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Post by Jojo Lapin X on Aug 23, 2012 20:10:39 GMT
Say what? Phyllis A Whitney had a story in Weird Tales? The Phyllis A Whitney?
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Post by dem bones on Aug 23, 2012 21:08:11 GMT
Say what? Phyllis A Whitney had a story in Weird Tales? The Phyllis A Whitney? Unless there's two of them. The Silver Bullet was her solitary contribution to the magazine, which is a terrible shame as it's pure 'thirties pulp horror gold. I'm guessing the mystery novels are a bit good then?
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Post by ramseycampbell on Aug 23, 2012 21:12:01 GMT
Not to be difficult, but "The Curse of Yig" is essentially Lovecraft - forgive me if someone already said so.
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Post by dem bones on Aug 23, 2012 21:17:01 GMT
Not to be difficult, but "The Curse of Yig" is essentially Lovecraft - forgive me if someone already said so. How about The Horror In The Museum? I wasn't really sure about that one either.
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Post by cauldronbrewer on Aug 23, 2012 23:59:57 GMT
No reprints. The stories have to be original to a pulp publication. Are we going to include stories by women who already feature in Weird Tales volumes, or do we go for an all-new 'rivals of WT' line-up? So far, I've gone with one author included in the earlier set. It would be good, however, to cover a wide range of magazines. Fortunately, we already seem to be well on our way to doing so. Not to be difficult, but "The Curse of Yig" is essentially Lovecraft - forgive me if someone already said so. Right. I was torn about that one. Maybe Whitney's story can take the place of Bishop's. My first set of nominations for the "Rivals of Weird Tales" volume: Sophie Wenzel EllisEllis seems to have been fond of the color white. Her White Wizard (1929) from Weird Tales didn’t make my cut, but White Lady (1943) from Strange Tales does. Leigh BrackettBrackett is best known as a writer of "planetary romances" or "science fantasy" (by any name, her work in that genre is outstanding). One of her earliest tales, however, is a fine little piece of horror in Strange Stories, The Tapestry Gate (1940). Jane RiceRice contributed several stories to Unknown. The obvious choice is the aforementioned The Idol of the Flies (1942), but the less familiar The Crest of the Wave (1941) is worthy of consideration, too. Margaret St. ClairI included St. Clair in each of the first two hypothetical volumes, but her work outside of Weird Tales is too good to omit. My pick here is The Counter Charm (1949), a Famous Fantastic Mysteries story that reveals one of the dangers of pissing off your illustrator. Shirley JacksonWhen she wasn’t slumming in trashy rags like The New Yorker, Jackson (a self-professed Unknown fan) was publishing in the Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. The popular choice here would probably be One Ordinary Day, with Peanuts (1955). Still, I prefer The Missing Girl (1957); like her most underrated novel, The Sundial, it stirs an undercurrent of dread into some great black comedy.
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Post by dem bones on Aug 24, 2012 5:43:27 GMT
My pick here is The Counter Charm (1949), a Famous Fantastic Mysteries story that reveals one of the dangers of pissing off your illustrator. Now this I must read. Yeah, it might be an idea to drop The Curse Of Yig. Last thing we need is the Lovecraft lynch mob on our case, and besides, it's relatively easy to find. Phyllis is a more than capable substitute. Had a look through Arthur Metzger's booklet, An Index & Short History of Unknown (T-K Graphics, 1976) and was astonished at how few women made it into their pages. Anna Hunger - Come: ( Magazine Of Horror #22, July, 1968). As rcently selected by John Pelan for Century's Best HorrorRosemary Timperley - Dreams Are More Than Shadows and Viola Bowker Ririe - House Of Evil, from London Mystery Magazine #31, Dec. 1956. Two from the same issue might seem like overkill, but it could well have been three, as the opening ghost story is Muriel Spark's The Leaf Sweeper. Dreams Are More ... is a particularly bleak incubus story, House Of Evil horror melodrama at its most ... petrifying. Bert Tanner (Poul Anderson's The Place Of Pain. MFSF, Feb. 1973) Lisa Tuttle - Dollburger: Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Feb 1973; issue also includes Robert Aickman's Pages From A Young Girl's Journal, so quite a good one.
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Post by Jojo Lapin X on Aug 24, 2012 8:39:00 GMT
I'm guessing the mystery novels are a bit good then? I have only read one, at least recently, and it was not very compelling.
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Post by ramseycampbell on Aug 24, 2012 10:44:43 GMT
Not to be difficult, but "The Curse of Yig" is essentially Lovecraft - forgive me if someone already said so. How about The Horror In The Museum? I wasn't really sure about that one either. That's Lovecraft too, Dem. He described it as "virtually his own work", based on a synopsis he largely discarded.
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Post by cauldronbrewer on Aug 24, 2012 11:49:15 GMT
My pick here is The Counter Charm (1949), a Famous Fantastic Mysteries story that reveals one of the dangers of pissing off your illustrator. Now this I must read. It's included in the anthology Famous Fantastic Mysteries, edited by Dziemianowicz, Weinberg, Greenberg. That's also where I found the following: C. L. MooreThe creator of Northwest Smith and Jirel of Joiry took a break from Weird Tales to publish Daemon (1946), a beautifully told story of a man who can see spirits on an island belonging to a certain flute-playing Greek god. To represent the short-lived Beyond, I was originally going to go with a story by Wyman Guin. It turns out that Guin was a man, however, so the following author gets the nod: Zenna HendersonBest known for her stories about "The People," Henderson also contributed a short creep-fest, Hush (1953), to Beyond. Had a look through Arthur Metzger's booklet, An Index & Short History of Unknown (T-K Graphics, 1976) and was astonished at how few women made it into their pages. I had the same reaction. It's Jane Rice, Dorothy Quick, Mona Farnsworth, and that's pretty much it.
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Post by dem bones on Aug 24, 2012 12:44:26 GMT
I have only read one, at least recently, and it was not very compelling. If one of her Gothics should show up, would still be inclined tio give it a go. The Silver Bullet is very much my kind of thing, has something of that The City Of The Dead/ Horror Hotel atmosphere about it although, admittedly, it's not quite as grim. How about The Horror In The Museum? I wasn't really sure about that one either. That's Lovecraft too, Dem. He described it as "virtually his own work", based on a synopsis he largely discarded. Thank you, Ramsey. It's another that's easy to find at budget price - the Wordsworth edition (2010), which also includes the similarly problematic The Curse Of Yig, is still available at £2.99 - so we might just as well drop it, though it's sad to see the back of Stephen Jones. Incidentally, what is the current state of thinking regarding authorship of The Loved Dead? Up until the mid-sixties, Muriel C. Eddy, in a letter informing the Magazine Of Horror readership of Clifford's death (quoted HERE), clearly believed that her husband wrote it, albeit with input from Lovecraft, and while the story certainly reads like HPL in Herbert West: Re-animator mode, it's hard to imagine him, uh, letting himself go like that. Zenna HendersonBest known for her stories about "The People," Henderson also contributed a short creep-fest, Hush (1953), to Beyond. Which, would you credit it, is up next in Peter Haining's Scary!. I don't have the Famous Fantastic Mysteries collection, but luckily, The Counter Charm is available to read at the increasingly invaluable unz org. *hey, CB. if you've not done so, check your PMs*
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Post by Jojo Lapin X on Aug 24, 2012 13:22:00 GMT
If one of her Gothics should show up, would still be inclined tio give it a go. The one Whitney I have read, HUNTER'S GREEN, belongs to what I term the Mary Stewart school of Gothic---safe, tame, morally clear-cut stories suitable for ladies of a nervous disposition. Unlike the Victoria Holt school, where there are several layers of irony and the "heroine" may well turn out to be the real villain of the piece. For an example of the latter, I recommend Holt's THE LEGEND OF THE SEVENTH VIRGIN, a truly subversive work.
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Post by ramseycampbell on Aug 24, 2012 13:51:05 GMT
Incidentally, what is the current state of thinking regarding authorship of The Loved Dead? Up until the mid-sixties, Muriel C. Eddy, in a letter informing the Magazine Of Horror readership of Clifford's death (quoted HERE), clearly believed that her husband wrote it, albeit with input from Lovecraft, and while the story certainly reads like HPL in Herbert West: Re-animator mode, it's hard to imagine him, uh, letting himself go like that. I've seen it said that Lovecraft only offered advice to Eddy on the tale. Supposedly this edition is based on the original manuscript, but I haven't seen the book: www.fenhampublishing.com/11643.html
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Post by dem bones on Aug 24, 2012 19:50:17 GMT
The one Whitney I have read, HUNTER'S GREEN, belongs to what I term the Mary Stewart school of Gothic---safe, tame, morally clear-cut stories suitable for ladies of a nervous disposition. Unlike the Victoria Holt school, where there are several layers of irony and the "heroine" may well turn out to be the real villain of the piece. For an example of the latter, I recommend Holt's THE LEGEND OF THE SEVENTH VIRGIN, a truly subversive work. Sarah of the excellent My Love Haunted Heart is a big Victoria Holt fan, citing On the Night of the Seventh Moon as a particular favourite (interview, After Dark In The Playing Fields, Sept. 2011). I've seen it said that Lovecraft only offered advice to Eddy on the tale. Supposedly this edition is based on the original manuscript, but I haven't seen the book: www.fenhampublishing.com/11643.htmlof course you realise that, even if you'd produced conclusive evidence that every word was Lovecraft's, it would still be C. M. Eddy's story to me! typical bloody irrational horror fan! Can't remember which Colin Wilson book it is, maybe Criminal History Of Mankind, where he devotes plenty space to Lovecraft's The Picture In The House and Eddy's The Loved Dead? It was the first i'd heard of either man, and i was fascinated by their perverse choice of subject matter, made it my business to seek out those stories as a matter of urgency.
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Post by ramseycampbell on Aug 24, 2012 20:48:23 GMT
The Wilson book is The Strength to Dream, I think - the one that prompted Derleth to challenge him to write a Lovecraftian tale.
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Post by dem bones on Aug 25, 2012 9:06:01 GMT
Ah, i'm wondering if he revised/ incorperated some of the material into one of the later, blockbuster efforts like Occult, as that title isn't ringing any bells. If I remember (which is doubtful), Monk Lewis and de Sade came into it too. Back with 'Rivals of the Women of Weird Tales', Warming the subs bench but likely to come on later in the game, Miriam Allen de Ford's 'Laughing Moths[/i], a were-lepidoptera marrow-chiller from the second issue of the magnificent Shock: The Magazine of Terrifying Tales (July, 1960)
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