My hope is that it will introduce many
more readers to WHH. (This was also originally scheduled to appear in January
so I hope that the schedule holds up.)
The book has a cover price of $60 but can be ordered with a discount
via Amazon.

Also coming out later this year will be WILLIAM HOPE HODGSON:
VOICES FROM THE BORDERLAND from Hippocampus Press. This is a
collection of many of the most important criticism and articles written about
Hodgson. It includes some of the classic articles as well as new ones commis-
sioned especially for this book.
I was honored to be co-editor of this book along with S.T. Joshi and
Massimo Berrutti. This book has been a long time coming. Many years ago, I
want to say around 2005, I was contacted by Massimo and asked to contribute
to this new collection. I was happy to do so but then the project hit some snags
and got bogged down until S.T. Joshi stepped in. With his help, the collection
was finished and, I am happy to report, I just received the proofs for it yesterday (2/1/14). Although I cant give a
publication date, I assume that the sooner I return the proofs the better so I will likely be working on nothing else
this week.
Happily, I can provide the table of contents for this collection:

Contents
Introduction
by Sam Gafford
I. Some Studies of Hodgson's Life and Early Reception
Houdini v. Hodgson: The Blackburn Challenge
Sam Gafford
William Hope Hodgson: In His Own Day
A. Langley Searles
Pioneering Essays

II. Some Special Topics
William Hope Hodgson
Brian Stableford
The Dark Mythos of the Sea: William Hope Hodgsons Transformationof Maritime Legends
Emily Alder
Things in the Weeds: The Supernatural in Hodgsons Short Stories
S. T. Joshi
Against the Abyss: Carnacki the Ghost-Finder
Mark Valentine
William Hope Hodgson in the Underworld: Mythic Aspects of the Novels
Phillip A. Ellis
Decay and Disease in the Fiction of William Hope Hodgson
Sam Gafford
Hodgsons Women
Sam Gafford

III. Studies of Individual Tales
Things Invisible: Human and Ab-Human in Two of Hodgsons Carnacki Stories
Leigh Blackmore
Sexual Symbolism in W. H. Hodgson
Sid Birchby
The Wonder Unlimited The Tales of Captain Gault
Mark Valentine
The House on the Borderland: On Humanity and Love
Henrik Harksen

IV. Comparative Studies
Time Machines Go Both Ways: Past and Future in H. G. Wells and W. H. Hodgson
Andy Sawyer
The Long Apocalypse: The Experimental Eschatologies of H. G. Wells and William Hope
Hodgson
Brett Davidson
Shadow out of Hodgson
John D. Haefele
Robert H. Barlows A Memory in William Hope Hodgsons The Night Land

William Hope Hodgson: A Bibliography
S. T. Joshi and Sam Gafford, with Mike Ashley
I. Works by Hodgson in English
A. Books and Pamphlets
B. Contributions to Books and Periodicals
C. Media Adaptations
II. Hodgson in Translation
III. Works about Hodgson
A. Bibliographies
B. Books about Hodgson
C. Dictionary and Encyclopedia Articles
D. Criticism in Books or Periodicals
E. Academic Papers
F. Book Reviews
Indexes
A. Names
B. Works by Hodgson
C. Periodicals

SSWFT 150
As you can see, this is quite the substantial collection. To my knowledge, the only other collection of
Hodgson criticism was WILLIAM HOPE HODGSON: VOYAGES AND VISIONS published by Ian Bell in 1987.
My hope for this book is that it will inspire more critics to write about Hodgson and help spread the word. I am
also very thrilled to finally see the bibliography that Ive worked on for over a decade with Joshi finally seeing
print. Originally it was going to be published by Necronomicon Press but that didnt work out before they started
to have some problems. This has been a lot of work to put together and the lions share has been done by S.T.
Joshi so he deserves a great deal of praise.
Of course, last year saw the first issue of SAR-
GASSO which sold out its limited run (but is available in
kindle form via Amazon) and we are anticipating the sec-
ond issue coming out in November of 2014. The contents
are still being compiled so I cant give a listing of them
just yet but will do so when possible.
Last December saw the publication of CAR-
NACKI: THE NEW ADVENTURES which collected a
dozen new stories about Hodgsons infamous ghost-
finder. Response has been very good so far and I am
considering possibly doing another volume next year.
Authors included Robert M. Price, Jim Beard, Josh Rey-
nolds, William Meikle and many others. It is currently
available on Amazon in both paperback and kindle for-
mats.
Coming later this year is a new edition of the
original CARNACKI stories (all 9) including a new intro-
duction by myself which covers the stories, their history,
their influence and resolves once and for all the question
about the authorship of The Hog. I hope to have this
out by next month and am currently checking the page
proofs. Weve used the original publication of the stories
(from the 1913 edition) for the first 6 stories and first pub-
lication of the other 3. Therefore, I contend that this is the
authoritative edition.
Earlier this year, Centipede Press published their
new issue of WEIRD FICTION REVIEW in which I was
very proud to have a new article appear. It was HPL &
WHH: SHIPS IN THE NIGHT and, as its now ap-
peared, I think its ok to present it here.

HPL & WHH: Ships in the Night
By Sam Gafford

H. P. Lovecraft came close to never discovering the work of William Hope Hodgson at
all. Had that happened, it is possible that none of us would be reading Hodgson today.
Hodgson died during the final months of World War I. He had been serving in the
Royal Artillery Corps of the British Army when he and a fellow office volunteered to man a
dangerous Forward Observation Post. On April 18, 1918, they suffered a direct hit from a Ger-
man mortar shell and were essentially blown to bits. There was literally nothing left of them to
bury.
The bulk of Hodgsons major fiction had already been published by 1913 including his
four novels (The House on the Borderland, The Night Land, The Ghost Pirates and The Boats
of the Glen Carrig), his Carnacki stories (first collected in 1913), and his most important short
SSWFT 151
stories such as The Voice in the Night and The Derelict. Hodgson did not set any sales re-
cords with his books. This has been shown by Hodgsons unofficial biographer, Sam Mosko-
witz who has detailed in his various introductions to the Hodgson collections he edited for Don-
ald M. Grant books that Hodgson was disappointed with his low sales. Indeed, the bulk of
Hodgsons works would not even be published in America until after Lovecrafts own death in
1937.
Shortly after Hodgsons death, his widow managed to arrange reprints of his works in a
cheap edition from publisher Holden & Hardingham in 1921. After that point, Hodgson was
fading into obscurity and was known only to a few true aficionados of weird fiction.
Lovecraft, at first, was not one of them.
1921 was also a momentous year for Lovecraft. In that year, Lovecrafts mother died
and he met the woman who would later become his wife, Sonia Greene. Although Lovecraft
had been reading such English writers as Algernon Blackwood, Lord Dunsany and Arthur Ma-
chen, Hodgson managed to escape Lovecrafts notice throughout the bulk of his writing career.
It would not be until 1933 when the long overdue introduction would come by way of
Lovecrafts friend, H. C. Koenig:

Herman C. Koenig (1893-1959) was, like Searight, well beyond his teen years
when he wrote to Lovecraft in the fall of 1933. An employee of the Electrical Testing
Laboratories in New York City, Koenig had an impressive private collection of rare
books, and he had asked Lovecraft about the Necronomicon and how it could be pro-
cured. Lovecraft, disillusioning Koenig about the reality of the volume, nevertheless
continued to stay in touch with him, and Koenig would lend him a significant number of
weird books that would affect Lovecraft strongly over the next several years. (IAP2, p
868)

Koenig had been collecting books for several years as well as being an avid reader of
pulp magazines. In an affectionate memoir of Koenig, written by his son-in-law Gene Bi-
ancheri, Koenig is described:

As a true book lover and collector, HCK never sold one of his books, but he readily
shared them with others. If he had an extra book and wanted one from another collec-
tion, he offered an exchange. He deeply respected the value and power of the printed
word. HCK frequently protested the growing commercialization among fantasy readers
and collectors, where books would be bought and sold at ridiculously inflated prices.
Rarely, he wrote, did he buy books from fellow fans. (HCK, p 6)

Later, Koenig would become a regular member of the New York City Kalem Club
whose members included Frank Belknap Long, Rheinhart Kleiner, Samuel Loveman and vari-
ous others. The club had been named by Lovecraft because all of the informal members had
last names beginning with K, L or M. On one occasion, in 1935, Koenig gave Love-
craft, Long and Robert Barlow a tour through his workplace:

This is a fascinating place, with all sorts of bizarre devices (suggesting space-rockets,
bathyspheres, atomic projectors, and every kind of scientifictional standby) for gauging
SSWFT 152
the safety and durability of various house-hold electrical applianceslamps, cords,
plugs, refrigerators, flatirons, heaters, etc. etc. As a climax to this exhibition, Koenig
gave us a demonstration of artificial lightning caused by the passage through the air
betwixt two metallic polesof a current of tremendously high voltage. (SLV, p 91-92)

Koenig and Lovecraft would remain good friends and correspondents until Lovecrafts
death in 1937 which affected me [Koenig] almost as much as the death of a member of my
own family. (HCK, p 8) Koenig had been a fan of Hodgsons work since discovering A
Voice in the Night in the 1931 anthology, They Walk Again. Determined to learn more about
this mysterious author, Koenig contacted book dealers in the UK. They were able to provide
several of Hodgsons books which were, by then, out of print. For over twenty years, HCK
circulated his collection of Hodgsons books all over the country. (HCK, p 10)
One of those friends that Koenig lent these books to was H. P. Lovecraft.
It appears that Koenig loaned Lovecraft his collection of Hodgsons books sometime in
1934. In a letter to F. Lee Baldwin dated August 21, 1934, Lovecraft states:

"Recently Ive discovered -- through some books lent by Koenig -- a weird author I
never appreciated before, but who really deserves (despite some obvious weak points) to
rank among the titans of his class. I refer to one William Hope Hodgson & his three vol-
umes "The Boats of the Glen Carrig" (1907), "The House on the Borderland" (1908) &
"The Ghost Pirates" (1909). His later book "Carnacki the Ghost Finder" -- which I had
read before -- is vastly inferior." (FLB)

This is an interesting statement as it indicates that Lovecraft had read Carnacki before
and, finding it lacking, did not read any further Hodgson. In an October 3
rd
, 1934, letter to Au-
gust Derleth, Lovecraft confirms this earlier reading and appears to be willing to re-evaluate his
low opinion:

"I read Carnacki in De Land & didnt think much of it, but since Ive read the others I
believe Id like to take a look at it again to see if by any chance I did it injustice." (ES,
p656)

The phrase De Land is a reference to the town in which Lovecrafts friend, Robert H.
Barlow, lived in Florida. So it is likely that this refers to Lovecrafts visit there in the summer
of 1934. Although we have no evidence of this, it is likely that Barlow had a copy of Carnacki
in his own library and Lovecraft read it during his visit.
Given Lovecrafts less than favorable reaction to Carnacki, it appears that he ap-
proached the novels loaned by Koenig with some hesitation. In a letter to Barlow, dated August
14, 1934, Lovecraft states:

"Well -- Ive gotten around at last to the William Hope Hodgson books, & am very
pleasantly disappointed. "The Boats of the Glen Carrig" is really magnificent except for
a slight letdown & petering out (adventure & romance gaining the ascendancy) in the
last quarter. It concerns the survivors of a wrecked ship & the strange unknown realms
of horror to which they drift in small boats. In most cases these horrors are only vaguely
SSWFT 153
adumbrated & subtly manifested -- in a way strongly suggesting Blackwoods
"Willows". Clearly, "Carnacki" was no real test of Hodgson -- & I fancy that good old
Canevins praise must have been based on a perusal of the other items. Im now reading
"The House on the Borderland" -- & it looks as if it were going to be great. The boy has
atmosphere -- & his characters react to abnormal phenomena in the right way. If you
like, Ill sub-sub lend (they belong to Koenig & come to me from Klarkash-Ton) you
these volumes. Theyre certainly worth reading -- & I believe Hodgson really ought to
go into my supernatural horror article. The one main fault about the Glen Carrig is the
sort of pseudo-archaic 18th century English employed. Actually, it is not the English of
the 18th century at all -- being stilted & romantic, & full of expressions out of keeping
with the period. This novel was published in 1907 -- seven years before "Carnacki", if I
recall aright. The one Im now reading is dated 1908, & deals with phenomena in a fear-
somely situated & evilly regarded house on the edge of a sinister chasm in the west of
Ireland . The third book -- "The Ghost Pirates" -- has an ominous frontispiece by Sime
which youd enjoy." (OFF, pgs 163-164)

As Lovecraft had qualified Algernon Blackwoods story, The Willows, as the
greatest horror-tale ever written (SLIII, p 174), he is giving Hodgson high praise in his com-
parison here. Given the information in the letter, it appears that Lovecraft read The Boats of the
Glen Carrig (1907) first and then moved onto The House on the Borderland (1908). Also sig-
nificant is that the books had come to Lovecraft from Koenig through Clark Ashton Smith (who
would later pen his own views on Hodgson in the article In Appreciation of William Hope
Hodgson) and may have sent them onto August Derleth after he finished reading them.
The effect on Lovecraft seems to have been immediate and powerful. In a letter to E.
Hoffman Price dated Aug. 31, 1934, Lovecraft says:

Im still reveling in the discovery of William Hope Hodgsonwhich, as I told you, I
owe to the always-accommodating Koenig. (SLV, p 26)

Lovecraft has more to say in a letter to Clark Ashton Smith dated Sept. 30, 1934:

Wellas you see, I surely have become a premier Hodgson fan! Do you know
anything about W.H.H. and his career? Koenig tells me he was killed in the war. All
told, I believe that nobody but Blackwood can equal or surpass him in capturing the ex-
act shades of the cosmic horror mood in all their actual details. But he was uneven
again like Blackwood. Carnacki is very weak, artificial, and stereotypical as a whole
despite the strong points which you justly point outand the Glen Carrig certainly suf-
fered a letdown halfway through. As soon as the castaways have dwelt on the island
long enough to become tangible realities employing obvious siege strategy, something
of the storys original tension and sense of malign expectancy is lost. Alsothe attempt
to use 18
th
century English rings absurdly false to any sincere devotee of the 18
th
cen-
tury. I agree about The Ghost Piratesand what a wealth of technical sea lore it con-
tains! I wonder if Hodgson was ever a sailor? But the masterpiece, so far as I can see,
is The House on the Borderland. Boythat dim, brooding air of menace! And that stu-
pefying cosmic sweep! I am all on edge to read The Night Land . . . (SLV, p 41)
SSWFT 154

So we can state that Lovecraft read Hodgsons novels in the following order: The Boats
of the Glen Carrig (1907), The House on the Borderland (1908), The Ghost Pirates (1909)
and, finally, The Night Land (1912). Not surprisingly, Lovecraft read the novels in the order in
which they were published not, as I have previously established in my article (Writing Back-
wards: The Novels of William Hope Hodgson), in the order in which they were written which
neither Lovecraft nor Koenig could have been aware of at this time. Lovecrafts evaluation of
Hodgson had changed so much that, in an unprecedented move, he decides to include Hodgson
in his ground-breaking essay, Supernatural Horror in Literature.
Originally published in The Recluse in 1927, Lovecraft had revised and expanded the
essay for publication in the amateur magazine, The Fantasy Fan. Unfortunately, the essay was
published in segments and the magazine folded before the revised section containing Hodgson
could be printed. Lovecraft later revised this section into a separate article on Hodgson entitled,
The Weird Work of William Hope Hodgson which saw print in the June, 1944, issue of
Koenigs own amateur magazine, The Reader and Collector. That issue was devoted entirely to
Hodgson with articles by Lovecraft, Clark Ashton Smith, August Derleth, Ellery Queen and
others.
The article, as printed in 1944, is slightly longer than the Hodgson section of Supernatu-
ral Horror in Literature and worth reading on its own. In the opening, Lovecraft provides a
deft summation of Hodgsons strengths, and weaknesses, as an author:

Mr. H. C. Koenig has conferred a great service on American fandom by calling atten-
tion to the remarkable work of an author relatively unknown in this country, yet actually
forming one of the few who have captured the elusive inmost essence of the
weird. Among connoisseurs of fantasy fiction William Hope Hodgson deserves a high
and permanent rank; for, triumphant over a sadly uneven stylistic quality, he now and
then equals the best masters in this vague suggestions of lurking worlds and beings be-
hind the ordinary surface of life.
Despite a tendency towards conventionally sentimental conceptions of the universe and
of mans relation to it and to his fellows, Mr. Hodgson is perhaps second only to Alger-
non Blackwood in his serious treatment of unreality. Few can equal him in adumbrating
the nearness of nameless forces and monstrous besieging entities through casual hints
and significant details, or in conveying feelings of the spectral and the abnormal in con-
nection with regions or buildings. (R&C, p 5)
The reviews of the first three novels are essentially the same as in Supernatural Horror
in Literature but the section on The Night Land is longer and more detailed here and merits re-
printing:

The Night Land (1912)is a long-extended (538pp) tale of the earths infinitely remote
futurebillions of billions of years ahead, after the death of the sun. It is told in a
rather clumsy fashion, as the dreams of a man in the seventeenth century, whose mind
merges with its own future incarnation; and is seriously marred by painful verboseness,
repetitiousness, artificial and nauseously sticky romantic sentimentality, and an attempt
at archaic language even more grotesque and absurd than that in Glen Carrig.
Allowing for all its faults, it is yet one of the most potent pieces of macabre imagination
SSWFT 155
every written, and is said to have been the authors favorite among his works. The pic-
ture of a night-black, dead planet, with the remains of the human race concentrated in a
stupendously vase metal pyramid and besieged by monstrous, hybrid, and altogether
unknown forces of the darkness, is something that no reader can ever forget. Shapes
and entities of an altogether non-human and inconceivable sortthe prowlers of the
black, man-forsaken, and unexplored world outside the pyramidare suggested and
partly described with ineffable potency; whilst the night-bound landscape with its
chasms and slopes and the dying volcanism takes on an almost sentient terror beneath
the authors touch.
Midway in the book the central figure ventures outside the pyramid on a quest through
death-haunted realms untrod by man for millions of yearsand in his slow, minutely
described, day-by-day progress over unthinkable leagues of immemorial blackness there
is a sense of cosmic alienage, breathless mystery, and terrified expectancy unrivalled in
the whole range of literature. The last quarter of the book drags woefully, but fails to
spoil the tremendous power of the whole. (R&C, p 6)
Sadly, the proposed re-reading of Carnacki did not do much to change Lovecrafts
original evaluation. Lovecrafts view of the book states that in quality it falls conspicuously
below the level of the other books. (R&C, p 6)
Lovecrafts concluding paragraph is omitted entirely from Supernatural Horror in Lit-
erature:

Something of Mr. Hodgsons careerwhich included the sea, and which closed heroi-
cally with death on the battlefield in 1918has been told in the article by Mr.
Koenig. Here, certainly, is an author not to be ignored; and one may be confident that
the years will win him a position close to the rank of fantasists. (R&C, p 6)

Sadly, Lovecrafts prophecy did not come to pass as Hodgson would spend several more
years in near obscurity. It was primarily through the efforts of H. C. Koenig that August Der-
leth was convinced to publish The House on the Borderland and Other Novels through Arkham
House in 1947. This may have been the final link in the chain that began with the loan of those
important books from Koenig to Clark Ashton Smith to Lovecraft and then possibly to Derleth
himself. Remember that Lovecraft had recommended Hodgson to Derleth and that may have
convinced his young friend to borrow the infamous books.
Derleth would go on to publish several other Hodgson books including an edition of
Carnacki that included three new unpublished stories. One of which, The Hog, might possi-
bly have changed Lovecrafts mind about the ghost-finder.
Unfortunately, it does not appear that Hodgson had much affect, if any, on Lovecrafts
writing. By the time of his reading of Hodgson in 1934, Lovecraft had already written the ma-
jority of his fiction. The only two stories Lovecraft would write after this point were The
Shadow Out of Time and The Haunter of the Dark. According to Lovecrafts own notes on
the autograph manuscript of The Shadow Out of Time was Begun Nov. 10, 1934 and
Completed Feby. 24, 1935. (SOT, p28) This would put the writing of this important Love-
craft tale a few scant months after his reading of Hodgson. But is there any internal evidence of
an influence?
The most obvious connection would be the time spanning vista experienced by Nathan-
SSWFT 156
iel Peaslee in Lovecrafts story. This would seem to be in line with the sequence in The House
on the Borderland where the narrators mind travels into the far future. However, as shown
elsewhere, this concept was something which Lovecraft had already been thinking about as
early as 1930.

The core of the plot had already been conceived as early as 1930, emerging out of a dis-
cussion between Lovecraft and Clark Ashton Smith regarding the plausibility of stories
involving time-travel. (SOT, pg 12)

Lovecraft had been having difficulty in properly executing his idea and even this story
would go through at least three revisions and still not completely satisfy Lovecraft. In both
Hodgson and Lovecrafts stories, the narrators would be freed from the shackles of time. How-
ever, the experience of Hodgsons narrator owes more to H. G. Wells The Time Machine than
any other influence while Lovecrafts narrator merely travels to another time and stays there. It
is a case of mind-swapping, not the first seen in Lovecrafts fiction, and provides the impact for
the climax at the end of the story. Whereas, with Hodgson, the time travel is simply another
incident within the novel and, although significant, is not the entirety of the story.
The Haunter of the Dark shows virtually no sign of a Hodgson influence. It is a story
that is more normal than The Shadow Out of Time which perhaps reflects Lovecrafts dis-
appointment at not being able to successfully capture what he had hoped to with the earlier
The Shadow Out of Time. Once again, a character faces a mental oppression from some-
thing outside. We could say that this is similar to the oppression the narrator of The House on
the Borderland feels as he struggles against the swine creatures that constantly attack both his
sister and himself but that would be a superficial conclusion.
It is far more likely that, in the reading of Hodgson, Lovecraft encountered a writer who
was interested in the same themes as he had been throughout his life. Both men wrote about
forces from outside that were encroaching on our reality and which had no care about human-
ity or this world. The indifference of Hodgsons sea would have appealed to Lovecraft and the
vast vistas of time shown in both The House on the Borderland and The Night Land could not
have failed to impress him.
It is fairly well established that, without H. C. Koenigs efforts, Hodgson would proba-
bly have been forgotten. However, for many readers of Lovecraft, their first knowledge of this
intriguing and powerful writer came through the influential essay, Supernatural Horror in Lit-
erature. Without that promotion, and possibly his recommendation to Derleth regarding Hodg-
sons value, its very likely that few people would be searching out Hodgsons works today.
These three men (Koenig, Derleth and Lovecraft) were responsible for keeping Hodgsons
name alive long enough for others to discover him and spread the word. We owe them a great
debt for not allowing the oceans of time to pull Hodgsons memory out to sea.

(The author wishes to extend his appreciation to David E. Schultz who provided invalu-
able assistance in compiling the references for this article.)

Works Cited
Baldwin, F. Lee. Unpublished Letter from H. P. Lovecraft, John Hay Library. [FLB]

SSWFT 157
Biancheri, Eugene J. H. C. Koenig: Reader and Collector. New Jersey. 2004 [HCK]

Joshi, S. T. I am Providence 2 vols. New York: Hippocampus Press, 2010. [IAP2]

Lovecraft, H. P. Essential Solitude: The Letters of H. P. Lovecraft and August Derleth. New
York: Hippocampus Press, 2008. [ES]

Lovecraft, H.P. O Fortunate Floridian: H. P. Lovecraft's Letters to R. H. Barlow. Tampa: Uni-
versity of Tampa Press, 2007. [OFF]

Lovecraft, H.P. Selected Letters, Volume III. Sauk City, Wisconsin: Arkham House, 1971.
[SLIII]

Lovecraft, H.P. Selected Letters, Volume V. Sauk City, Wisconsin: Arkham House, 1971. [SLV]

Lovecraft, H.P. Shadow Out of Time, The. New York: Hippocampus Press, 2003. [SOT]

Reader and Collector, Vol. 3, No. 3 (June, 1944) Koenig, H. C., editor. New York, NY. [HCK]

____________________________________________________________________________

At the moment, I only have one more article awaiting publication and that is an expan-
sion of my blog post on H.C. Koenig called The Man Who Saved Hodgson. That will be ap-
pearing in an upcoming issue of NAMELESS MAGAZINE which I hope will be out shortly.
After that, I have a few other short pieces I need to finish up but I think its time I finally sit
down, gather up all my notes, and actually write that book length study of Hodgson. It should
take me about a year so, hopefully, by this time next year I will have the final manuscript fin-
ished.
Wish me luck!
I hope that everyone has had a great holiday and are enjoying this new year. Its going
to be a big one for Hodgson and I hope itll be one for everyone too.

Best,
Sam Gafford

SSWFT 158
Earl Livings El'Khestor 8, 1:40 PM, 8/02/2014
THE WANDERI NGS OF ELKHESTOR
Volume 8, for February 2014 Mailing of Sword & Sorcery & Weird Fiction Terminus

Contact: elivings@optusnet.com.au
Website: www.thewritingcycle.blogspot.com
Mailing address: Earl Livings
10 Mary Street
Box Hill North
Victoria, 3129
Australia

Table of Contents

Table of Contents .................................................................................................... 1
Introduction .............................................................................................................. 1
The Tower of the Elephant: A Narratology Analysis: Part Four ............. 2
Mailing Comments .................................................................................................. 9

I ntroduction

Welcome to my eight contribution to SSWFT. Since the last mailing in November I
have been adapting to my new life as a full-time writer and occasional teacher and
editor. This has been going slower than I expected, partly because of burn out from
the last few years of work stress and family concerns, and partly because it takes time
to get used to being fully self-motivated rather than job-directed. I havent settled yet
into a new working routine, but I am much closer than when I arrived back from my
UK research trip, which I wrote about in my last mailing.

Still, I have had some successes:

1) During November I participated in NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing
Month. The aim of this activity is to write 50,000 words towards a new novel
within the 30 days of the month. I managed to reach the target with a few days
to spare and, because the novel itself wasnt finished, I continued till the end
of the year. In the end, I produced a rough first draft of my new novel,
approximately 90,000 words. This novel is the one I was researching when I
went to the UK. I havent finished the research, but I figured that doing
NaNoWriMo would give me a story arc and character arcs that could be the
basis for further research towards a second draft.
2) In J anuary I revised my new poetry collection, using feedback from a poet
friend who read the manuscript while I was in the UK. I then submitted the
manuscript to Puncher & Wattman, a independent publisher of quality
Australian poetry, novels, biography and critical non-fiction.
3) My poem Naming Instinct was published in Mascara Literary Review
Issue 14 in December 2013.

2
Now to this mailing. Time pressures with NaNoWriMo and sending my poetry
manuscript to the publisher before its submission deadline passed have restricted the
amount of time I could spend on this mailing. However, I have prepared another part
of my analysis of Robert E Howards The Tower of the Elephant, which I hope you
will find stimulating and insightful.

Happy reading
Earl

The Tower of the Elephant: A Narratology Analysis:
Part Four

WHATS GONE BEFORE

This is the fourth part of my analysis of The Tower of the Elephant, the first three
parts having been published in the November 2012, February 2013 and August 2013
mailings respectively. To refresh your memory, below are the titles of the
narratological models I used in these parts, along with the names of their originators
or major practitioners:

1) The Dramatistic Pentad (Kenneth Burke)
2) The Only Two Types of Story (J ohn Gallishaw)
3) The MICE Quotient (Orson Scott Card)
4) The Actantial Model (Aldgirdas Greimas)
5) The Todorov Model (Izvetan Todorov)
6) The Freytag Model (Gustav Freytag)
7) The Heros J ourney (J oseph Campbell and Christopher Vogler)
8) The OODA Loop (Colonel J ohn Boyd)
9) Rhetorics of Fantasy (Farah Mendlesohn)
10) The LOCK System (J ames Scott Bell)
11) Triple O Method (Lee Roddy)
12) Inner Drives (Pamela J aye Smith)
13) AQAL (Ken Wilbur)

SEMIOTIC SQUARE

Most of the models I have investigated have
dealt with story structure. One exception
was Inner Drives, which looked at the
changes in the level of development a
character can undergo as he/she travels
through the narrative: his or her character
arc. In the case of Conan in The Tower of
the Elephant, he oscillated between Root,
Sacral, Lower Solar Plexus and
Higher/Aspirational Solar Plexus. However,
if we wish to look at the personae dramatis
of a narrative and their interactions, then we
SSWFT 160
3
need a different model. The Semiotic Square of Aldgirdas Greimas is one such model.
As Daniel Chandler notes in his book Semiotics: The Basics, Greimas
introduced the semiotic square as means of analysing paired concepts more fully by
mapping the logical conjunctions and disjunctions relating key semantic features in a
text. This quotation is in academic language, so a better way of explaining the
concept is to look at an example.
The diagram above shows the basic structure of a semiotic square. S1 and S2
represent the paired concepts being analysed. Examples can be Alive/Dead,
Rich/Poor, White/Black and Hero/Villain. S1 and S2 with the bars over them
represent Not-S1 and Not-S2. These four entities can then be combined to produce
another six entities:
S1 +S2 S1 +Not-S2
S2 +Not-S1 Not-S1 +Not-S2
S1 +Not-S1 S2 +Not S2

A worked example, using the paired
concepts of Masculine and Feminine, is shown
opposite. Note that only eight positions are filled
in, the last two (represented by the lines joining
the two sets of corners) being notoriously
difficult to identify.
How does this apply to the characters in
a narrative? It is my feeling that the semiotic
square can help in identifying the likely
characters and/or plot forces within a story and
help with the analysis of the essences of and
interactions between these characters/forces. For
examples, note the following semiotic squares based on the original Star Wars movie,
Star Wars: The New Hope, also known as Star Wars IV.

The first one, created by J ohn Powers, looks at the objects, the visual
program, in the film. Powers uses language developed from Le Corbusier, where
white (S1) refers to a world of precision, clarity and order and brown (S2) to a world
that is cluttered and muddled. The second diagram, created by J oshua Glenn (and
rendered by Powers), is a modification of Powers semiotic square that uses the films
characters to illustrate the brown and white characteristics of the ideologies of the
characters and their objects. I dont have room here to go into the analyses of both
SSWFT 161
4
commentators, but just wanted to demonstrate how the use of a semiotic square may
stimulate the imagination and unveil hidden aspects of a narrative.
How can we than apply the semiotic square to The Tower of the Elephant?
First, we can focus on the paired opposites of Hero and Villain.

Hero (H): This is obviousConan.
Villain (V): Also obviousYara, who owns the tower that holds the jewel
Conan seeks to steal, and who has set up its defences: guards,
lions, and spider.
Not-H: I take this to mean someone who seeks to be a hero, but isnt,
or who actually turns out to be villainous. The Kothian Trader
fits this description.
Not-V: Similar to the previous term, I take this to be someone or
something that is villainous, but has a heroic element. I also
consider this term, for this particular story, to refer to a force
that is villainous (to the hero), but not with conscious intention.
The lions and the tower itself belong here.
H +V: Someone who is both hero and
villain, which seems to fit Taurus,
who helps Conan, but also, as Ive
tried to show in my previous
analyses, tries to cut Conan out from
the treasure.
Not-H +Not-V: Something or someone that is
neither a hero nor a villain. The gem
itself, which Conan gives to Yara,
fits this description. (After further
attempts using other paired
concepts, see below, I believe the
people of the unnamed city, who are
oppressed by Yara, who are
effectively owned by him, in the
same way the gem is, might also
belong to this category.)
H +Not-V: Someone or something that is a hero, but is also not a villain.
Yag-kosha, also known as Yogah of Yag, would fit this
description.
V +Not-H: Something or someone that is villainous and has no hero
qualities. I take this to refer to those story elements that hinder
the story with some sort of conscious intent. Certainly, the
guards (both outside and inside the tower) fit this category. I
also feel that the spider, which is on a different level of malice
to the lions, can also fit.
H +Not-H: N/A
V +Not-V: N/A

This can be visually represented as below. (My apologies for a diagram that is rough
compared to the ones above.)
SSWFT 162
5
Taurus
(H+V)
Conan (H) Yara (V)

Yag-kosha (H+Not-V) Spider/Guards (V+Not-H)

Tower/Lions (Not-V) Kothian Slaver (Not-H)
J ewel (and city people?)
(Not-H+Not-V)

(Of course, this semiotic square would look different if Yara was treated as the hero,
as in that old saying that everyone is the hero of their own story.)

Im not sure whether this particular square has any usefulness apart from
identifying the interaction and alliance networks of the main characters:

1) Yog-kosha (H+Not-V)Conan (H)Taurus (H+V)
2) Yara (V)Spider/Guards (V+Not-H)

It seems to me the analytical power of the tool depends on the choice of the paired
concepts. Below is another semiotic square analysis, this time constructed using
Free/Oppressed.

Free (F): I assign Yara to this position, for he is the person with the most
power and freedom at the start of the story. He has enslaved
Yag-kosha, the unnamed city in Zamora and possibly Zamora
itself.
Oppressed (O): The people of the unnamed city and possibly Zamora.
Not-F: I take this to mean someone who seeks to obtain some aspect of
freedom, but is oppressed
in some way and so cant
follow through. The
Kothian Trader fits this
description. He claims to
want freedom/wealth, but
is oppressed by the stories
of Yara and his tower. This
is the same position as he
was assigned in the
previous semiotic square.
Not-O: I place the guards here.
They have a measure of
freedom and arent really
oppressed by Yara. They
stay in the tower of their
own volition.
F +O: Someone who is both free and oppressed, which seems to fit
Taurus. He is free and is pursuing further freedom (in the guise
SSWFT 163
6
of wealth), yet is oppressed by his own selfishness, which leads
to his undoing.
Not-F +Not-O: Here I place the lions and the spider. They arent free, being
constrained in the towers grounds or in the tower itself, but
they are also not oppressed, being left to pursue their own
instinctual drives.
F +Not-O: This is obviously Conan. He is free, being from the wild and
only reliant on his courage and martial skills. He also seeks
further freedom, in the guise of the wealth the gem represents.
Furthermore, he is not oppressed, as everybody in the unnamed
city is, by the reputed power of Yara.
O +Not-F: Yag-kosha fits this position. He is
oppressed by Yara, to the point of
using his powers to help the wizard
build the tower, give his long life, and
oppress the city. Yag-kosha is also
imprisoned, is not free, though he does
have the ability to seek someone who
might help him free himself. It is
possible that Yag-kosha somehow
drew Conan into the quest for the gem
in the first place and contrived for help
to be given to the warrior (for
example, the coincidence of Taurus
breaking into the tower the same time
as Conan).
H +Not-H: N/A
V +Not-V: N/A

This structure appears below:
Taurus
(F+O)
Yara (Free) City People (Oppressed)

Conan (F+Not-O) Yag-kosha (O+Not-F)

Guards (Not-O) Kothian Slaver (Not-F)
Lions/Spider
(Not-F+Not-O)

Does this semiotic square reveal anything we may not have noticed before or may
have felt but not realised during our reading of The Tower of the Elephant? I believe
it does. Lets look at various lines of action and/or connection:

1) Conan and Yag-kosha work together to free not only Yag-kosha himself, but
also the City People. They survive the encounter with Yara and his tower.
(F+Not-O and O+Not-F)
SSWFT 164
7
2) The guards, the lion, the spider and the Kothian Slaver, at
various points in the story, work against Conan and his
eventual freeing of Yag-kosha and, subsequently, the City
People. All these characters are killed. (Not-O, Not-
F+Not-O, and Not-F)
3) By the end of the story, the positions of Yara and the City
People are reversed: the City People are freed and Yara
experiences a torturous form of oppression during Yag-
koshas revenge against him, before being killed. (F and O)
4) The guards are drawn, presumably, from the City People,
and thus are prepared to share in the oppression of their
own people. As a result, they are killed, while the people
are freed. (Not-O and O)
5) Taurus kills the majority of the lions and is killed by the
spider. (F+O and Not-F+Not-O)
6) Both Yara and the Kothian Slaver act as if they are the kings of their
respective domains (the tower and the tavern), but in the end are killed
because of their arrogance. (F and Not-F)

A variation of the previous paired concepts would be Master/Slave:
Yag-kosha
(M+S)
Yara (Master) City People (Slave)

Taurus (M+Not-S) Kothian Trader (S+Not-M)

Lion/Spider (Not-S) Guards (Not-M)
Conan
(Not-M+Not-S)

Again, we can track lines of influence/activity/connection:

1) Yara enslaves Yag-kosha and the City People. (M, M+S, S), but by the end of
the story the City People are freed and Yag-kosha enslaves and tortures Yara
for some time before causing his death.
2) Both Taurus and the Kothian Trader are killed, one indirectly and one directly,
when they try to interfere with Conans plans. (M+Not-S and S+Not-M)
3) Conan encounters the defenders of the tower and causes, or is involved in,
their deaths. (Not-S, Not-M+Not-S and Not-M)
4) The City People and the Lions and Spider reside within boundaries (at micro
and macro levels) controlled by Yara: the city and the tower and its walls.
(S and Not-S)

As a final example, I wanted to construct a semiotic square that somehow explored
the theme of the story, which revolves around Conans realisation of compassion.
However, I found it difficult to identify the appropriate paired concept to Compassion.
The usual opposite is Indifference, whereas I wanted something that looked at the
dynamic of selflessness and selfishness. When Conan first goes on his quest, he is
SSWFT 165
8
doing it for selfish reasons: to acquire wealth and to
forge a reputation. By the end of the story, he does not
win wealth and no one is likely to know what he did. He
gains insight into himself and knowledge of the universe.
He becomes a more compassionate, a more selfless,
person. Part of the problem is that most of the characters
in the story are selfish to one degree or another, which
means too many of the positions look like remaining
unfilled. Below, at least, is an attempt at a semiotic
square that explores the selfish/selfless. I first examine
the characters and then fit them to the square.

Conan: He starts Selfish (S), but ends up
acting in a Selfless manner. (SL)
Yara: Totally Selfish. (S)
Kothian Trader: He is Selfish, because he would like to steal the gem, but he
isnt selfless enough to risk his own life. (S+Not-SL)
Taurus: Totally Selfish, also. (S)
Yag-kosha: I would place this character at Not-SL, as his only concern is to
escape the imprisonment of Yara. He is Selfish, but may also
be Selfless; we just dont know.
City People: Individually, the people of the city would be a mixture of
Selfish and Selfless. Collectively, they are not Selfish or
Selfless enough to do anything about their oppression by Yara.
Hence, I would assign them to Not-S+Not-SL.
Guards: They are Selfish, in that their job is to protect Yara, the
oppressor of their people, for pay. (S)
Lions/Spider: Being of the wild, they are neither selfish nor unselfish. They
are beyond those human concepts. They act on instinct. (Not-
S+Not-SL)

Conan
(S+SL)
Yara/Taurus/Guards (Selfish) Unknown (Selfless, SL)

Kothian Trader (S+Not-SL) Unknown (SL+Not-S)

Yag-kosha (Not-SL) Unknown (Not-S)
City People/Lions/Spider
(Not-S+Not-SL)

One interesting aspect of this diagram is that the right hand side is unfilled. No
character or entity starts off totally Selfless or ends up that way. Or is totally
unselfish. Or is selfless and unselfish. In other words, all the characters and entities in
the story have some degree of selfishness, except for the City People, who as a group
dont appear to exhibit any such traits, and the wild creatures, which cant be tagged
with such human attributes. What also is interesting is that Conans position is
opposite these two groups. He is of the wild, being from Cimmeria, but he also
SSWFT 166
9
participates in city activities, as in his
discussions with philosophers and
other learned men. More importantly,
it is through his wild attributes and his
new sense of compassion (which is a
human, not a wild attribute) that he
enables the destruction of Yara and the
lifting of the City Peoples oppression.

I will leave the analysis at this point.
Naturally enough, other paired
concepts could be used in this way to
create more insights into the story. I
leave it to you to dabble with the
technique if you see worth in it.

Mailing Comments

Given my time constraints, Ive only been able to provide brief comments on the
zines published in SSWFT #50.

Scott A. Sheaffer: The Dalriadic Chronicles
As always, Im amazed at your technical knowledge and skills. Youre doing a great
job with the construction and the merging of our zines. I look forward to the results
and also to your upcoming Necronomicon report. Given your expertise, I have a
question: whats a good app for my new MacBook Air to convert Word documents to
PDF?

Martin Anderson: Hyperborean Exhalations
You dont suck at convention reports. Your letter gave a great snapshot of various
aspects of the convention. Id love to go to a World Fantasy Con, though I doubt it
will ever come to the Southern Hemisphere. I love your comment about book
launches. Being part of the Melbourne poetry scene for over two decades Ive
attended many launches for friends and associates books and the events are always
packed with wine and food and good conversation. Sometimes I think poets, who
generally dont have much money, survive between dole cheques by attending book
launches

Frank Coffman: Star-Winds
Welcome to the SSWFT APA. I enjoyed your reprints of your first two EOD issues.
Ive previously thought about doing an analysis of the HPL poems, so I was keenly
interested in what you did with the sequence. I like your division of the poems into
micro-narratives, musing and reflection, vision, and stanzaic narrative
sequences. I also like your identification of the various poetic techniques, such as
HPLs use of alliteration, and his experimentation with the rhyme structures of the
sonnets. I look forward to seeing further analyses.

SSWFT 167
10
Phillip A. Ellis: The Peripatetic Vole
I am amazed at your critical and creative productivity. I certainly would like to read
some of your books/chapbooks. Actually, I vaguely remember talking to you a while
ago about purchasing a copy of your Arkham Monologues. Do you have any copies
left?

Sam Gafford: More News From the Homebird
Thanks for your photo report of Necronomicon and congratulations on selling out the
first issue of SARGASSO. Having been involved with print magazines in the past, I
can empathise with the difficulties in costs and distribution. I wish you the best of
luck with exploring POD for consequent issues. I also sympathise with the problems
that arise out of clique situations. During my own journeys through various poetry
circles, Ive seen those same manoeuvres of exclusivity and privilege. These
experiences seem to inevitably occur in organisations with membership numbers
greater than, as you observed, the number of people one can meet and interact with. A
pity, really, but I suppose the culprit is the usual suspect: human nature.

Bryce Stevens: Choking Dog Gazette
Im in complete agreement with your observations about the use of maps, which can
be summarised in a couple of quotations from your article: We did not need a map or
a diagram [of HPLs Innsmouth], we just needed a well-written description; I do
need maps to produce long, complex stories; but if I do my job properly, no reader
will need these maps after I have finished with them. I work in a similar way, using
maps for consistency and for the calculation of time intervals (for stories involving
travelling), but wouldnt envisage showing them to my readers. I also like your
description of how your obsession evolved into a real project many years later. It is
amazing the synchronicities that come, especially if we have a project dear to our
heart/soul, one that weve been thinking about for years.

Finally, thanks, everyone, for your emcees on my contribution to SSWFT #49. Im
glad you found something of worth there

All the best for your reading and writing and for life in general.
Earl

SSWFT 168
SerCon for SSWFT APA #52, begun Friday, September 27, 2013, published by the Cunctator
Press, Editor-in-Chief, Fred Phillips, 575 Main Street, #N-405, New York, N.Y.10044;
1-(212)-644-6725; FREDERIC1937@AOL.COM ; Executive Technical Editor, Octavia
Bronwyn Phillips--Questo aggiornamento

MAILING COMMENT

Dalriadic Chronicles: Scott Sheaffer
I must apologize for stumbling into the same cul-de-sac as I did when I used to contribute
Kommati to the Esoteric Order of Dagon Amateur Press Association, edited by Sunand
Tryambak Joshi. By 2003, since the Mailing Comments I used to receive from 40 apahackers had
dwindled to six, it was only the expostulations of Martin Andersson and Derrick Hussey that re-
focused my attention to my responsibilities as an apa contributor. Between 1968 and 1978 I had
been one of the founding members of the NYC branch of a nationwide Medievalist reenactment
association headquartered in Berkeley, California, the Society for Creative Anachronism. Our
Seneschal was the late Marion Zimmer Bradley, for whom I acted as Earl Marshal. The
overwhelming majority of the books in my 12,000 title collection are Medievalia and Folklore. I
confess, freely and openly, that my reading background in the fiction, genealogy, biography,
poetry, and essays of Howard Phillips Lovecraft have been, in the main, sparse and indecisive,
although with assiduous reading, I am beginning to gain ground.
In 1981, the year I was first diagnosed as diabetic, I founded a book-collecting association, the
Ancient and Honourable Order of the Drowned Rat. Two friends, Al Nofi, a fan and Civil War
historian, and Kenneth Eugene Dupuy, with his Master's in Philosophy from the Graduate
Faculty Research Center of the New School for Social Research and I, were caught in a heavy
downpour on the traffic island facing the NW corner of Cooper Union University. We obtained
shelter on First Avenue, between 9th and 10th Streets in a bookstore, Rivendell.
We stood before the rare books section,water dripping from our outer garments into a pool on the
linoleum bigger than the Sea of Azov. While the proprietor, the late Eileen Campbell Gordon, A
Scotswoman from the Hebrides, fetched a mop to wipe it up, Ken began laughing. When I asked
him why, he replied, We look just like three drowned rats!
Subsequently, whenever I was with a group of fellow fans and said I planned to go into
Manhattan to do some book-hunting, and they asked Can I join you? I always assented.
Gradually we evolved into the Mother House (the NYC group) of the Ancient and Honourable
Order of the Drowned Rat. At our monthly SF fan open house, FISTFA (the Fannish Insurgent
ScienTiFictional Association) we hold two bi-annual events--one in early May, to avoid the heat
and humidity of summer, the second in early October, to avoid the cold and wet of autumn. I use
the title Convocator--one who convokes--gathers together. Our members include Martin
Andersson, Arch-Provost for Sverige (the Swedish word for 'Sweden'), S.T. Joshi, Arch-Provost
of Washington, Wilum Pugmire, Provost for Seattle, Jonathan Thomas, Provost for Providence,
Rhode Island, Peter Straub, Provost for Milwaukee, Laird Barron, Provost for Olympia,
Washington, John Langan, Provost for New Paltz, New York, Robert H. Waugh, Provost in and
for Port Ewan and Dependencies, Marc Glasser, erstwhile 'center of gravity' for the NYU
Science Fiction Society, Justin VanPoelvoorde,Arch-Provost in and for Michigan, Juha-Matti
Sercon - 2
Rajala, Provost for Lapeenranta, Finland, Henrik Harksen, Provost for Odense, Denmark, Ann
and Ben Schwader, Vice-Provosts for Westminster, Colorado, John Haefele, Provost for
Pewaukee,Wisconsin, Leigh Blackmore, Arch-Provost for New South Wales, Phillip A.Ellis,
Provost of Tweeds Head South, NSW, Peter Cannon, senior reviews editor for Publishers
Weekly, Scott Briggs, Arch-Provost for Port Washington, Long Island, and son of Barbara Briggs
Silbert, cover designer for Hippocampus Press, the Rev / Prof. Robert M.Price, and Derrick
M.Hussey, Secretary to the Diet of Provosts, and holder of the Order of the Golden Ferret, First
Class, Diamond Cluster, the Star of Kadath with Crossed Golden Bookmarks. Our latest
Drowned Rat was you, Scott--Provost in and for Westfield, Massachusetts and Dependen-
cies. There is only one other fan who has an Official Roster of the Drowned Rats--Mrs.Nancy
Thalblum, Provost for Crotona. My daughter Tavie's beau, Sean Murphy, is our only member
with both staff and line designations. He is at once Secretary by Appointment to the Convocator
and Provost for Dykers Heights, Brooklyn.
The AHODR is a theoretical framework uniting people who enjoy reading and collecting
books. It has no officers, no powers and duties of office, no ranks, no meetings, no dues--only
titles--the more extravagant, the better. It is as easy to join as it is to drop out. There are two
entry-level titles that are never used--Companion and Life Member. A Provost has independent
jurisdiction, rather like the See of a Bishop, and has the power to install people without needing
to consult any other member of the order. At my 76th birthday at FISTFA. Alex Houstoun was
conferred with a title never before used since the founding of the Honourable Order, that of
Chevalier, having already been elevated from Provost of Bethesda to Arch-Provost of Maryland.
Preparations are underway at present to offer the title 'Provost in and for St. Johns River and
Dependencies to Bryce Stevens, who, it is hoped, will make contact with this reporter in New
York near the end of next year.
At 11:00 A.M., Saturday, October 5, 2013, elements of the Mother House of the Honourable
Order are due to rendezvous at the George Washington Bridge Bus Terminal for a pickup through
Rte.278 to the Old Book Shop on John Street in Morristown, New Jersey, for the Derrick M.
Hussey Grand Fall Shikar. This word, in Hindi, means hunt-- but we have elevated the
commonplace: instead of potting at a 600 lb. Bengal Tiger from the howdah of an elephant with a
.447 Mannlicher, while the Gopali (farmers) bang on tin pans to flush the great beast out of the
brake, instead we browse through some grundgy used bookstore, looking for bargains--but the
theme is the same-a hunt.
The motto of the Honourable Order is We hunt the wild book in its native habitat.This
derived from what was scrawled on a privately-printed pamphlet, The Private Librarian by
Jerry Post, when I was on a panel during the 1971 PhilCon, meant for Fred Lerner, at that time
founder and first president of FSFSCU (The Fantasy and Science Fiction Society of Columbia
University), of which I had been designated Resident Bard) Jerrys message was Good luck
hunting the wild book.There was a Drowned Rats Luncheon at the Mission Palm Hotel in
Phoenix, Arizona during MythosCon of 2010, during which Derrick Hussey received the title of
Golden Ferret. My daughter, Tavie, insists on labeling me on her Facebook Page, Secret
Master of Fandom, despite how I have indicated that SF fandom is a subculture--a widespread
variety of both groups and individuals said to be concerned with genre writing--Science Fiction,
SSWFT 170
Sercon - 3
Science Fantasy, Sword-and-Sorcery, Heroic Epic Fantasy, and Supernatural Horror. (In my case,
in the last category, I have erroneously been identified as Lovecraftian.)
At my birthday FISTFA of Saturday, September 21, Derrick Hussey gave me the bound 3-
volume set of The Poetry of George Sterling (1869-1926), an unjustly forgotten American poet,
the pupil of Ambrose Bierce and the mentor of Clark Ashton Smith. The Hippocampus Press
section of my collection--almost 100 titles strong--were gifts of Derrick Hussey. On my critical
shelf, inter alia, I have Joshis Classics & Contemporaries: Some Notes on Horror Fiction, the
1988 Wayne State University Press edition of Lovecraft: A Study in the Fantastic by Maurice
Levy, Translated by S.T. Joshi, and the 1990 U. of Texas Press at Austin edition of The Weird
Tale by S.T. Joshi.(N.B: I gave the Arkham House edition of Literary Swordsmen and
Sorcerers to Tavie's beau, Sean Murphy, a remarkable incipient Lovecraftian scholar.)
More recently, the professional Lovecraftian community, the 'New Kalem Club', agreed to
hold its annual dinner on Friday, Nov.1 so I could take my sister-in-law, Joan Linda Nissen, the
next day, to a Dim Sum palace in Brooklyn for her 60th birthday. At the Kalem dinner I installed
Miroslav Lipinski as Provost for Stuyvesant Town. He dined with us before going off to attend a
Spanish horror film festival about which he is writing a book. At the dinner, Peter Cannon gave
Derrick Hussey an Oxford University Press title containing a disquisition on Lovecraft by an
Oxonian scholar (which was subsequently torn to shreds by S.T. Joshi.) Derrick, in turn, gave me
the 2013 Hippocampus Press edition of H.P. Lovecraft: Art, Artifact, & Reality by Steven J.
Mariconda, one of the world's leading Lovecraftian critics and an old crony of S.T. Joshi, who,
when I installed him as a Provost at MythosCon in Phoenix, Arizona in Dec. 2011, actually
genuflected!
Tomorrow,--Thursday, Nov.14, I am due to rendezvous with Derrick Hussey at the 82nd Street
Barnes & Noble to meet Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child, co-authors of the Pendergast novels
that have run like wildfire throughout the Lovecraftian community. On P. 175 of Cemetery
Dance, the protagonist, Aloysius Pendergast, walks into an old used bookstore in his home town,
New Orleans,where its aged proprietor brings out three Arkham house volumes: The Outsider,
Always Comes Nightfall, and a title by Robert M.Barlow. Preston once worked at the American
Museum of Natural History. Child once edited ghost story anthologies, which suggests he is a
Lovecraftian. He is a resident of Morristown, New Jersey, home of the Old Book Shop on John
Street, site during the last few years of one of the bi-annual events of the Mother House of the
Ancient and Honourable Order of the Drowned Rat, the last being held on Saturday, October 5
inst., the Derrick M. Hussey Grand Fall Shikar. At that Shikar I limited myself to but a single
title--the 1965 Adam & Charles Black, London edition of History, Archaeology, and Christian
Humanism by William Foxwell Albright, Professor / Emeritus of Semitic Languages at John
Hopkins University and known throughout the world as a leading orientalist and Biblical
Archaeologist. 40 years ago I acquired and read his Anchor / Doubleday edition of From the
Stone Age to Christianity, following readings devoted to antiquarian lore, initially kindled by
reading Lovecraft. In a collection of over12,000 titles I own a carton full of Biblical Archaeology
and another full of Egyptian Archaeology.
Although with a certain interpretation, it might be misleading to venture off into disquisitions
concerning the origins of Witchcraft by a collector of Lovecraft, who used the theme in only a
referential manner (quod vide The Dreams in the Witch House) nevertheless for the sake of
SSWFT 171
Sercon - 4
clarity of meaning, it is better to understand than to guess. Readers and collectors of Occult
material during the over-touted so-called Age of Aquarius were usually wont to regard the
publications of the Citadel Press (Lyle Stuart Publications, Secaucus, New Jersey) as, in the
main, uneven and capable of question in comparison, e.g. with the Arkana Division of Penguin
Books. An exception may be made in the case of the 1974 UK title, Witchcraft in History (re-
named from its original title, British Witchcraft in History) by Ronald Holmes, released at a
time before authors vitae became standard practice for non-fiction.
In his Introduction, Holmes cites sources such as Dr. Margaret Murray, an Egyptologist whose
title, The Witch-Cult in Western Europe, although carefully written, lacked palpable evidence
in support of her claims; Montague Summers,whose claims of ecclesiastical ordination in Britain
were carefully researched and found to be non-existent, Christina Hoyle, with a somewhat more
reliable academic background, and Hugh Trevor-Roper, whose definition of Witchcraft was one
of a type of social stereotypes for persecution, such as Gypsies, Jews, and Communists. Holmes
also cites Sir James G. Frazers The Golden Bough as a source for an Anthropologically-sound
definition of magic, believed to be a primal source in the intellective foundation of the
definition of Witchcraft.
Holmes cites the practice of primitive man of contagious magic being, e.g, the case of
earliest man eating the heart of a slain enemy to attain that enemys strength in battle, or eating
certain parts of an elephant to gain its power.
Imitative magic requires no actual contact for the practitioner to influence his victim. By
going through a series of motions which in some way depict an event culminating in a desired
way, but in the complete absence of his victim, the magician (shaman, medicine man, witch
doctor) is supposed to influence the victim as though he had been present and has taken part in
the ceremony. (Ceremony--a set of formal acts, especially those used on religious occasions)
There is ample evidence that these two forms of magic remained in use well into modern times
in both Old and New World environments.
In 1968, in a newly-discovered cave near Ribadasella on the northern coast of Spain
prehistoric paintings were found giving evidence indicating the importance of women as symbols
of reproduction.When man changed his way of living and gave up hunting for the cultivation of
crops and herdsmanship, he found that he was more subject to the changeable forces of nature
than before. His survival now depended as much upon the seasons and the fertility of his crops
and animals that he considered it necessary to try to influence them to the best of his ability, and
once again he returned to sympathetic magic. By the simple force of logic, women were thought
to be more compatible with the unseen forces of fertility than men, for the obvious reason that
their lives were bound up with reproduction. Women had a special place in the scheme of things
and to them was attributed the ability to influence natural powers and to intercede with the gods.
(God--a superhuman being regarded and worshipped as having power over nature and human
affairs) Figurines carved in limestone like the Venus of Willendorf (20,000 B.C.) are believed
to have been Neolithic Mans representation of the female symbol of fertility.
The verse from Exodus 22:18, Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live relegated women to a
subsidiary status and was appropriated later during the periods of Nazarene Judaism and the
period of the Patristic Fathers into early Christianity. The period of the most intense subjugation
of women in European history was between the 15th and 17th centuries.
SSWFT 172
Sercon - 5
Apparently the fundamental basis for masculine-dominated societies was both Synagogue and
Church grasping hegemony over society and regarding women with every kind of, not only
inferior, but outrightly sociopathic characteristic. In 16th century Germany, the rules of evidence
at Witch trials included that accusation against a woman was sufficient as evidence to condemn
her to a capital sentence, for which her household was obliged to pay court and administrative
costs, up to and including the cost for the wood with which the accused was burned. The
Witchcraft Act of James I was repealed by Parliament in 1736. In 1692, the courts of the Colony
of Plymouth, Massachusetts were governed by the rules of evidence and of the jurisprudence of
the English Court of Oyer and Terminer, including Spectral evidence under which 19 people
were hanged. There are rural sections of the U.S. that continue to harbor superstitions against
persons accused of being Witches, although by American law, mere accusation has long been
insufficient to produce verdicts.
The social stereotype of the Witch in American popular culture was over a period concretized
by Hollywoods representations of The Wicked Witch of the West from The Wizard of Oz, and
by Walt Disneys first full-length feature cartoon, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,
originally from the Grimm Brothers Haus Marchen The pointed hat was appropriated (read
stolen) from late 17th century Welsh attire; the flying broomstick was once used as a
measuring-symbol of how high farmers hoped their crops would grow. From the 18th century the
figures of the Witch and Gypsy, largely due to inadequate understanding of their origins resulted,
among other questionable representations, in the production and sale of Gypsy Witch Tarot
Cards.
Today, younger children dress, among other things, as Witches on Halloween for a temporary
sense of empowerment. Even in Tolkiens Lord of the Rings, the Lady Galadriel, in actuality an
Elven Queen, was referred to as The Witch of the Woods.
I substantively content myself at having submitted a contribution that most of our
Distinguished Colleagues will probably be able to employ as a soporific. I will make every
reasonable effort to increase the number of my Mailing Comments in forthcoming mailings.

LEGACY

On that dread day when the Earth dies,
As the red-eyed sorcerers tell,
When black fire falls from purpling skies,
And red rain streams up from Hell,

I will quaff a last draught with the Reaper;
On the day that Death dies I will slay,
For the price of my life is not cheaper
Than the Dark One is able to pay.

This has been Fred Phillips for the Cunctator Press. Beat Princeton!
SSWFT 173
UIMffl
Fred Phillips
"This is a richly varied assortment, well-crafted and surefooted. Whether
recalling the exotic realms of Clark Ashton Smith, the chaos-haunted
New England of Lovecraft, or the minstrelsy of the high Middle Ages,
Phillips is both lyrical and convincing. His weird nocturnal gardens are
populated by very real toads."
Ann K. Schwader, author of The Worms Remember
The rich tradition of weird poetry is alive and well in the work of Fred
Phillips, whose poems run the gamut from medieval fantasy to sword -
and-sorcery to supernatural horror. This substantial collection of his
weird verse is the product of decades of work and reflects Phillips's
wide-ranging interests in Celtic and Scandinavian myth as well as the
exoticism of Clark Ashton Smith and the clutching terror of H. P.
Lovecraft. A master of the sonnet, Phillips exhibits an effortless skill at
formal verse patterns that brings Smith, Donald Wandrei, and George
Sterling to mind. From the Cauldron introduces us to a seasoned poet
whose sensitivity to the wonder and terror of the cosmos is unexcelled.
Fred Phillips (b. 1937) began writing poetry during his senior year of
high school. His work has appeared in The Cimmerian, Studies in the
Fantastic, Weird Fiction Review and numerous amateur journals.
He was the first Poet Laureate of the Eastern Kingdom of the Society
7
for Creative Anachronism. A reader and collector of speculative fiction
since the age of sixteen, he is also a founder of a book-collecting
association, the Ancient and Honourable Order of the Drowned Rat.
I ISBN T7f l -0-
c
i aMMf l a2-t -5
9 0 0 0 0
Hippocampus Press
New York
9"780984"480265
Hippocampus Press
P. O. Box 641
New York
NY 10156
USA
http://www.hippocampuspress.com
SSWFT 174

The Nonconformist

CONTRIBUTION FOR THE ESOTERIC ORDER OF DAGON AND
THE SWORD AND SORCERY AND WEIRD FICTION TERMINUS AMATEUR PRESS ASSOCIATIONS

Vol. 3

February 2014
whole number 12the SSWFT edition
No. 4

JUHA-MATTI RAJALA, RANTAKATU 2 A 9, 53900 LAPPEENRANTA, FINLAND (email: jm.rajala@gmail.com)

2 The Nonconformist No. 12 February 2014
From the Editor . . .
There must be some truth to the notion that time passes faster the older you get. I can hardly believe another year
has gone byO that this were Dunsanys Astahan where they have fettered and manacled Time. I have
accomplished only about half of what I set about to do one revolution of the solar orb ago, but on the plus side
there are several irons in the fire and Im unlikely to find myself in a dull moment for the foreseeable future. I have
increasing sympathy for the young R. H. Barlow who could so easily dream up all manner of projects. . . .
On personal front, I have continued to be quite busy with regular work, but just observed that I have about
doubled my salary since I began working for my current employer seven and a half years agosomething to be
grateful for in these precarious economic times. The downside is that the job is an intellectually demanding (or at
least exhausting) one, and I dont have as much time and energy for Lovecraft related research and writing as Id
likebut on the plus side, I can get the books that I want, and together with various copies of old magazines,
unpublished letters, etc., Ive quite a bit of source material at hand on which to build future essayssome of the
things Id like to work on include (probably extensive) examinations of HPLs involvement with amateur
journalism and the pulp magazines (to be sure, already widely covered by others, but I dont feel like I have made
all the details of these topics sufficiently clear to myself), the influences upon and the writing of At the Mountains
of Madness, and a shorter article on Jack Grill, the Lovecraft collector par excellence, &c., &c. (I can talk the talk,
but can I walk the walk?) Scott has reminded us that the next mailing more or less coincides with the 100
th

anniversary of HPLs encountering amateur journalism and joining U.A.P.A., so with that important occasion in
mind Ill try to work on an examination of that topic for the next issue.
Then theres also the more long-term project which I have hinted of earlier, the compilation of an extensive
chronology of HPLs life and work, inspired by existing similar tomes for Edgar Allan Poe (Dwight Thomas &
David K. Jackson, The Poe Log: A Documentary Life of Edgar Allan Poe 18091849 [G. K. Hall & Co.: Boston,
1987]),
*
J. R. R. Tolkien (Christina Scull & Wayne G. Hammond, The J.R.R. Tolkien Companion and Guide,
vol. 1: Chronology [London: HarperCollins; Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2006; vol. 2 contains the Readers
Guide]),
and Herman Melville (Jay Leyda, The Melville Log: A Documentary Life of Herman Melville 18191891
[New York: Gordian Press, 1969; rev. ed., 2 vols.]).
Since beginning this task in earnest and tentatively some years

ago and after some intermittent work on it, I have increasingly come to realise that the proper way to go is to set up
a custom database solution, from which the chronology can be pulled from and searched. This has been partially
implemented during odd moments, but theres more coding to be done yet. As I have an ever growing amount of

*
NB: generously made available online at the website of the EAP Society of Baltimore:
http://www.eapoe.org/papers/misc1921/tplg00ca.htm ~ http://tinyurl.com/od4kyfv
See also the additions and corrections on the authors website:

http://www.hammondandscull.com/addenda/chronology_by_date.html ~ http://tinyurl.com/oxuoodp
In the process of being extensively updated and enlarged by Herschel Parker, the author of a two volume biography
Melville; see his blog: http://fragmentsfromawritingdesk.blogspot.com/ ~ http://tinyurl.com/q3p7fck
SSWFT 176
February 2014 The Nonconformist No. 12 3
material at hand, the matter of organising it better becomes more and more pressing, and hopefully it will
eventually help me to keep track of things.

A recent offshoot of this is the idea of preparing a comprehensive index to Lovecrafts published letters, as a
research aid to myself and others. The benefits of such an index volume may perhaps not be immediately obvious,
but if it already existed Id certainly welcome the book with opens arms. I guess the concept first occurred to me
some years ago when I noticed that such a work had been issued for the History of Middle-earth series, with the
indices for each of the twelve volumes edited by Christopher Tolkien combined under the same covers: i.e., all of
the terms included in one or more of the extant indices are jointly listed, with the references from all parts of the
series combined at one place. One thus needs to look into just a single index to find out in which volumes
something or other is mentioned, and this book can be kept open at the entry while browsing through the volumes
that are being checkedparticularly useful when there is a long string of references to examine rather than just one
or two.

In HPLs case S.T.J.s indispensable Index to the Selected
Letters is also now long out of print, yet it and SL will
continue to be of use for some years to come; and a number
of published minor batches of letters currently lack an index
but contain material for which it would be handy to be
reminded of. Hence Ive proposed that something of this sort
should be compiled of Lovecrafts published correspon-
dence and the material in the existing indices integrated.
While it may take some time yet, Ive in anticipation of a
work of this kind recently compared the two editions of
S.T.s Index to the Selected Letters, and as an intermediary
measure present in this issue some addenda & corrigenda to
it. S.T.s essential reference work was originally issued by
Necronomicon Press in 1980 (having been compiled two
years earlier in 1978), with a revised second edition
appearing in 1991. The later, reset printing adds a number of
clarifications to several entry names and is improved in other ways, but in the typesetting process certain errors
seem to have crept in, the major one being the removal and partial garbling of three blocks of entries; certain other
lines in both the index proper and the appendices have also been accidentally dropped. I have carefully compared
both editions and noted these errors and other major divergences, as well as introduced some further additions not
present in either version. From this raw data I have culled a summary given at the end of this issue; the owners of
either printing can copy from it an errata sheet to augment their chapbook, until such a time that a comprehensive
index to all published letters may appear.
SSWFT 177
While I have yet to fully examine and transcribe the final 1930s series of Lovecrafts letters to Arthur Harris that I
mentioned (can it be?) a year ago, so that an article about HPL and Harris must wait, it can be noted that this is
decidedly not among the most scintillating of Lovecrafts correspondence cyclesprobably this is due to the fact
that he duly replied to the few more or less mundane points Harris raised when the Welsh amateur wrote about
annually from Llandudno and enclosed the latest copies of his long-running amateur paper Interesting Items; its
not until more than 15 years later that the correspondence begins to develop a less formal tone and Lovecraft stops
to address his recipient as Dear Mr. Harris. Until that time the letters usually consist of not much more than
Lovecrafts submissions (or suggestions concerning possible submissions) for I.I., praise for the magazine, some
discussion of amateur affairsoften bemoaning the decline of U.A.P.A.and customarily close with careful
acknowledgement of Harriss enclosures, at times peppered by a few notes on their respective travels (HPL always
expressing a fain wish to visit England one day). On the other hand, the correspondence does cover practically
Lovecrafts whole adult life as an epistolarian, and in particular it offers valuable clues to his involvement with UK
amateurs and the British Amateur Press Association, of which not much is currently knownindeed, Im not
entirely sure if B.A.P.A. is mentioned for a single time in all the secondary writing on Lovecraft that Ive seen.
This is an avenue of research that I intend to pursue further at some point, having already gathered some bits of
information on his British ajay contacts, in addition to probably penning a summary article of HPL and Harris after
transcribing the rest of the letters. (Very good practice for deciphering Lovecrafts handwriting, by the wayafter
some digital post-processing subsequent to scanning the photocopies, which had clearly been very carefully
preparedpasted together from two sheets when the originals had been written on both sidesI find these items
quite easy to read, on the whole. I understand that David Schultz has had somewhat less luck with the not-so-
carefully done xeroxes of HPLs letters to Clark Ashton Smith that the John Hay Library obtained from Roy
Squires. The Harris lot also includes copies of various enclosures, such as the previously mentioned The Crime of
Crimes brochure, Lovecrafts bookplateor is that actually an original one? the paper is quite differentand HPL
and Sonias wedding invitation.)

SSWFT 178
Lovecraftian Voyages, at last
One thing that occupied my time last year was the preparation of a surreptitious, limited paperback edition of
Kenneth W. Faigs unpublished but legendary monograph Lovecraftian Voyages. This requires some explanation.
Christopher OBrien (a fellow E.O.D. member) originally suggested the idea that perhaps something ought to be
done with it to celebrate Kens 65th birthdayand also the more or less 40th anniversary of its writingin August
2013. This seemed to me too good an idea to miss out on, but I then quickly upped the ante by proposing that
instead of an electronic edition scanned from a copy of the typescript, with some annotations added, why dont we
convert the results to a text file and prepare the thing as an actual book, since modern print-on-demand services
would make this possible? Christopher agreed, and although the schedule was tight, we set about to make it
happen. I must stress that all this happened without consulting the author of the work, as it was supposed to be a
surprise present, perhaps also for the benefit of the Lovecraft community at largeeven though much water has ran
under the bridge since its writing and many other books have appeared, we felt that Voyages was long due and
worth preserving between covers, not just for its historical value and the insights it provides into the state of
Lovecraft scholarship c. 1973, but also for certain material that has yet to be fully taken up by other researchers.

In copy-editing the book the project then grew, as we probably ended up adding more editorial notes than was
strictly necessary (but as I said, if its worth doing, its worth overdoingour supplementary notes mainly provide
further data based on information that has come to light during the past four decades), supplied chapter divisions
SSWFT 179
and an index to help locating particular topics, an extensive bibliography (with aid enlisted from certain other
E.O.D. members), and finally solicited a foreword from S. T. Joshi, who graciously agreed to write one amid his
busy schedule. Page references to letter collections that have appeared since Voyages was originally written were
also inserted in the text, and quite at the last minute a preface by us was flown in; one of the familiar Truesdell
photos taken of HPL in Florida serves as the front cover. The design is admittedly quite reminiscent of certain
Hippocampus Press books. . . but the deadline was fixed, so there wasnt much time for originality. I think the end
result looks quite nice, if I say so myself. (The presentation copy and some further ones for us, the people who
assisted in various ways, as well as some other interested parties, have been printed by Lulu under the Ultratelluric
Press imprintthe quality is about the same as your usual Hippocampus paperback, for instance.) Ken has since
then generously agreed to the wider circulation of this work of his youth in this format, and E.O.D.s Derrick
Hussey has now expressed interest in bringing out the book via Hippocampus Press. To this end Ill presently need
to insert page references to the Letters to Elizabeth Toldridge & Anne Tillery Renshaw volume that is reportedly
just now going to press, after which I guess it needs to be seen when theres an opening for it in the publication
schedule. So stay tuned for it. . . I hope that this will atone for the hiatus in the issuance of The Nonconformist
during 2013.
S. T. Joshi in Finland
I had earlier hoped to attend the August 2013 NecronomiCon in Providence, but in the end its timing proved
impractical, and I had to forgo it. This was partly offset by the pleasure of meeting S.T.J. and Mary K. Wilson in
Helsinki in July, when their Baltic cruise made a day stop there before continuing to Stockholm. Despite my careful
arrangements, the meeting almost did not happen, as the website of the Port of Helsinki had given incorrect dock
information for the shipthere are several quays in Helsinki. I had double checked it the previous evening but did
not think of verifying it on the morning, and thus found myself waiting at the wrong harbour. You can imagine my
displeasure when I realised this was the casefor a time I had just thought the cruise was a bit late. Adding insult
to injury, certain streets in the area were cut off due to the upcoming Tall Ships Race, and I had some difficulty in
getting by car to the correct location after I had apprised myself of the situation. Once I did get there S.T. and Mary
were of course gone (I think having taken a scenic bus ride downtown provided by the cruise), and having verified
this from the landing crew (the laconic words from a local guard to my comment about the international cruise
information being incorrect on the port website says it all: again?), I had some select profanities in mind, but
quickly reasoned that maybe I could locate them in the cityS.T. and Mary had no phones, but after all, there
would not be that many places they could be going, if they stuck to the usual attractions.
I then duly located a spot to park my car long term (not too easy in Helsinki) and walked downtown along
the south and east side seaboardthinking that if they had taken to the city by foot, perhaps they would have
chosen this route as well. My main target was the market square and two prominent churches nearby, on the eastern
edge of the older, principal part of the town; I reasoned that if I was going to find the couple, this is what I should
bet on, as the churches are some of the major architectural landmarks and visible from a distance. Did not find them
there immediately, but after coming back from the eastern cathedral, I re-entered the western one I had checked
first, and coming out I did immediately spot S.T. on the large flight of steps rising to the elevated church. Boy was
I glad to see them, albeit exhausted from the forced march! We then visited both churches again for their benefit
SSWFT 180
(the Orthodox one unfortunately closed, so the interior could not be examinedI have never been there myself
eitheralthough perhaps we did not miss too much), and had drinks (and I had something to eat) in a cafeteria.
After visiting the seaside market and some postcard writing we took the tourist bus back to the cruise ship dock by
the same route I had walked earlier, and I wished S.T. and Mary off.
The day was one of the best days of the summer as far as weather is concerned, and the last really good day
as it happenedduring the following days the wind was considerable, and somewhat hampered my re-exploration
of locations and old seaside towns in south-western Finland. Brief and somewhat curtailed as the meeting
accidentally was, I was glad to see them all the same. I hope it wont be the last time either, at least as far as S.T. is
concerned, since I must make it to the 2015 NecronomiCon in ProvidenceI trust there will be one, as it will be
125th anniversary of HPLs birth. Ill say, when I first encountered his name in a local review of A Life after that
book had appeared (I knew something of Derleth and Arkham House, but whos this Joshi guy?), I would never
have expected to meet the author in my home country one day. But so it goes. (Although this was not the first time,
having previously met S.T. in Arizona at MythosCon, not to mention all the other Lovecraft luminaries also there.)
Aside from travelling in Finland, I did not make any trips to speak of in 2013, even though I was in Sweden (north
of Stockholm) for a short time in fall, in work related training.

with S. T. Joshi in sunny Helsinki, photo courtesy of Mary K. Wilson
SSWFT 181
Helsinki (Lutheran) Cathedral viewed from the south (Wikimedia Commons)

The Commonplace Book, again
In the last issue I ran a translation of my foreword to a self-published chapbook edition of HPLs Commonplace
Book. I have now finally gotten rid of almost all of the copies, with about two remaining (it was priced at cost for
members of the society). There has recently been a further development, as a local small press publisher of fantasy
has requested an edition of it, this time with the entries translated as well. I can hardly turn this offer down, and
have in response suggested that the hypothetical small book should be augmented a bit somehow and proposed that
to the Commonplace Book as a central item the following could be added: a sort of a prologue consisting of Some
Notes on a Nonentity and Notes on Writing Weird Fiction; the current appendices expanded with one or two
more letter excerpts of dream descriptions; and In Defence of Dagon as an epilogue summing up HPLs artistic and
philosophical outlook. Bookended by a more general introduction and an annotated chronology of his fiction, I
think it should make a nice little item for the Finnish market, probably in an edition of 200 copies. I have in fact
just now (as Im reformatting the EOD booklet version of this issue for SSWFT) received the contract and will in
all likelihood sign it on the next weekend while attending a meeting of the Finnish HPL society where the publisher
will also be present. So Ill hope to have more details to report in the next issue; related to this topic Im including
in this issue some stray notes on three Commonplace Book entries that in a small way supplement those given in
David Schultzs annotated 1987 edition.
JMR

front cover: the now famous quotation from Borellus, as written down by Lovecraft
on the first page of the manuscript of The Case of Charles Dexter Ward (John Hay Library)
SSWFT 182
Preface to Lovecraftian Voyages
While a work now forty years old, we feel that Kenneth W. Faigs Lovecraftian Voyages is a book that very much
deserves to be published and finally given a wider audience. In the past four decades Lovecraft studies have of
course seen a vast transformation, growing from a fledgling field, mostly dominated by fan or semi-professional
magazines, into one of considerable scholarly rigor. With the passage of time, the number of publications both by
and about Lovecraft has grown immense, and while a number of questions still remain to be answered (if they ever
can be), a vast array of data has been unearthed and our understanding of Lovecraft and his writings rests on a
much more secure foundation than it did at the beginning of the 1970s. In this effort Kenneth W. Faig has
remained a prime mover, even if he has been content to toil largely outside the limelight, disseminating his
variegated, penetrating research mainly through amateur press organizations and the publications of his own
Moshassuck Press.
If it then appears, as a consequence of the critical as well as biographical and bibliographical work that
followed, that in many regards Voyages has now been superseded, it can only be because it has remained in
manuscript, seen in complete form only by the few and inaccessible to most modern scholars and other readers. It is
true that portions of the book have been fashioned into separate essaysalthough even some of these appearances
are now a little difficult to come byand Faig himself has surely drawn upon the fruits of his original research in
later individual articles on the topics here explored. But the illusory nature of such a perspective is revealed if we
look at the treatise from the position of what the understanding of Lovecraft was at the turn of 1970 or so. It then
becomes apparent how singular an undertaking it was for its time, and how probing and prescient its execution.
Only few others were at the time involved in this kind of painstaking, disciplined inquiry; and most of them either
largely limited their attention to some particular avenue of investigationsuch as George T. Wetzel to
bibliographical questionsor were involved with the field in only limited capacity, or ultimately drifted away.
Reading the work in light of the scholarship that did ensue, it is notable how accurate Faig was in some of
his more tentative conjectures. At that time the Lovecraft collection in the John Hay Library of Brown University
in Providence, built upon the donations of R. H. Barlow and H. Douglass Dana, was just being reorganized, and
Faig was among the first to make good use of its holdings, already bountiful at that date, while also casting his net
on such other primary sources as the files of different Rhode Island newspapersan aspect of the Lovecraft
bibliography that has still not been completely exhausted for research. In many of these endeavors Faig, like
Wetzel and also R. Alain Everts before him, was something of a pioneer; and although many other scholars have
since then taken heed of his examplefor instance, the bibliographic points having been, by and large, resolved by
the publication of S. T. Joshis H. P. Lovecraft and Lovecraft Criticism: An Annotated Bibliography in 1981there
yet remain certain queries raised here by Faig to be followed up on and thoroughly investigated.
In addition to its marshalling of an impressive range of information, Lovecraftian Voyages also contains
many perceptive observations, the more remarkable given the relatively young age at which it was written. With
the advent, in particular, of Joshis sympathetic and copiously documented biography of Lovecraft in 1996, we may
now take many of these views as granted, but it has to be remembered that forty years ago Lovecraft was still a
much misunderstood writer, a fact that the long-awaited publication of Selected Letters (beginning in 1965) and
such revealing portraits as Willis Conovers Lovecraft at Last (1975) were then only starting to change. In these
particulars the treatise also points the way to what would come after.
SSWFT 183
One interesting feature of the book that can be here noted is that it is almost as much concerned with R. H.
Barlow, Lovecrafts youthful literary executive, as it is with Lovecraft himself; a fact that reflects Faigs parallel
and extensive research into Barlow which culminated in the pioneering monograph already mentioned in the
foreword. And as S. T. Joshi there remarks, it is indeed evident that L. Sprague de Camp utilized Voyages in his
1975 Lovecraft biography and in places relied heavily upon its findings; along with Faigs further work, it has
provided valuable primary research to other scholars as well. It may even be that the publication of de Camps
bookand the planned biographies of James D. Merritt and Robb Baker, even if in the end they never appeared
in part dissuaded him from seeking a general publication for a work cast in a less straightforward narrative format.
Be that as it may, what matters at this point, however, is that Faigs monograph is still of interest and its renewed
circulation is amply justified.
Since the writing of the book, a number of further correspondence files have surfaced and made their way to
Brown University, including those to F. Lee Baldwin and Clark Ashton Smith. The publication of Selected Letters
was completed in five volumes by Arkham House in 1976, but perhaps more notably, several unabridged cycles of
letters to individual correspondents have seen print during the last two decades. Of the letters examined in
holograph by Faig in John Hay Library and cited by him, principally those to E. Hoffmann Price and Duane W.
Rimel have yet to be fully published outside the extracts given in Selected Letters, while those to Elizabeth
Toldridge are just being issued as this book is going to press. With these necessary omissions in mind, we have
duly sought to supply additional references, for both the majority of the citations of Lovecrafts letters that at the
time of writing in 1973 were still unpublishedwhether wholly so or having been published only in condensed
form in Selected Lettersand also for other writings that have since then been issued in better editions. (Mention
of particular letters being unpublished has thus been accordingly removed. Most of these books can be found in the
list of abbreviations that follows, with full information given in the bibliography of works cited. For the Arkham
House trilogy of Lovecrafts fiction, the pagination of the original 1960s edition has been retained throughout.)
In presenting this book for publication, some consideration must also be given to the four decades of
subsequent scholarly work on Lovecrafts life and writings. While the text itselfaside from correcting a few
minor errors and inaccuracies now revealedhas largely been left to stand as it is, we have augmented it with a
number of additional annotations that provide further information. These can be distinguished from the authors
notes by being placed in brackets, either directly following them (usually as separate paragraphs) or as their own
endnotes, elucidating other points in the text. Faigs detailed calculations, forming the basis of his discussion of
Lovecrafts estimated revenue from his original fiction and poetry in chapter 15, are given in an appendix
preceding the notes.
We have also taken the liberty of adding chapter divisions to the original manuscript, in order to assist the
reader in locating a particular topic. In this manner of presentation, Lovecraftian Voyages can be read as a
connected sequence of essays that explore various Lovecraftian facets, as the overall title itself implies. The book is
also supplemented by what iswhile certainly not exhaustive probably to date the most complete listing of
works by and about Faig that has been assembled, celebrating his unstinting and continuing devotion to the study of
the Providence writer.
Finally, in bringing this book into print, we would like to acknowledge the kind assistance and
encouragement of Ned Brooks, John D. Haefele, S. T. Joshi, Marcos Legaria, and Graeme Phillips.
CHRISTOPHER M. OBRIEN
J.-M. RAJALA
SSWFT 184
Some Notes on the Commonplace Book
During the course of my Lovecraft research I have chanced to come upon a few bits of information that are related
to entries in Lovecrafts Commonplace Book but are not included among David E. Schultzs exhaustive
annotations for the invaluable 1987 Necronomicon Press edition. The following observations have been edited
from comments sent earlier to him and Chris Jarocha-Ernst (whose useful online compilation of commentary on
CB by divers hands can be accessed here: http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~cje/mythos/cb.html).
[64] Identityreconstruction of personalityman makes duplicate of himself.
DES suggests the influence of Poes William Wilson, but in an unpublished letter to William Frederick Anger
(24 April 1935) Lovecraft makes the following comment about the April 1935 Weird Tales cover story by Arthur
William Bernal that may be germane [see page 17 for the WT artwork]:
I liked The Man Who Was Two Menexceedingly clever idea. Indeed, the idea so resembles (& goes
beyond) one of my own that Ive removed the latter from my plot-book.
There is, however, a problem in that the entry number 64 had already been excised from the typescript version of
Commonplace Book when that was prepared by R. H. Barlow in 1934, almost a year before the above letter was
written; on the other hand, there does not seem to be any other (subsequently) deleted entry that Lovecraft could
mean. (The original ms. had been given to Barlow and he thus no longer had access to it.) It is difficult to conceive
that HPL here refers to some other, unknown notebook, although I suppose he could have been speaking somewhat
figuratively, merely meaning that he will drop the plot-kernel from considerationeven so, entry # 64 may be
related to the same notionor perhaps the explanation is that he had not yet actually gone and crossed it out when
composing the letter, therefore not realising that Barlow, as instructed, had earlier deleted it from the typescript that
Lovecraft retained. (I confess that I have yet to read the Bernal story in question, so could well be proven wrong
about my tentative identification of it with this entry, but I cannot for the moment think of a better match and it
does seem plausible enough, given the title of the story and the cover of the April 1935 Weird Tales issue for it.)
[127] Ancient and unknown ruinsstrange and immortal bird who speaks in a language
horrifying and revelatory to the explorers.
This entry may have been inspired by an anecdote about the German naturalist Alexander von Humboldt, who in
his travels in South America is reputed to have encountered a tribe with pet parrots that spoke the words of an
unknown, lost language; Humboldt was told that the parrots had been taken from another tribe, which had been
exterminated. As I suspected, this is mentioned in a footnote to Parrots in the 9th ed. of Encyclopaedia Britannica
(which HPL would have been familiar with, see above); q.v. note 3, p. 323:
In connexion with the speaking of Parrots, one of the most curious circumstances is that recorded by
Humboldt, who in South America met with a venerable bird which remained the sole possessor of a
literally dead language, the whole tribe of Indians, Atures by name, who alone had spoken it having
become extinct.
SSWFT 185
[154] Trophoniuscave of. Vide Class. Dict. and Atlantic article.
Schultz gives three options for the Dict. based on the catalogue of Lovecrafts library, but it seems to me that
Lovecraft likely intended Charles Anthons A Classical Dictionary: Containing an Account of the Principal Proper
Names Mentioned in Ancient Authors (1842, a work based on J. Lempires French Bibliotheca Classica), as that
contains an entry for Trophonius which would seem to be the source, when one also has in mind a letter reference
(SL 4.324): I have for years been thinking of basing a tale of the celebrated Oracle of Trophoniusthat yawning
cave whose knighted revelations were such that none who received them ever smiled again. The aforementioned
dictionary entry is worth quoting at lengthfor its charmingly archaic expression if nothing elseand below is a
suitable abridgment (with parenthetical notes indicating Classical sources removed):
TROPHONIUS, according to the common account, a celebrated architect, son of Erginus, king of
Orchomenus in Botia. [. . .] following the counsel of the Pythia, [Erginus] married and had two sons,
Trophonius and Agamedes, though some said Apollo was the father of the former. They became
distinguished architects and built the temple of Apollo at Delphi and a treasury for King Hyrieus. In the
wall of this last they placed a stone in such a manner that it could be taken out; and they, by this means,
from time to time purloined the treasure. This amazed Hyrieus: for his locks and seals were untouched,
and yet his wealth continually diminished. At length he set a trap for the thief, and Agamedes was caught.
Trophonius, unable to extricate him, and fearing that when found he would be compelled by torture to
discover his accomplice, cut of his head and carried it off. Trophonius himself is said to have been shortly
afterward swallowed up by the earth. [. . .] There was a celebrated oracle of Trophonius at Lebadea in
Botia. During a great drought the Botians were, it is said, directed by the god at Delphi to seek aid of
Trophonius in Lebadea. They came thither, but could find no oracle; one of them, however, happening to
see a swarm of bees, they followed them to a chasm in the earth, which proved to be the place sought.
After going through certain ceremonies, the individual who sought to inquire into futurity was conducted
to a chasm in the earth resembling an oven, and a ladder was furnished him by which to descend. After
reaching the bottom of the chasm, he lay down on the ground in a certain posture, and was immediately
drawn within a cavern, as if hurried away by the vortex of a most rapid river. Then he obtained the
knowledge of which he was in quest. In some cases this was given to the applicants through the medium
of the sight; at others through the hearing; but all returned through the same opening, and walked
backward as they returned. It is a common notion which we meet with in many modern works, that a
visiter [sic] to the cave of Trophonius never smiled after his return. The language of Pausanias, however,
expressly disproves this, for he observes that afterward the person recovers the use of his reason and
laughs just the same as before [. . .]
The full version of the Anthon book is available online. I have not been able to identify the specific Atlantic article
(for which DES again offers suggestions).

SSWFT 186
Addenda & Corrigenda to
An Index to the Selected Letters of H. P. Lovecraft
Additions and changes to existing entries are given in boldface; minor errors that do not materially affect the use of
either edition of the index are not listed. The revised 1991 printing supplies in many cases the full name of a person
unidentified in the 1980 one but is itself missing a number of entries (and two sub-entries under Lovecraft),
evidently due to typesetting errors.
1980 edition
Adams, Hazel Pratt: I.21011
Berry, Edward Wilbur: III.144
Boyd [possibly Ernest Boyd]: III.83
Bretanos > Brentanos : II.22
Brown [possibly Heywood Broun]: IV.257
Catholicism: see Roman Catholicism
Chapin, Charles V.: II.73
Collins, Joseph: III.72
Cour des Miracles (Hugo) > Cour des Miracles: I.270 [i.e., slum districts]
Doak [pseud. of Hugh Rankin]: V.131
Dowson, Ernest: III.12 [remove II.210?see errata]
Drer, Albrecht: III.180; V.343 [out of sequence]
Fielding, William John: III.72
Howard, John Tasker: V.54
Kramer, Heinrich: III.181
Kreps, Prof. [possibly Theodore John Kreps]: V.56
Lindsey, Judge Benjamin Barr: III.6, 70 [remove the entry Lindsey]
LOVECRAFT, H[OWARD] P[HILLIPS] Letters: see Letters and letter-writing
Masereel, Frans: II.273
McMullen, S. Lilian: I.124 [pseud.: Middleton, Lilian]
Millay, Edna St. Vincent: IV.110 [remove the entry St Millay, Edna Vincent]
Mller, Max: III.4 [not Millersee errata]
Norris, Benjamin Frank[lin], Jr: II.210?; IV.66, 93
Norris: IV.31 [remove II.210]
Porson, Richard: III.253 [remove the entry Parson]
Price, E[dgar] Hoffmann: [add II.155? and remove Price]
Rankin, Hugh: [. . .] See also Doak
Reed, James A.: V.58
Serenica > Sirenica (Leith): IV.329
Stinnes, Hugo: III.33
Stokeley > Stokley, James: V.422 [HPLs error]
Strachey, John: V.434
Under the Pyramids: see Imprisoned with the Pharaohs
SSWFT 187
Both editions
Alcuin of York: III.208 [remove the entry Almin]
Ballou, Elisabeth M.: I.19
Bordley, Thomas Kemp, Jr: V.[422?]
Cats: [. . .] See also Old Man (cat)
Cool Air: [remove II.114 (which discusses a different, unwritten story)]
Dawson [possibly Emma Frances Dawson]: II.210
Dustin, Dr Cecil Calvert: V.419
Helvtius, Claude Adrien: III.146 [remove queryalso from errata]
McGrath, Patrick: IV.129
Middleton, Lilian: see McMullen, S. Lilian
Munroe, Chester / Harold: [III.290 refers to Harold (Bateman) Munroe]
The Mystery of the Grave-yard: see Secret of the Grave, The
Norris, Mary Harriott: II.210?
Ponce de Len, Juan: III.374
Rosss Explorations: see Voyages of Capt. Ross, R.N.
Secret of the Grave, The [The Mystery of the Grave-yard?]: [. . .]
Sizzi, Francesco: I.45
Skyscrapers, The (astronomical society): V.422
Tyson, Lindsey (Pink): V.27273
Van Dusen, Washington: II.22
Vanguard Press: IV.37; V.317; erroneously [HPL] as Viking Press: IV.226
Viking Press: see Vanguard Press [not IV.296]
Voyages of Capt. Ross, R.N.: IV.67; as Rosss Explorations: V.237?
1991 edition
Boccacio, Giovanni: III.109, 265[66]
Bodenheim, Maxwell: II.257
Body Snatchers, The (Stevenson): II.210
Boethius, Anicius Manlius: III.41, 104, 208; IV.200
Boland, Stuart M[orton]: V.423
Bolingbroke, Henry St John, Viscount: II.270; III.269
Bolling, Tom: IV.227
Book of Dzyan, The: IV.155
Burks, Arthur J.: V.[288], 401
Clemens, Samuel Langhorne: see Twain, Mark
Gamwell, Annie E[meline] Phillips: I. 244, 246 > I.344, 346
Holmes, Sherlock: I.6778; IV.66
Leeds, Arthur: I.259, 34546, 361; II.3, 1314, 17, 20, 22, 123; III.311, 416; IV.129, 341; V.35, 91, 121, 210, 221, [256], 262
LeFanu, Joseph Sheridan : III.343; IV.[239]
Legend of Sleepy Hollow, The (Irving): II.249
Leiber, Fritz, Sr: V.340, 350, 43233
Leiber, Fritz, Jr: V.379, [417], 421, 43234
Leinster, Murray: II.161
SSWFT 188
Leiser, Adeline E.: I.177
Leith, W. Compton: IV.329
Lenin, Vladimir Ilyich: III.139; V.39, 395
Leo VI, Pope: II.294
Len, Juan Ponce de: see Ponce de Len, Juan
LOVECRAFT, H[OWARD] P[HILLIPS] Photographs of: I.170, 191, 193; II.19, 24, 307; IV.3024; V.22526, 407; Readings:
I.78, 19, 3435, 5455, 7274, 8990, 102, 105, 110, 122, 128, 214, 23334, 250, 255, 259, 287, 299300, 304,
310, 31415, 341, 358; II.12, 28, 36, 53, 55, 5758, 6263, 103, 1079, 118, 123, 160, 171, 174, 177, 186, 222, 277,
319, 328; III.206, 317, 4027; IV.3, 1415, 10910, 12526, 153, 196, 292, 375, 380, 390; V.26566, 389, 394
Picture in the House, The: I.162, 257; III.175; IV.112, 120; V.180, 203
Poe, Edgar Allan: V.1096 > V.106
Snow-Bound (Whittier): I.224
Snow-Shoes and Sledges (Munroe): I.105; IV.379
Socialism: II.132, 274, 35758; III.3, 78, 145, 188, 271, 305, 387; IV.133, 421; V.3941, 123, 145, 16162, 270, 284, 287,
293, 297, 313, 315, 321, 32426, 33033, 38891, 402, 406
Socrates: III.298, 301
Softly, Edward: I.73
Solomon, King: I.330
Solon: III.331; V.267
Some Dutch Footprints in New England: IV.[221], [287], [399]
Some Notes on Interplanetary Fiction: V.[14], 34950
Something from Above (Wandrei): IV.9
Sommer, William: I.352
When the Harvest Moon is Shining on the River: IV.65
Appendix I: Chronology of the Life of H. P. Lovecraft [additions]
1991 ed. 1922, June: Goes to Boston (I.18788)
1991 ed. 1932, Oct.: Visits Salem and Marblehead (IV.89, 99)
Appendix II: List of Lovecrafts Correspondents [corrections]
1991 ed. Morton, James Ferdinand: for 627, 629 read 617, 619
1991 ed. Smith, Clark Ashton: for 192 read 193
1980 ed. Wandrei, Donald: add 306; Wright, Farnsworth: remove 306
Appendix IV: Prose and Poetry Excerpts in the Selected Letters
1980 ed. Anonymous: remove erroneous reference to I.178
Appendix V: Errata in the Selected Letters [additions]
1980 ed. III.4 (line 33): for Miller read Mller
1991 ed. III.12 (line 22): for Dawson read Dowson
both eds.
III.208 (line 21): for Almin read Alcuin
III.290 (line 4): for Munro read Munroe
SSWFT 189
Mailing Comments for S.S.W.F.T. (mailing # 48)
The following remarks are pretty meagre and not very topical anymore, but Ill include them all the same, having
run out of time to write out the notes on the later mailings.
Martin Andersson / Hyperborean Exhalations:
Dya think F&Bll follow Weirder Shadows with Even More Weird Shadows over Innsmouth or something
like that? Now that REHs school assignments have been published, someone should do Lovecrafts juvenile
papersin facsimile.
Mike Barrett / The View from Koshtra Belorn:
Tried to look up some more information on John Morressy online, but there doesnt seem to be a whole lot
available.
Leigh Blackmore / Mantichore:
Hey, maybe HBO should use Yes! We Have No Bananas as a period piece in Boardwalk Empire! Cant
recall HPL ever mentioning a piano in his lettersbut maybe the instrument was involved to a degree in his violin
lessons, as a matter of course (demonstration of the chromatic progression, that sort of thing). Nice collectables.
Ive been meaning to get a copy of that Fresco issue myself.
Phillip A. Ellis / The Peripatetic Vole:
I seem to have almost everything in your Lovecraft checklist in my own bookshelfnever got Encyclopedia
Cthulhiana or the annotated Dell volumes, though (but I read the latter while in army). It takes a while to build a
collection, doesnt it?
John Haefele / Hesperia:
Regarding Ben Abramson, Lovecraft himself wrote one (and only one, I think) letter to the bookseller, now
in the Wisconsin Historical Society (and partially published in Abramsons Reading and Collecting magazine,
reprinted in Uncollected Letters [Necronomicon Press]). His 1948 Argus Books catalogue lists for sale Lovecrafts
correspondence to Walter J. Coates, Richard Ely Morse and Paul J. Campbell. Perhaps his acquisition of those is
mentioned in the letters to DerlethI wonder if he was given a chance to transcribe them (although theres nothing
in Selected Letters).
Earl Livings / The Wanderings of ElKhestor:
Polishing up this issue, I realise that I still havent bought a copy of Avatars of WizardryI guess I should
keep better notes of what to purchase, as there are so many things. This type of narratological analysis is quite
unfamiliar to me, but Im certainly reminded that I need to get down to some Conan re-reading before long. Come
to think of it, The Tower of the Elephant may have been the first Conan tale by Howard that I readnot the first
story by him, though, as that was, aet 13, Pigeons from Hell (which followed HPLs The Rats in the Walls in
an anthologya strong start to be sure, and not quite lived up by the later Weird Tales selections in the book).
SSWFT 190
Fred Phillips / Sercon:
H. L. Menckens dictum There is no
record in human history of a happy
philosopher may not be entirely accurate, I
grant that. . . but I think theres still much
truth in it. Lucretius of the De Rerum
Natura fame was a clever fellow, wasnt
hekind of figuring out Brownian motion
and all.
Scott A. Sheaffer
The Dalriadic Chronicles:
I have thought about getting a tablet
of some sort, but havent purchased one
yettoo many printed books at hand to read
at the moment, so better to hold out for a
while, as improved models roll out. Finally
registered to iTunes recently, thoughto
purchase the exclusive Beatles Bootleg
Recordings 1963 release (a/k/a. the copy-
right extension collection). I like to have
my music in physical format when possible,
however. It would be interesting to see
some sales/download figures for the
Hodgson e-books.
Bryce Stevens / Choking Dog Gazette:
As noted by Scott in mailing #49, the Francis Stevens blurb attributed to Lovecraft actually comes from a
letter written by one Augustus T. Swift, thought to be a pseudonym of HPL because the name seems unlikely and
this persons letters were written from Providence. I think Lovecraft more or less stopped reading the Munsey pulps
after joining U.A.P.A. in 1914, but might have encountered her work in an occasional issue, however. I cant find
Stevens/Bennetts name (pen or real) in the indexes to any of the published letters, though. (Again I find that a
single index volume would have been of use. . . .)

Seasons Bierceism: learning, n. The kind of ignorance distinguishing the studious.
SSWFT 191

a letter from L. Sprague de Camp to Samuel Loveman, concerning the latters file of correspondence from H. P. Lovecraft
SSWFT 192

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