Arkham House

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Dust jacket for the 1948 Arkham House novella "Roads," by Seabury Quinn. Illustration by Virgil Finlay.

Arkham House is a weird fiction specialty publishing house founded in Sauk City, Wisconsin in 1939 by August Derleth and Donald Wandrei. Arkham House published the first hardback collections of H. P. Lovecraft's works. Arkham House editions are noted for the quality of their printing and binding. The company's name is derived from Lovecraft's fictional New England city Arkham.

In addition to volumes of H.P. Lovecraft's fiction, Arkham House published collections of his letters to peers, friends and family. Among his correspondents were Arkham House founders, Derleth and Wandrei.

Arkham House also published fiction from several of Lovecraft's contemporaries, including Robert E. Howard, Frank Belknap Long, Clark Ashton Smith, Robert Bloch, and Derleth himself; classic genre fiction by authors such as William Hope Hodgson, Algernon Blackwood, H. Russell Wakefield, Seabury Quinn, and J. Sheridan Le Fanu; and later writers in the Lovecraft school, such as Ray Bradbury, Ramsey Campbell and Brian Lumley.

Despite the wealth of talented writers who appeared under the Arkham House imprint, it was not a financial success. Derleth wrote in 1970, "[T]he fact is that in no single year since its founding have the earnings of Arkham House met the expenses, so that it has been necessary for my personal earnings to shore up Arkham House finances." After Derleth's death, his successors expanded the company's range of authors to include such prominent science fiction and fantasy writers as Michael Bishop, Lucius Shepard, Bruce Sterling, James Tiptree Jr., Michael Shea and J. G. Ballard, often publishing hardcover collections of shorter works.

[edit] Other Imprints

Arkham House published under two additional imprints throughout its history. In 1945, the Mycroft & Moran imprint was launched for the publication of weird detective and mystery stories. Arkham also introduced Stanton & Lee in 1945 with the intention of publishing cartoons by Clare Victor Dwiggins. Stanton & Lee went on to publish poetry and the regional writings of August Derleth.

[edit] Works published by Arkham House

• Evermore, edited by James Robert Smith and Stephen Mark Rainey (2006)
• Other Worlds Than Ours, by Nelson Bond (2005)
• Cave of a Thousand Tales, by Milt Thomas (2004)
• Selected Letters of Clark Ashton Smith, by Clark Ashton Smith (2003)
• The Cleansing, by John D. Harvey (2002)
• The Far Side of Nowhere, by Nelson Bond (2002)
• Book of the Dead, by E. Hoffman Price (2001)
• Arkham's Masters of Horror, edited by Peter Ruber (2000)
• In the Stone House, by Barry N. Malzberg (2000)
• Sixty Years of Arkham House, edited by S.T. Joshi (1999)
• Dragonfly, by Frederic S. Durbin (1999)
• New Horizons, edited by August Derleth (1999)
• Lovecraft Remembered, edited by Peter Cannon (1998)
• Flowers from the Moon and Other Lunacies, by Robert Bloch (1998)
• Voyages by Starlight, by Ian R. MacLeod (1997)
• Synthesis & Other Virtual Realities, by Mary Rosenblum (1996)
• Cthulhu 2000: A Lovecraftian Anthology, edited by James Turner (1995)
• Miscellaneous Writings, by H.P. Lovecraft, edited by S.T. Joshi (1994)
• The Breath of Suspension, by Alexander Jablokov (1994)
• The Aliens of Earth, by Nancy Kress (1993)
• Alone with the Horrors: The Great Short Fiction of Ramsey Campbell 1961-1991, by Ramsey Campbell (1993)
• Meeting in Infinity, by John Kessel (1992)
• Lord Kelvin's Machine, by James P. Blaylock (1992)
• Gravity's Angels, by Michael Swanwick (1991)
• The Ends of the Earth, by Lucius Shepard (1990)
• Her Smoke Rose Up Forever, by James Tiptree, Jr. (1990)
• Tales of the Cthulhu Mythos, by H.P. Lovecraft and Divers Hands (1989)
• Crystal Express, by Bruce Sterling (1989)
• The Horror in the Museum and Other Revisions, by H.P. Lovecraft (1989)
• Memories of the Space Age, by J.G. Ballard (1988)
• A Rendezvous in Averoigne, by Clark Ashton Smith (1988)
• Polyphemus, by Michael Shea (1987)
• The Jaguar Hunter, by Lucius Shepard (1987)
• Tales of the Quintana Roo, by James Tiptree, Jr. (1986)
• Dreams of Dark and Light: The Great Short Fiction of Tanith Lee, by Tanith Lee (1986)
• Dagon and Other Macabre Tales, by H.P. Lovecraft (1986)
• At the Mountains of Madness and Other Novels, by H.P. Lovecraft (1985)
• The Dunwich Horror and Others, by H.P. Lovecraft (1985)
• Lovecraft's Book, by Richard A. Lupoff (1985)
• Who Made Stevie Crye?, by Michael Bishop (1984)
• Watchers at the Strait Gate, by Russell Kirk (1984)
• One Winter in Eden, by Michael Bishop (1984)
• The Zanzibar Cat, by Joanna Russ (1983)
• The Wind from a Burning Woman, by Greg Bear (1983)
• The House of the Wolf, by Basil Copper (1983)
• The Solar Pons Omnibus, by August Derleth, edited by Basil Copper (1982)
• The Darkling, by David Kesterton (1982)
• Blooded on Arachne, by Michael Bishop (1982)
• Tales from the Nightside, by Charles L. Grant (1981)
• Collected Poems, by Richard L. Tierney (1981)
• The Third Grave, by David Case (1981)
• New Tales of the Cthulhu Mythos, edited by Ramsey Campbell (1980)
• Necropolis, by Basil Copper (1980)
• The Black Book of Clark Ashton Smith, by Clark Ashton Smith (1979)
• The Princess of All Lands, by Russell Kirk (1979)
• In the Mist and Other Uncanny Encounters, by Elizabeth Walter (1979)
• Half in Shadow, by Mary Elizabeth Counselman (1978)
• Born to Exile, by Phyllis Eisenstein (1978)
• In Mayan Splendor, by Frank Belknap Long (1977)
• The Horror at Oakdeene and Others, by Brian Lumley (1977)
• And Afterward, the Dark, by Basil Copper (1977)
• Kecksies and Other Twilight Tales, by Marjorie Bowen (1976)
• The Height of the Scream, by Ramsey Campbell (1976)
• Literary Swordsmen and Sorcerers, by L. Sprague deCamp (1976)
• Dwellers in Darkness, by August Derleth (1976)
• Selected Letters V (1934-1937), by H.P. Lovecraft (1976)
• Selected Letters IV (1932-1934), by H.P. Lovecraft (1976)
• Dreams from R'lyeh, by Lin Carter (1975)
• The Purcell Papers, by J. Sheridan LeFanu (1975)
• Nameless Places, edited by Gerald W. Page (1975)
• The House of the Worm, by Gary Myers (1975)
• Harrigan's File, by August Derleth (1975)
• Xélucha and Others, by M.P. Shiel (1975)
• Howard Phillips Lovecraft: Dreamer on the Nitghtside, by Frank Belknap Long (1975)
• The Watchers Out of Time and Others, by H.P. Lovecraft and August Derleth (1974)
• Collected Ghost Stories, by Mary E. Wilkins-Freeman (1974)
• Beneath the Moors, by Brian Lumley (1974)
• Stories of Darkness and Dread, by Joseph Payne Brennan (1973)
• From Evil's Pillow, by Basil Copper (1973)
• Demons by Daylight, by Ramsey Campbell (1973)
• The Rim of the Unknown, by Frank Belknap Long (1972)
• Disclosures in Scarlet, by Carl Jacobi (1972)
• The Arkham Collector: Volume I, edited by August Derleth (1972)
• The Caller of the Black, by Brian Lumley (1971)
• Selected Letters III (1929-1931), by H.P. Lovecraft (1971)
• Songs and Sonnets Atlantean, by Donald S. Fryer (1971)
• The Arkham Collector Number Ten: Summer, 1971
• Dark Things, edited by August Derleth (1971)
• Eight Tales, by Walter de la Mare (1971)
• The Arkham Collector Number Nine: Spring, 1971
• The Face in the Mirror, by Denys Val Baker (1971)
• Selected Poems, by Clark Ashton Smith (1971)
• The Arkham Collector Number Eight: Winter, 1971
• The Horror in the Museum and Other Revisions, by H.P. Lovecraft (1970)
• The Arkham Collector Number Seven: Summer, 1970
• Other Dimensions, by Clark Ashton Smith (1970)
• Demons and Dinosaurs, by L. Sprague deCamp (1970)
• Thirty Years of Arkham House, 1939-1969: A History and Bibliography, prepared by August Derleth (1970)
• The Arkham Collector Number Six: Winter, 1970
• The Folsom Flint and Other Curious Tales, by David H. Keller (1969)
• Tales of the Cthulhu Mythos, by H.P. Lovecraft and Others (1969)
• The Arkham Collector Number Five: Summer, 1969
• The Arkham Collector Number Four: Winter, 1969
• The Arkham Collector Number Three: Summer, 1968
• Nightmares and Daydreams, by Nelson Bond (1968)
• Selected Letters II (1925-1929), by H.P. Lovecraft (1968)
• The Green Round, by Arthur Machen (1968)
• The Arkham Collector Number Two: Winter, 1968
• Strange Gateways, by E. Hoffmann Price (1967)
• Three Tales of Horror, by H.P. Lovecraft (1967)
• The Mind Parasites, by Colin Wilson (1967)
• The Arkham Collector Number One: Summer, 1967
• Travellers by Night, edited by August Derleth (1967)
• Deep Waters, by William Hope Hodgson (1967)
• Black Medicine, by Arthur J. Burks (1967)
• Colonel Markesan and Less Pleasant People, by August Derleth and Mark Schorer (1966)
• The Dark Brotherhood and Other Pieces, by H.P. Lovecraft & divers hands (1966)
• Strange Harvest, by Donald Wandrei (1965)
• Something Breathing, by Stanley McNail (1965)
• The Quick and the Dead, by Vincent Starrett (1965)
• Dagon and Other Macabre Tales, by H.P. Lovecraft (1965)
• Poems in Prose, by Clark Ashton Smith (1965)
• Selected Letters I (1911-1924), by H.P. Lovecraft (1965)
• Tales of Science and Sorcery, by Clark Ashton Smith (1964)
• Nightmare Need, by Joseph Payne Brennan (1964)
• Portraits in Moonlight, by Carl Jacobi (1964)
• At the Mountains of Madness and Other Novels, by H.P. Lovecraft (1964)
• Over the Edge, edited by August Derleth (1964)
• Poems for Midnight, by Donald Wandrei (1964)
• The Inhabitant of the Lake and Less Welcome Tenants, by J. Ramsey Campbell (1964)
• The Dark Man and Others, by Robert E. Howard (1963)
• Mr. George and Other Odd Persons, by Stephen Grendon (1963)
• Who Fears the Devil?, by Manly Wade Wellman (1963)
• Autobiography: Some Notes on a Nonentity, by H.P. Lovecraft: annotated by August Derleth (1963)
• The Dunwich Horror and Others, by H.P. Lovecraft (1963)
• Collected Poems, by H.P. Lovecraft (1963)
• The Horror from the Hills, by Frank Belknap Long (1963)
• 100 Books by August Derleth, by August Derleth (1962)
• The Trail of Cthulhu, by August Derleth (1962)
• Dark Mind, Dark Heart, edited by August Derleth (1962)
• Lonesome Places, by August Derleth (1962)
• Dreams and Fancies, by H.P. Lovecraft (1962)
• The Shunned House, by H.P. Lovecraft (1961)
• Fire and Sleet and Candlelight, edited by August Derleth (1961)
• Strayers from Sheol, by H. Russell Wakefield (1961)
• Invaders from the Dark, by Greye La Spina (1960)
• Pleasant Dreams: Nightmares, by Robert Bloch (1960)
• The Abominations of Yondo, by Clark Ashton Smith (1960)
• The Shuttered Room and Other Pieces, by H.P. Lovecraft and Divers Hands (1959)
• Some Notes on H.P. Lovecraft, by August Derleth (1959)
• Arkham House: The First 20 Years, by August Derleth (1959)
• Nine Horrors and a Dream, by Joseph Payne Brennan (1958)
• The Mask of Cthulhu, by August Derleth (1958)
• Spells and Philtres, by Clark Ashton Smith (1958)
• Always Comes Evening, by Robert E. Howard (1957)
• The Survivor and Others, by H.P. Lovecraft and August Derleth (1957)
• The Feasting Dead, by John Metcalfe (1954)
• The Curse of Yig, by Zealia Bishop (1953)
• Night's Yawning Peal: A Ghostly Company, edited by August Derleth (1952)
• Tales from Underwood, by David H. Keller (1952)
• The Dark Chateau, by Clark Ashton Smith (1951)
• A Hornbook for Witches, by Leah Bodine Drake (1950)
• The Throne of Saturn, by S. Fowler Wright (1949)
• The Arkham Sampler, Volume II, Number Four: Autumn, 1949
• The Arkham Sampler, Volume II, Number Three: Summer, 1949
• The Arkham Sampler, Volume II, Number Two: Spring, 1949
• The Arkham Sampler, Volume II, Number One: Winter, 1949
• Something About Cats and Other Pieces, by H.P. Lovecraft (1949)
• Not Long for this World, by August Derleth (1948)
• Genius Loci and Other Tales, by Clark Ashton Smith (1948)
• The Arkham Sampler, Volume I, Number Four: Autumn, 1948
• The Arkham Sampler, Volume I, Number Three: Summer, 1948
• The Arkham Sampler, Volume I, Number Two: Spring, 1948
• The Arkham Sampler, Volume I, Number One: Winter, 1948
• Roads, by Seabury Quinn (1948)
• The Fourth Book of Jorkens, by Lord Dunsany (1948)
• The Web of Easter Island, by Donald Wandrei (1948)
• The Travelling Grave and Other Stories, by L.P. Hartley (1948)
• Night's Black Agents, by Fritz Leiber, Jr. (1947)
• Revelations in Black, by Carl Jacobi (1947)
• Dark Carnival, by Ray Bradbury (1947)
• Dark of the Moon: Poems of Fantasy and the Macabre, edited by August Derleth (1947)
• This Mortal Coil, by Cynthia Asquith (1947)
• Slan, by A.E. Van Vogt (1946)
• The Clock Strikes Twelve, by H. Russell Wakefield (1946)
• Fearful Pleasures, by A.E. Coppard (1946)
• West India Lights, by Henry S. Whitehead (1946)
• Skull-Face and Others, by Robert E. Howard (1946)
• The House on the Borderland and Other Novels, by William Hope Hodgson (1946)
• The Doll and One Other, by Algernon Blackwood (1946)
• The Hounds of Tindalos, by Frank Belknap Long (1946)
• The Lurker at the Threshold, by H.P. Lovecraft and August Derleth (1945)
• Green Tea and Other Ghost Stories, by J. Sheridan LeFanu (1945)
• Witch House, by Evangeline Walton (1945)
• The Opener of the Way, by Robert Bloch (1945)
• Something Near, by August Derleth (1945)
• Marginalia by H.P. Lovecraft (1944)
• Lost Worlds, by Clark Ashton Smith (1944)
• Jumbee and Other Uncanny Tales, by Henry S. Whitehead (1944)
• The Eye and the Finger, by Donald Wandrei (1944)
• Beyond the Wall of Sleep, by H.P. Lovecraft (1943)
• Out of Space and Time, by Clark Ashton Smith (1942)
• Someone in the Dark, by August Derleth (1941)
• The Outsider and Others, by H.P. Lovecraft (1939)

[edit] External links

• Arkham House Publishers

[edit] References

• Jaffery, Sheldon (1989). The Arkham House Companion. Mercer Island, WA: Starmont House, Inc.. ISBN 1-55742-005-X. 
• Chalker, Jack L.; Mark Owings (1998). The Science-Fantasy Publishers: A Bibliographic History, 1923-1998. Westminster, MD and Baltimore: Mirage Press, Ltd.. 
• Joshi, S.T. (1999). Sixty Years of Arkham House: A History and Bibliography. Sauk City, WI: Arkham House. ISBN 0-87054-176-5. 
• Nielsen, Leon (2004). Arkham House Books: A Collector's Guide. Jefferson, NC and London: McFarland & Company, Inc.. ISBN 0-7864-1785-4.