Rating: 
Summary: Perhaps one of the greatest compilations of Lovcrafian works
Review: "The Transition of H. P. Lovcraft" was a perfect overview of Lovecraft's works. It showed his transformation from a young understudy of E. A. Poe into one of the greatest horror writers of this century. As one who has read many of Lovecraft's works, I thought that this collection was a delightful mix of younger and older Lovcraftian yarns.
This book is also an excellent one for someone who has never read any H. P. Lovecraft, and would like to get a taste of his style without an exorbitant price.
Definitely a must read.
Rating: 
Summary: Better than Average Collection
Review: "Transition", the third in a series of books documenting the complete range of HP Lovecraft's works, offers a prespective look at the author's earliest stories, and constrasts these with the pieces that would eventually seal his cult popularity. While many of the early pieces (with "The Beast in the Cave" being a notable exception) are hardly worth the read, this volume does contain a fair of amount of Lovecraft's more exceptional offerings. "At the Mountains of Madness", a short novel in itself, is a fantastic example of both horror and wonder found at the ends of the earth. "Arthur Jermyn", an indelible favorite, chronicles the lineage of one man's twisted family history, and finds a rotten apple on the family tree. "Cold Air", an unsually straight horror yarn about the apartment upstairs, gets ugly when the air conditioning suddenly goes on the brink. And of course, the infamous "Herbert West - Re-animator", where a power mad doctor is forced to reconcile the consequences of a legion of walking atrocities created by his own hands. 29 Stories are includced in this volume, but unfortunetly alot of the real spine tinglers (such as "Pickman's Model") were already compiled in the first two volumes of the series. LoveCraft's writing is at times more than a little thick, and the early 20th century cadence of the english requires time to digest, but worth it in the end. Unfortunately, his works are grotesuely racist and culturally xenophobic, but given the date these stories were written one must oblige to take it in with a grain of salt. Lovecraft's stories are not neccesarily for everyone, but those who like him tend to love him, and for those people, this book is a better than average compendium. On a side note, the illustrations, both on the cover and inside the book, are fantastic.
Rating: 
Summary: Typical Lovecraft mixed with less known works.
Review:
Howard Phillips Lovecraft ... a writer who has been granted both respect and contempt over the decades, the founder of a school of purple prose-laden horror that has, despite critical approbation, not only survived but thrived in book and cinematic form. New devotees join the cadre of writers who have continued various aspects of Lovecraft's Cthulhu mythos, and Lovecraft himself has had a cinematic avatar in two made-for-cable alternate universe movies, and never mind the rock band named after the man himself (or the growing collection of music based on or inspired by his work.)
Del Rey have been releasing a series of Lovecraft collections in trade paperback, each one with a new introduction and a handful of macabre illustrations. This volume is set up as something of an overview, hence the title, and features not only well-known tales such as "At The Mountains Of Madness" but a selection of early (and more derivative) pieces, a poem that reads like congealed Coleridge, and several collaborations, including a notable adventure produced with the aid of Harry Houdini and a science fiction tale that takes a horrific turn.
The Transition Of H.P. Lovecraft makes a fair introduction to Lovecraft's entire body of writing, but if the mythos is more of interest, then the better choice would likely be the earlier The Dream Cycle Of H.P Lovecraft, though "At The Mountains Of Madness" and "Herbert West - Reanimator" should not be missed.
--Steven McDonal
Rating:
Summary: Typical Lovecraft mixed with less known works.
Review: Howard Phillips Lovecraft ... a writer who has been granted both respect and contempt over the decades, the founder of a school of purple prose-laden horror that has, despite critical approbation, not only survived but thrived in book and cinematic form. New devotees join the cadre of writers who have continued various aspects of Lovecraft's Cthulhu mythos, and Lovecraft himself has had a cinematic avatar in two made-for-cable alternate universe movies, and never mind the rock band named after the man himself (or the growing collection of music based on or inspired by his work.) Del Rey have been releasing a series of Lovecraft collections in trade paperback, each one with a new introduction and a handful of macabre illustrations. This volume is set up as something of an overview, hence the title, and features not only well-known tales such as "At The Mountains Of Madness" but a selection of early (and more derivative) pieces, a poem that reads like congealed Coleridge, and several collaborations, including a notable adventure produced with the aid of Harry Houdini and a science fiction tale that takes a horrific turn. The Transition Of H.P. Lovecraft makes a fair introduction to Lovecraft's entire body of writing, but if the mythos is more of interest, then the better choice would likely be the earlier The Dream Cycle Of H.P Lovecraft, though "At The Mountains Of Madness" and "Herbert West - Reanimator" should not be missed. --Steven McDonal
Rating:
Summary: A nightmare come true for Lovecraft fans...
Review: As an avid reader of Lovecraft's Macabre, I couldn't resist picking up this book and the other two in the series (The Best of H.P. Lovecraft, and The Dream Cycle of H.P. Lovecraft). And it turned out to be a great addition to my library. The starring attraction is At The Mountains of Madness, which automatically makes the book worth the meager cost. One of the nice things about this collection is that it traces some of the early themes in Lovecraft's work to their later maturity. Although the stories are quite varied, you needn't worry about them straying from Lovecraft's trademark theme: cosmic ignorance is a wonderful commodity. I highly recommend this to addicts and newcomers alike.
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Summary: Lovecraft is the Greatest Gothic Writer of All Time
Review: Here you have it! The lot of the H.P. Lovecraft stories that were later adapted into horror films. As such, it is the most interesting of the series of 3 books by Del Ray. The movies were liberal adaptions, as the stories were short and left most to the imagination. This book in particular is key to horror fans; no collector or afficienado should be without this. You will be a lot better person after reading this than before. Sit back and enjoy. This isn't JUST for goths...
Rating:
Summary: The best horror writer around, writes the scariest stories.
Review: I bought this book after looking at the cover, thinking it might be good. I was amazed when I read the first story. I have seen many horror films, read many horror stories, but this book actually didn't let me turn out the lights. From the first story to the last, a distubing bunch of stories written in a language and style that adds a certain mood which is terrifying in itself. It may be a bit of a difficult read, trying to understand it, but it is definately worth it.
Rating: 
Summary: Right stuff, wrong publisher
Review: I haven't had this specific volume in hand, but I happen to own a set of pocket size paperbacks of Lovecraft's works also published by Del Rey (and still available). These were poorly edited, and ill printed on crummy paper. A publisher who gives this kind of treatment to a writer doesn't deserve your money. If you like HPL, or just want to discover his works, do yourself and the publishing industry a favor, get your book somewhere else, there are some better collections and omnibuses around
Rating:
Summary: Go buy this book!
Review: I heard about HP Lovecraft a little while ago, but never read any of his works until about a month ago when I bought the Best Of collection from Del Rey. I loved it, so I bought this book after getting through most of the first one. After reading The Beast in the Cave, I was hooked on this too. The best thing about Lovecraft's storytelling is the way he describes things so vividly, and yet leaves a lot to your own imagination. Although he can drag on at times, the stories always come together in the end. One of my favorites is Dagon, with an incredible introduction and conclusion. My personal favorite was probably Memory. It was one page, and it gives you just a taste of Lovecraft's brilliant imagination. One last note: the cover on this book is incredible. John Jude Palencar is a great artist.
Rating:
Summary: Review
Review: I highly recomend this book. It combines classic lovecraft stories (such as "At the Mountains of Madness") with some of his lesser known classics (like "The Shunned House" and "The Street")
I think that this book in conjunction with "Dreams of Terror and Death: The Dream Cycle of H.P. Lovecraft" and "Bloodcurdling Tales of Horror and the Macabre: The Best of H.P. Lovecraft" could be the definitive (although by no means complete) Lovecraft
collection.
Some of the stories are rascist, but with Lovecraft's background, what else would you expect.
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