The New Annotated H. P. Lovecraft

August 25, 2014
Klinger’s most controversial claim in this new compilation is that the late horror maestro Lovecraft’s work encapsulates the fears of the average man. Stories such as “Beyond the Wall of Sleep” and “At the Mountains of Madness” seem at best tangentially related to the unifying theme of the “Arkham cycle” that Klinger advances. His outline of the historical evolution of horror literature provides useful insight into the influences on Lovecraft’s style and the evolution of the pulp magazine industry that gave him a literary outlet. The biographical entry skims the surface of a complex individual’s life, but the presence of several apparently clashing views illustrates the difficulty and ultimate futility of rendering a single verdict on a writer. Despite Klinger’s stated goal of expanding Lovecraft’s audience, the exhaustive historical background and biographical information he supplies (familiar to readers of 2004’s The New Annotated Sherlock Holmes) will appeal more to the fan than the neophyte, and with Lovecraft’s 125th birthday just around the corner, in 2015, committed enthusiasts may prefer to discuss new scholarly analysis rather than revisit familiar ground.

July 1, 2019
Klinger complements 2014’s The New Annotated H.P. Lovecraft with another insightful volume focusing on Lovecraft’s most significant non–Cthulhu Mythos stories, such as The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath and The Doom That Came to Sarnath. As always, Klinger’s treatment of the material allows readers to form their own opinions of the works’ deeper meanings, approaching the tales “as thrilling entertainment” rather than applying “psychoanalytic or deconstructive techniques.” Klinger enriches the reader’s appreciation with his explanations. For example, the haunting “The Music of Erich Zann” features a mute viol player who uses his music to try to fend off an ominous threat; Klinger explains what a viol is and explores whether that instrument could produce the sounds attributed to it by the unnamed narrator. The volume is enhanced by a thought-provoking introduction from African-American novelist Victor LaValle (The Changeling), who tackles the dilemma of enjoying Lovecraft’s work and appreciating his place in the canon while acknowledging his racism. Lovecraft scholars and fans will find this work enjoyable and educational.

May 15, 2014
H(oward) P(hillips) Lovecraft (18901937) posthumously earned a reputation for outstanding short story writing in the horror genre. The irony is that, during his lifetime, he appeared in print only in the so-called pulp magazines and appreciation for his work was modest. But as expressed in Alan Moore's on-target introduction here, in the years following Lovecraft's death, the mesmerizing power of his language and imagination gained him a wider and more enthusiastic readership than he would have ever imagined for himself. The foreword by Leslie S. Klinger is a highly informative history of the horror genre and a trenchant summary of Lovecraft's life, all of which preface the primary section of this giant book, a presentation of 22 of Lovecraft's most significant stories, each fully annotated with identifications of people and places, definitions of unfamiliar vocabulary, and background explanations of mentioned literary works. This impressive book can be used two ways, either for checkout in circulating horror collections or for in-house-only reference.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)