The Annotated H.P. Lovecraft

This attractively packaged collection, edited by preeminent H. P. Lovecraft scholar S. T. Joshi, is a treat for long-time enthusiasts and newcomers alike. Joshi provides newly corrected text and footnotes for three superb stories--"The Rats in the Walls," "The Colour out of Space," and "The Dunwich Horror"--as well as the novella "At the Mountains of Madness,"acknowledged as Lovecraft's masterpiece. He explains the origins of place and character names, tracks influences from Lovecraft's reading, defines unusual words such as "nefandous" and "cyclopean," and clarifies which of the cited occult texts are fictional and which are real. The Annotated H. P. Lovecraft also includes a biographical introduction, comments from contemporary horror writers, excerpts from letters presenting Lovecraft's own theories about weird fiction, a critical summary of Lovecraft movies, a select bibliography, and numerous black-and-white photographs. Don't make the mistake of thinking that The Annotated H. P. Lovecraft is just another Lovecraft collection: Joshi has distilled decades of learning into well-chosen observations that are a delight to read.