Eldritch Tales: A Miscellany of the Macabre

Reading some of the reviews of this book you may get the impression that it is a lesser work than its companion "Necronomicon- the best weird tales of H P Lovecraft". In my opinion, not so. True, "Necronomicon" contains HPL's most well known, influential and (I agree) best fiction; but as such, these are stories easily found in a hundred other collections and anthologies . The joy of "Eldritch Tales" is the variety of othewise hard to find material that it contains. Sure, some of the early writings included are far from being the author's best works, but they give a fascinating glimpse at the way his style and content developed. The revisions of other writer's work are similarly fascinating. For me, the poetry was the most enjoyable aspect of the book. "Fungi from Yuggoth" is a collection of gems. 36 sonnets ranging from wistful homages to his New England home, to little nuggets of the sinister. Some, like "The Well" and "The Familiars" manage to condense a whole horror story into 14 rhyming lines! The volume also contains his excellent essay "Supernatural Horror in Literature". Who could ask for more. (This volume is also mercifully free of the many spelling mistakes and other typographic errors that blight "Necronomicon").

Let's be clear, if you are looking for an introductory volume to this author, then buy the brick-like hard back that is the Necronomicon from the same publisher. This volume is not a part two, this is a collection of fiction, poems and essays for the hardcore fan. And, as a hardcore fan, I think have their have done a valuable job in collecting this content together and getting into one matching volume. It's not that the quality of the stories or content is somehow 'less' but I would certainly say it is different and not as accessiable to the general reader. The look and feel of the book is similar to the Necronomicon, we have the black cover, embossed title and spooky feel. The two certainly belong together but rather than a part two or brother, this collection is rather like a bizare and unruly cousin. Poetry warning - if you can't handle some weird poetry then avoid this. I love it, it's part of the mythos but if you aren't a reader of it, then you can pick up these stories elsewhere although many are widely scattered. This volume includes Lovecraft's amazing essay on horror which is a set text in the genre and content by Stephen Jones, whose creditionals are impressive. Some reviewers have rightly warned that this is not a volume for a reader new to this author and I can only agree with this. It's a dark and twisted corner which may not be to everyone's taste so don't go wandering unless you are prepared to mix it up with some of the less well-known stories, some collaborations and poems. You have been warned!

What can I say - H.P. was an absolute genius with an imagination to match, and this beautiful volume is the perfect companion to the "Necronomicon." If you love HPL you will love this book. Many of the early tales are patchy and not so impressive, but still interesting, and the poetry is weird and wonderful. If you are new to HPL then the Necronomicon is the book to go for, it contains all of his most memorable tales and is a better introduction to the author than Eldrich Tales, which is probably a book for the real aficionado. But I am very glad I treated myself to this lovely book, and together with the Necronomicon it has pride of place on my bookshelf.

I'm new to HP Lovecraft but have completely fallen under the spell woven by his tales and poems. This is reputedly a companion to the Necronomicon collection and many say it is the lesser of the two books. I'd disagree I think both books are equal in stature, in fact having now read both I would say that there is more variation in this volume in comparison to The Necronomicon which, especially towards the end shows that some of the tales contained therein have a very similar theme. Please you learned Lovecraftians don't be offended by my opinion I'm just assessing this as a newcomer to the author. Both books I reckon are worthy of the 5 star treatment anyway. Favourite tale is probably the Moon Bog with it's description of the wraiths and whole feel of a haunted landscape, immediately prior to that also is a wonderful poem Halloween in a Suburb with thelines "And the ghouls of the churchyard wail for harvests that fly and fail" ... delicious!

Following on the heels of The Necronomicon comes the latest collection of Lovecraft lovingly bound in black leather and embossed in gold. Unfortunately the same care and attention wasn't given to the assembling of the stories. There are a few great stories, but there are a few that aren't worth bothering with. It goes without saying that even someone as skilled as Lovecraft will still have a few misses, it's just a shame that the editors didn't have the discernment to leave out the poorer stories. However, if you love Lovecraft then you'll buy this anyway.

Well packaged and a beautiful book with a lovely cover

A superb collector's edition, well bound, and fairly priced. Highly recommended for any fan of Lovecraft or anybody who is interested in the horror genre. Lovecraft is, in some ways, very underrated (at least outside the US, anyway), and more people should appreciate his work. Perhaps his somewhat archaic language used puts a lot of young people off, but this is a really bad reason to be put off.

Since I actually read the tales of H P Lovecraft in my youth back in the 1960s & later purchased them in a paperback trilogy for re-reading earlier this Century I actually bought the Collectors Edition to accompany The Necronomicon Collectors Edition. However, I can say that H P Lovecraft is an excellent read & was a very interesting character In his own right!

Actually good book

I';m 65 years old and semi retired now So I have more time now and can sit down and actually read a real book. I'm building a library now of hard cover books that I've loved in the past that I want to re-read. I've been a fan of H. P. Lovecraft since my early teens and probably have all these stories on my Kindle in the various H. P. Lovecraft collections I have there. What I wanted is a beautiful Hardcover Edition that I'll keep going back to time and time again. I first ordered H. P. Lovecraft's Neccronomicon: The Best Weird Tales of H. P. Lovecraft in the same Commemorative Edition and when I received it I was so impressed with it I ordered this book right away. It is my understanding that together they contain all of H. P. Lovecraft's writing, both come with matt black textured covers with gold foil print of 877 pages and 538 pages they are hefty while not overly heavy books. The print while a bit small is clear and easy to read. Through out the books are black & white drawings / pictures by Les Edwards which enhance and compliment the stories The books themselves are beautiful and very impressive, I'm proud to have them in my collection. You will be too.

Consigliato a tutti gli amanti di H. P. Lovecraft. Testo originale e una veste grafica d'eccellenza! Fa la sua figurona su ogni libreria!

Excelente producto de muy buena calidad

good read and i love ho love craft