The Outsider and Others

Arkham House

First Printing, 1939; edition of 1200 copies

Hardcover; 553 pp.

Cover art by Virgil Finlay

Lovecraft's first published collection and Arkham House's first book, it is one of the rarest and most valuable editions of Lovecraft's work; includes the title story, plus 35 others, as well as his famous essay on Supernatural Horror in Literature

 

The Lurker at the Threshold

Arkham House

First Printing, 1945; edition of 3000 copies

Hardcover; 196 pp.

Cover art by Ronald Clyne

Features the title story, a tale left unfinished by Lovecraft at his death, completed by August Derleth; it is a tale of the Great Old Ones, Cthulhu, Yog Sothoth, and other figures of the Cthulhu Mythos.

 

The Shuttered Room & Other Pieces

Arkham House

First Printing, 1959; edition of 2500 copies

Hardcover; 313 pp.

Cover art by Richard Taylor

The 20th anniversary Arkham House publication features a collection of stories and essays by Lovecraft, Derleth, and other of his friends and admirers.

 

Dreams and Fancies

Arkham House

First Printing, 1962; edition of 2000 copies

Hardcover; 174 pp.

Cover art by Richard Taylor

Collects the stories of Lovecraft that he acknowledged to have originated in his dreams: Nyarlathotep, The Thing in the Moonlight, The Shadow Out of Time, and five others.

 

The Dunwich Horror and Others

Arkham House

First Printing, 1963; edition of 4000 copies

Hardcover; 431 pp.

Cover art by Virgil Finlay

The first volume in the collected works of H.P. Lovecraft, featuring an introduction by August Derleth; preserves the best of Lovecraft's short stories, including the title story, plus Pickman's Model, The Rats in the Walls, The Outsider, and twelve others.

 

At the Mountains of Madness

Arkham House

First Printing, 1964; edition of 4000 copies

Hardcover; 432 pp.

Cover art by Lee Brown Coye

The second volume in the collected works of H.P. Lovecraft preserves his novel length tales; includes the title novel, plus The Shunned House, The Case of Charles Dexter Ward, and five others.

 

Dagon & Other Macabre Tales

Arkham House

First Printing, 1965; edition of 4000 copies

Hardcover; 413 pp.

Cover art by Lee Brown Coye

The third volume in the collected works of H.P. Lovecraft; includes the title story, plus The Tomb, The Lurking Fear, Beyond the Wall of Sleep, and 34 other stories and story fragments.

 

The Dark Brotherhood and Other Pieces

Arkham House

First Printing, 1966; edition of 3500 copies

Hardcover; 321 pp.

Cover art by Frank Utpatel

Collection of stories, essays, and a play by Lovecraft, plus collaborations, a biography, letters, and other items.

 

3 Tales of Horror

Arkham House

First Printing, 1967; edition of 3000 copies

Hardcover; 134 pp.

Cover art and 15 full page illustrations by Lee Brown Coye

Special oversize volume featuring three of Lovecraft's best tales: The Colour Out of Space, The Dunwich Horror, and The Thing on the Doorstep.

 

The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath

Ballantine Books Adult Fantasy Series

First Printing, May 1970

Paperback; 242 pp.

Edited, with introduction and notes, by Lin Carter

Cover art by Gervasio Gallardo

Six tales from Lovecraft's "Dunsanian" period, including the short title novel.

 

The Doom That Came to Sarnath

Ballantine Books Adult Fantasy Series

First Printing, February 1971

Paperback; 208 pp.

Edited, with introduction and notes, by Lin Carter

Cover art by Gervasio Gallardo

More tales from Lovecraft's "Dunsanian" period, including the title story and 19 others.

 

Fungi From Yuggoth & Other Poems

Ballantine Books

First Printing, February 1971

Paperback; 138 pp.

Foreword by August Derleth

Cover art by Gervasio Gallardo; illustrations by Frank Utpatel

Reprint of the 1963 Arkham House collection titled Collected Poems.

 

The Survivor & Others

Ballantine Books

First Printing, February 1971

Paperback; 143 pp.

Cover art by Gervasio Gallardo

Reprint of the 1957 Arkham House collection of the same name; includes seven unfinished Lovecraft stories completed by August Derleth.

 

The Spawn of Cthulhu

Ballantine Books Adult Fantasy Series

First Printing, October 1971

Paperback; 274 pp.

Edited, with introduction and notes, by Lin Carter

Cover art by Gervasio Gallardo

22 stories, including all of Smith's Atlantean and Lemurian tales, plus others.

 

To Quebec and the Stars

Donald M. Grant

First Printing, 1976

Hardcover; 318 pp.

Cover art by Robert MacIntyre

Edited by L. Sprague de Camp

A collection of 17 nonfiction writings by Lovecraft, organized into four topics: Science, Literature, Philosophy, and Travel.

 

A Winter Wish and Other Poems

Whispers Press

First Printing, 1977; edition of 2000 copies

Hardcover; 180 pp.

Cover art by Stephen Fabian

Edited by Tom Collins

A collection of all of Lovecraft's poetry, over 100 poems in all, including some previously unpublished works.
Howard Phillips Lovecraft never saw a collection of his own work published during his lifetime.

H. P. Lovecraft
1890-1937
However, since his death in 1937 he has never been out of print, and there have literally been hundreds of different editions published around the world. Over the years, several dozen of these have found their way into my personal library. For this feature, as with the other authors I have presented on this site, I have selected some of my favorites. Foremost among these is the first book shown at left: The Outsider and Others. This book is arguably the most significant edition of Lovecraft's work ever published. As such, it is also one of the rarest and most valuable. It is significant because it marks two firsts in one volume: it is the first collection of Lovecraft's work ever published, and it is the first book published by Arkham House, the specialty press formed by Lovecraft friends and admirers August Derleth and Donald Wandrei for the purpose of preserving his works in print. Other notable features of this edition are its cover art by the great Virgil Finlay and its size: 10" x 7". Arkham House books were typically much smaller, and only three AH titles were ever printed in this oversized format. Besides the Outsider, these included W.H. Hodgson's House on the Borderland (see my Hodgson feature) and Skull-Face and Others by Robert E. Howard.