Do you collect Arkham House?

[Knygathin]

I don't really collect them, but have a few. When I discovered Lovecraft in my teens (by reading about him, and seeing some irresistibly lurid artwork on a gamebox*), I figured, to do this right I must have his work in Arkham House, because that publisher seemed synonomous with him. I never started with a paperback, to get my feet wet, but immediately ordered the three volumes of his collected stories from Sauk City, US. And receiving them, I was not disappointed - complete magic. These were followed by Selected Letters. And then most of the works by Clark Ashton Smith, all the way back to the first publication long past out of print.






The most attractive Arkham House books - besides the very first 1939 publication with the fantastic Virgil Finlay art - are possibly the ones with lush Hannes Bok illustrations: The House on the Borderland and Skull-Face and Others. At the same time those dust jackets are almost too beautiful, and look kind of cute, like children's books. The Howard volume doesn't really relate to, or evoke anything, from his tales. What do you think?









* The back of the CALL Of CTHULHU gamebox

 

[andydecker]

Aug 8, 2023 22:24:03 GMT Knygathin said:

At the same time those dust jackets are almost too beautiful, and look kind of cute, like children's books. The Howard volume doesn't really relate to, or evoke anything, from his tales. What do you think?

They are indeed done with restraint. I like them, but it is kind of difficult to take them serious. The orc killing Moby Dick on the cover of Dagon is hilarious. On the other hand they were a child of their times, I guess. Do you have the book by Joshi about Arkam House, Sixty Years of Arkham House? Never seen it, but I gather there are a lot of background informations in this.

I don't have any of their books. When I became aware of them they already were in the realm of expensive rarities. And most of the material is/was avaiable later elsewhere.

[Knygathin]

Aug 9, 2023 8:39:12 GMT andydecker said:

They are indeed done with restraint. I like them, but it is kind of difficult to take them serious. The orc killing Moby Dick on the cover of Dagon is hilarious. On the other hand they were a child of their times, I guess. Do you have the book by Joshi about Arkam House, Sixty Years of Arkham House? 

I don't have Sixty Years of Arkham House.

Indeed, it is hilarious. But I loved all three volumes. (I sold them, when later updating to the 'corrected editions', which I deeply regret today.) Yes, "a child of their times". Realism wasn't so important back then, I think, ... it was more about atmosphere, and feeling. The cover artist Lee Brown Coye brought about a sense of the dark and old, and grubby, completely free from commercial obsequiousness. But I believe, that even back then Virgil Finlay had a much higher status, with his refined drawings.

Concerning Robert E. Howard, I think the real deal was Gnome Press. But I was too late to the game. And I prefer now to have corrected texts, as in the Wandering Star/ Del Rey editions.

[andydecker]

Aug 9, 2023 12:14:31 GMT Knygathin said:

Concerning Robert E. Howard, I think the real deal was Gnome Press. But I was too late to the game. And I prefer now to have corrected texts, as in the Wandering Star/ Del Rey editions.

Apparently Gnome Press was already censored as far as some terms were concerned. I don't remember where I read this in an article, but remember I was rather surprised by this. Always thought this was a millennial thing. 

Wandering Star/Del Rey may be the best edition we got.

[jamesdoig]

Aug 8, 2023 22:24:03 GMT Knygathin said:

I don't really collect them, but have a few.

I've got about 30 AH books, but most recent volumes from the 70s and 80s. The earliest one I have is that Dagon you've shown (is it 1963?). It would be nice to own some of the early ones - the Hodgson and Howard, and the early editions of Bradbury, Leiber and Bloch, but I can't justify the cost. Once I picked the Hodgson volume for an amazingly cheap AU$70 on ebay - unfortunately the seller just shoved it into an Australia Post plastic bag and sent it without wrapping it in bubble wrap or boxing it - by the time it arrived it was ruined and I had to send it back.

[Knygathin]

The Lovecraft volumes above came 1963, 1964, and 1965, in the order the pictures stand.

Jamesdoig, pity about the Hodgson volume. It should have been handled with respect.

[Knygathin]

L. P. Hartley's The Travelling Grave and Other Stories (1948) is another beauty, with cover art by Frank Utpatel depicting "A Visitor from Down Under". This book was shortly afterwards released in UK, but then with a cover illustration showing "The Travelling Grave".

[piglingbland]

I began collecting Arkham House books in 1966 and have a modest collection. In those days I ordered them from G. Ken Chapman, a dealer in antiquarian books who was the UK agent for AH titles. My first book was The Dark Brotherhood and Other Pieces, by H.P. Lovecraft & Diverse Hands. It had a Frank Utpatel cover, but not one of his best. It was always with a sense of excitement when I received a mailing from Chapman and I began to collect earlier titles as well as new books. I still have all the invoices and the one for The Dark Brotherhood was for £1 and 15 shillings... copies now sell upwards to £300! My copy would probably be worth half that as it's not in fine condition, but pretty good.

www.isfdb.org/wiki/images/6/68/THDRKBRTHR1966.jpg

[Knygathin]

Aug 14, 2023 14:44:44 GMT piglingbland said:

I began collecting Arkham House books in 1966 and have a modest collection. In those days I ordered them from G. Ken Chapman, a dealer in antiquarian books who was the UK agent for AH titles. My first book was The Dark Brotherhood and Other Pieces, by H.P. Lovecraft & Diverse Hands. It had a Frank Utpatel cover, but not one of his best. ...

www.isfdb.org/wiki/images/6/68/THDRKBRTHR1966.jpg

Yea well, its components look segregated, and the colour kinda dull - but I still think it's got class! A fine effort.

Utpatel made another portrait of Lovecraft, on Frank Belknap Long's Dreamer on the Night Side - I never could work up enthusiasm for that dustjacket. And found the book dull reading, so I sold it. I was pretty young then. Perhaps I should have kept it. ... ??

Back in 1966 I bet you could make very fine finds! But I understand that the earliest AH publications were already expensive.

[piglingbland]

I agree that Utpatel's cover for Dreamer on the Nightside isn't great. Better, perhaps more whimsical work can be see on Stanley McNail's collection of poetry, Something Breathing (AH 1965) and Over the Edge, edited by Derleth (AH 1964).

Something Breathing

Over the Edge

[Knygathin]

There is an ethereal quality to Utpatel's work (Over the Edge). His cover for The Shadow Over Innsmouth (1936) (although not Arkham House) is fantastic in its non pedantic exploding expressionism.


Lovecraft Remembered is a nice Arkham House volume, with cover by the great New England local Jacon C. Eckhardt. A very enjoyable and wonderful book, full of interesting memoirs of Lovecraft.

[helrunar]

That painting is really exquisite, though it's kind of strange that Augie Derleth is in front since they never met.

Thanks for the scan, Knythagin!

Hel.

[Knygathin]

Aug 21, 2023 18:08:35 GMT helrunar said:

That painting is really exquisite, though it's kind of strange that Augie Derleth is in front since they never met.

You've got a point there. He remembered Lovecraft through their correspondence. Same with Clark Ashton Smith and Robert E. Howard.

But the most fascinating memoirs in the book are naturally by those who actually met him, and observed his appearance, behaviour and quirks, at close hand.