Lovecraft: a Biography
Encyclopedia
Lovecraft: a Biography is a 1975 biography
of the writer H. P. Lovecraft
by science-fiction writer L. Sprague de Camp
, first published in hardcover by Doubleday in February 1975. A later hardcover edition was issued by Barnes & Noble
in January 1996. The first paperback edition, corrected and abridged by the author, was published by Ballantine Books
in August 1976. The first British edition was published by New English Library
in 1976. An E-book
edition of the Ballantine version of the work was published by Gollancz
's SF Gateway imprint on September 29, 2011 as part of a general release of de Camp's works in electronic form. The book has also been translated into German
.
The biography, a warts-and-all examination of the famous horror and science-fiction writer, was the first major independent biography of Lovecraft. De Camp's approach has been called frank and judicious by some, unflattering and unbalanced by others. For instance, de Camp criticised Lovecraft's resolutely non-commercial attitude to his writing, whereas Lovecraft deliberately maintained his stance that his writing was for his own amusement only.
De Camp himself considered some of the criticism of his book as expressed in reviews of the hardcover had merit, and accordingly altered the text in the paperback edition to take account of these criticisms. Altogether, de Camp cut about 13,000-16,000 "repetitions, digressions and speculative obiter dicta" from the paperback edition. On the requirement of the publisher he also "eliminated the notes section, bibliography and index," an excision he was reportedly unhappy about,.
, and placed fourth in the 1976 Locus Poll Award for Best Associational Item
.
Biography
A biography is a detailed description or account of someone's life. More than a list of basic facts , biography also portrays the subject's experience of those events...
of the writer H. P. Lovecraft
H. P. Lovecraft
Howard Phillips Lovecraft --often credited as H.P. Lovecraft — was an American author of horror, fantasy and science fiction, especially the subgenre known as weird fiction....
by science-fiction writer L. Sprague de Camp
L. Sprague de Camp
Lyon Sprague de Camp was an American author of science fiction and fantasy books, non-fiction and biography. In a writing career spanning 60 years, he wrote over 100 books, including novels and notable works of non-fiction, including biographies of other important fantasy authors...
, first published in hardcover by Doubleday in February 1975. A later hardcover edition was issued by Barnes & Noble
Barnes & Noble
Barnes & Noble, Inc. is the largest book retailer in the United States, operating mainly through its Barnes & Noble Booksellers chain of bookstores headquartered at 122 Fifth Avenue in the Flatiron District in Manhattan in New York City. Barnes & Noble also operated the chain of small B. Dalton...
in January 1996. The first paperback edition, corrected and abridged by the author, was published by Ballantine Books
Ballantine Books
Ballantine Books is a major book publisher located in the United States, founded in 1952 by Ian Ballantine with his wife, Betty Ballantine. It was acquired by Random House in 1973, which in turn was acquired by Bertelsmann AG in 1998 and remains part of that company today. Ballantine's logo is a...
in August 1976. The first British edition was published by New English Library
New English Library
The New English Library was a United Kingdom book publishing company, which became an imprint of Hodder Headline.- History :New English Library was created in 1961 by the Times Mirror Company of Los Angeles, with the takeover of two small British paperback companies, Ace Books Ltd and Four Square...
in 1976. An E-book
E-book
An electronic book is a book-length publication in digital form, consisting of text, images, or both, and produced on, published through, and readable on computers or other electronic devices. Sometimes the equivalent of a conventional printed book, e-books can also be born digital...
edition of the Ballantine version of the work was published by Gollancz
Victor Gollancz Ltd
Victor Gollancz Ltd was a major British book publishing house of the twentieth century. It was founded in 1927 by Victor Gollancz and specialised in the publication of high quality literature, nonfiction and popular fiction, including science fiction. Upon Gollancz's death in 1967, ownership...
's SF Gateway imprint on September 29, 2011 as part of a general release of de Camp's works in electronic form. The book has also been translated into German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
.
The biography, a warts-and-all examination of the famous horror and science-fiction writer, was the first major independent biography of Lovecraft. De Camp's approach has been called frank and judicious by some, unflattering and unbalanced by others. For instance, de Camp criticised Lovecraft's resolutely non-commercial attitude to his writing, whereas Lovecraft deliberately maintained his stance that his writing was for his own amusement only.
De Camp himself considered some of the criticism of his book as expressed in reviews of the hardcover had merit, and accordingly altered the text in the paperback edition to take account of these criticisms. Altogether, de Camp cut about 13,000-16,000 "repetitions, digressions and speculative obiter dicta" from the paperback edition. On the requirement of the publisher he also "eliminated the notes section, bibliography and index," an excision he was reportedly unhappy about,.
Awards
The book was nominated for the 1976 World Fantasy Award, Special Award (Professional)World Fantasy Special Award: Professional
This World Fantasy Award is presented to individuals for their outstanding professional work in the fantasy field, and voted by a panel of judges at the World Fantasy Convention....
, and placed fourth in the 1976 Locus Poll Award for Best Associational Item
Locus Award
The Locus Award is a literary award established in 1971 and presented to winners of Locus magazine's annual readers' poll. Currently, the Locus Awards are presented at an annual banquet...
.
External links
- "Lovecraft A Biography by L. Sprague de Camp" - a book review by John Goodrich