The Outsider and Others

6b H. P. Lovecraft. Collected by August Derleth and Donald Wanrei. Wisconsin: Arkham House, 1939. 

Notes

The Outsider and Others, published in 1939, is a significant collection of stories by H. P. Lovecraft, issued shortly after his death and representing the first major attempt to gather his work in book form. The volume includes some of Lovecraft’s most important tales, spanning supernatural horror and the emerging framework of what would later be known as the Cthulhu Mythos. Stories such as The Call of Cthulhu, The Dunwich Horror, and The Colour Out of Space helped establish his distinctive voice, characterized by cosmic dread, the insignificance of humanity, and the presence of ancient, unknowable forces beyond human comprehension.

Lovecraft (1890–1937) spent much of his career publishing in pulp magazines, particularly Weird Tales, and achieved little commercial success during his lifetime. The Outsider and Others was published by Arkham House founded by August Derleth and Donald Wandrei specifically to preserve and promote Lovecraft’s work. This edition is especially notable as the first hardcover appearance of many of his stories, marking a turning point in the recognition of his literary significance.

Today, The Outsider and Others is regarded as a landmark publication in the history of horror and weird fiction, playing a crucial role in elevating Lovecraft from a relatively obscure pulp writer to a central figure in twentieth-century literature. The volume’s lasting importance lies not only in the stories it contains but also in its role in shaping Lovecraft’s posthumous reputation and the enduring legacy of cosmic horror.

Description

Black canvas binding with gilt lettering to spine. Original dust wrapper. Pastedown to title page of cut out of the poem Arkham by Robert E. Howard from an August 1932 edition of Weird Tales Magazine which has bled through a rebranding mark onto the previous page and next two pages. Minimal creasing to corners of head of spine. Fine condition. 

Poem Reads:

Drowsy and dull with age the houses blink,
On aimless streets the rat-gnawed years forget—
But what inhuman figures leer and slink
Down the old alleys when the moon has set?