The Trail of Cthulhu
Encyclopedia
The Trail of Cthulhu is a series of interconnected short stories written by August Derleth
as part of the Cthulhu Mythos
genre of horror fiction. The stories chronicle the struggles of Laban Shrewsbury and his companions against the Great Old Ones, particularly Cthulhu
.
The stories were originally published in Weird Tales
from 1944 to 1952, and were republished in collected form as The Trail of Cthulhu by Arkham House
in 1962 http://www.locusmag.com/index/t81.html#A9775 in an edition of 2,470 copies.
The main character of The Trail of Cthulhu who is introduced in "The House on Curwen Street", Laban Shrewsbury is an anthropologist and professor of philosophy
at Miskatonic University
. Although he was born in Wisconsin
, Shrewsbury spent most of his life in Arkham, Massachusetts
. After publishing his first book, the controversial Investigation into the Myth-Patterns of the Latter-Day Primitives with Especial Reference to the R'lyeh Text, in 1915
, Shewsbury mysteriously disappeared. Shortly thereafter, a posthumous collection of his writings, titled Cthulhu Among the Victorians, saw publication.
Just as mysteriously, Shrewsbury reappeared twenty years later and immediately began work on his next book, Cthulhu in the Necronomicon
. Before he could complete this work, however, his home in Arkham was destroyed by an inexplicable fire in 1938. Shrewsbury was presumed dead and his unfinished volume was published as a posthumous work.
Shrewsbury had actually escaped to Celaeno, fleeing certain Mythos horrors. Shrewsbury's manuscript, the Celaeno Fragments, remains under lock and key at Miskatonic's library.
Shrewsbury also appears in Phillip O. Marsh's 1994 novel The Worm Shall Ye Fight!.
Asked if Shrewsbury was a model for his character Titus Crow
, Mythos author Brian Lumley replied: "No, for I was never too keen on him. I like to see a man (or character) build as he goes.... Shrewsbury seemed to come life-size right from square one."
A one-time assistant of Laban Shrewsbury, he first appears in "The House on Curwen Street" and is the main character of "The Watcher from The Sky". He also makes a reappearance in "The Black Island".
divinity student from New Hampshire
who mysteriously disappeared after becoming involved with Andrew Phelan, a former tenant of his residence.
writer who vanishes from a ship bringing him home from Arabia. His best-known work is the novel
The Watchers from the Other Side, to which he was planning a sequel
at the time of his disappearance.
cult who pursued Clairborne Boyd to Lima, Peru.
August Derleth
August William Derleth was an American writer and anthologist. Though best remembered as the first publisher of the writings of H. P...
as part of the Cthulhu Mythos
Cthulhu Mythos
The Cthulhu Mythos is a shared fictional universe, based on the work of American horror writer H. P. Lovecraft.The term was first coined by August Derleth, a contemporary correspondent of Lovecraft, who used the name of the creature Cthulhu - a central figure in Lovecraft literature and the focus...
genre of horror fiction. The stories chronicle the struggles of Laban Shrewsbury and his companions against the Great Old Ones, particularly Cthulhu
Cthulhu
Cthulhu is a fictional character that first appeared in the short story "The Call of Cthulhu", published in the pulp magazine Weird Tales in 1928. The character was created by writer H. P...
.
The stories were originally published in Weird Tales
Weird Tales
Weird Tales is an American fantasy and horror fiction pulp magazine first published in March 1923. It ceased its original run in September 1954, after 279 issues, but has since been revived. The magazine was set up in Chicago by J. C. Henneberger, an ex-journalist with a taste for the macabre....
from 1944 to 1952, and were republished in collected form as The Trail of Cthulhu by Arkham House
Arkham House
Arkham House is a publishing house specializing in weird fiction founded in Sauk City, Wisconsin in 1939 by August Derleth and Donald Wandrei to preserve in hardcover the best fiction of H.P. Lovecraft. The company's name is derived from Lovecraft's fictional New England city, Arkham. Arkham House...
in 1962 http://www.locusmag.com/index/t81.html#A9775 in an edition of 2,470 copies.
Contents
The stories, with their date of first publication, are:- "The House on Curwen Street" ("The Trail of Cthulhu") (March 1944)
- "The Watcher from the Sky" (July 1945)
- "The Gorge Beyond Salapunco" ("The Testament of Claiborne Boyd") (March 1949)
- "The Keeper of the Key" (May 1951)
- "The Black Island" (January 1952)
- "A Note on the Cthulhu Mythos"
Laban Shrewsbury
(1864–1938?)The main character of The Trail of Cthulhu who is introduced in "The House on Curwen Street", Laban Shrewsbury is an anthropologist and professor of philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
at Miskatonic University
Miskatonic University
Miskatonic University is a fictional university located in Arkham; a fictitious town which is said to exist in Essex County, Massachusetts. It is named after the Miskatonic River . After first appearing in the H. P...
. Although he was born in Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
, Shrewsbury spent most of his life in Arkham, Massachusetts
Arkham
Arkham is a fictional city in Massachusetts, part of the Lovecraft Country setting created by H. P. Lovecraft and is featured in many of his stories, as well as those of other Cthulhu Mythos writers....
. After publishing his first book, the controversial Investigation into the Myth-Patterns of the Latter-Day Primitives with Especial Reference to the R'lyeh Text, in 1915
1915 in literature
The year 1915 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:* May 3 - In Flanders Fields is written by Canadian poet John McCrae....
, Shewsbury mysteriously disappeared. Shortly thereafter, a posthumous collection of his writings, titled Cthulhu Among the Victorians, saw publication.
Just as mysteriously, Shrewsbury reappeared twenty years later and immediately began work on his next book, Cthulhu in the Necronomicon
Necronomicon
The Necronomicon is a fictional grimoire appearing in the stories by horror writer H. P. Lovecraft and his followers. It was first mentioned in Lovecraft's 1924 short story "The Hound", written in 1922, though its purported author, the "Mad Arab" Abdul Alhazred, had been quoted a year earlier in...
. Before he could complete this work, however, his home in Arkham was destroyed by an inexplicable fire in 1938. Shrewsbury was presumed dead and his unfinished volume was published as a posthumous work.
Shrewsbury had actually escaped to Celaeno, fleeing certain Mythos horrors. Shrewsbury's manuscript, the Celaeno Fragments, remains under lock and key at Miskatonic's library.
Shrewsbury also appears in Phillip O. Marsh's 1994 novel The Worm Shall Ye Fight!.
Asked if Shrewsbury was a model for his character Titus Crow
Titus Crow
Titus Crow is the main character in the eponymous series of horror fiction books by Brian Lumley. The books are based on H. P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos.-Description:...
, Mythos author Brian Lumley replied: "No, for I was never too keen on him. I like to see a man (or character) build as he goes.... Shrewsbury seemed to come life-size right from square one."
Andrew Phelan
(ca. 1910–1938?)A one-time assistant of Laban Shrewsbury, he first appears in "The House on Curwen Street" and is the main character of "The Watcher from The Sky". He also makes a reappearance in "The Black Island".
Abel Keane
An assistant of Laban Shrewsbury who first appears in "The Watcher from the Sky", and also appears in "The Black Island". He was a BostonBoston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
divinity student from New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
who mysteriously disappeared after becoming involved with Andrew Phelan, a former tenant of his residence.
Nayland Colum
In “The Keeper of the Key”, Colum is a LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
writer who vanishes from a ship bringing him home from Arabia. His best-known work is the novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
The Watchers from the Other Side, to which he was planning a sequel
Sequel
A sequel is a narrative, documental, or other work of literature, film, theatre, or music that continues the story of or expands upon issues presented in some previous work...
at the time of his disappearance.
Japhet Smith
In “The Gorge Beyond Salapunco”, Smith is an agent of the CthulhuCthulhu
Cthulhu is a fictional character that first appeared in the short story "The Call of Cthulhu", published in the pulp magazine Weird Tales in 1928. The character was created by writer H. P...
cult who pursued Clairborne Boyd to Lima, Peru.