Annotated H. P. Lovecraft

Rating:
Summary: The master of horror!
Review: A scholarly tome on a master of the horror genre! Yes! The selection of classic works by the master of horror, H. P. Lovecraft, alone is worth the book. The added bonus of thorough annotated entries makes this a fascinating read for any hardcore HPL fan-and a great introduction for those just discovering this unique old world writer.

Rating:
Summary: A Mixed Blessing for HPL fans
Review: Annotated Lovecraft--it sounds like a great idea, and it is. However, many of the annotations in this book seem unnecessary and irrelevant. Make no mistake, the stories themselves are some of HPL's best--"The Rats in the Walls," "The Colour Out of Space," "The Dunwich Horror," and the short novel "At the Mountains of Madness." A pretty good introduction by S. T. Joshi starts things off, and the final pages include some noteworthy comments on the art of writing horror (taken from some of Lovecraft's letters) and a short essay on the translation of Lovecraft's work into radio, TV, and film. This complementary material is very useful to someone just delving into the Lovecraftian universe, but the annotations are somewhat of a mixed bag.

While some of Joshi's annotations are quite interesting and useful, many seem to me to be totally unnecessary; some, such as biographical material, is interesting but immaterial to the stories themselves. For every chemical Lovecraft mentions, Joshi gives us the chemical formula and scientific name, which is okay if somewhat excessive. When some of the trademark Lovecraft terms pop up (e.g., eldritch), Joshi defines them; however, he also explains to us how aeon is an alternate spelling of eon, immensurable is synonomous with immeasurable, etc.--there are several unneccessary footnotes in each story explaining what seems to me to be patently obvious. Joshi also is fond of taking a notion from the text and explaining how Lovecraft "may have" been thinking of this or that, often ending the note with a quote of several sentences from authors such as Poe, Bierce, etc.--sometimes valid, sometimes not, usually over-the-top. He is also fond of referring back to his own footnotes from earlier in the book each and every time a certain subject is mentioned, which I find annoying.

Certainly, many of the annotations are useful, especially in the short novel At the Mountains of Madness. A good bit of the scientific nomenclature and theories, as well as geographic names, have changed since Lovecraft's time, and Joshi does the reader a great service in explaining what Lovecraft meant, what he was referring to, etc.; such important data contribute much to an understanding of the material and proper placement of the settings of the tales. While I would certainly recommend this book to Lovecraft readers, I would strongly suggest that anyone reading these stories for the first time ignore the footnotes completely. Besides sometimes giving away plot points to the current story and others, the footnotes totally interrupt the flow of your reading. To truly enjoy Lovecraft, you must immerse your mind in his language, structure, and flow. I don't think I can read any of these stories too many times, so rereading is more of a pleasure than a pain. Read these stories, move on to other things, then at some point come back and re-read the stories in conjunction with the annotations. You may well have to grin and bear it through many of the unneccessary, repetitive, and not entirely relevant footnotes, but you will gain some rewarding insights and make some new discoveries in these rich otherworldly tales by horror's greatest writer.

Rating:
Summary: A Mixed Blessing for HPL fans
Review: Annotated Lovecraft--it sounds like a great idea, and it is. However, many of the annotations in this book seem unnecessary and irrelevant. Make no mistake, the stories themselves are some of HPL's best--"The Rats in the Walls," "The Colour Out of Space," "The Dunwich Horror," and the short novel "At the Mountains of Madness." A pretty good introduction by S. T. Joshi starts things off, and the final pages include some noteworthy comments on the art of writing horror (taken from some of Lovecraft's letters) and a short essay on the translation of Lovecraft's work into radio, TV, and film. This complementary material is very useful to someone just delving into the Lovecraftian universe, but the annotations are somewhat of a mixed bag.

While some of Joshi's annotations are quite interesting and useful, many seem to me to be totally unnecessary; some, such as biographical material, is interesting but immaterial to the stories themselves. For every chemical Lovecraft mentions, Joshi gives us the chemical formula and scientific name, which is okay if somewhat excessive. When some of the trademark Lovecraft terms pop up (e.g., eldritch), Joshi defines them; however, he also explains to us how aeon is an alternate spelling of eon, immensurable is synonomous with immeasurable, etc.--there are several unneccessary footnotes in each story explaining what seems to me to be patently obvious. Joshi also is fond of taking a notion from the text and explaining how Lovecraft "may have" been thinking of this or that, often ending the note with a quote of several sentences from authors such as Poe, Bierce, etc.--sometimes valid, sometimes not, usually over-the-top. He is also fond of referring back to his own footnotes from earlier in the book each and every time a certain subject is mentioned, which I find annoying.

Certainly, many of the annotations are useful, especially in the short novel At the Mountains of Madness. A good bit of the scientific nomenclature and theories, as well as geographic names, have changed since Lovecraft's time, and Joshi does the reader a great service in explaining what Lovecraft meant, what he was referring to, etc.; such important data contribute much to an understanding of the material and proper placement of the settings of the tales. While I would certainly recommend this book to Lovecraft readers, I would strongly suggest that anyone reading these stories for the first time ignore the footnotes completely. Besides sometimes giving away plot points to the current story and others, the footnotes totally interrupt the flow of your reading. To truly enjoy Lovecraft, you must immerse your mind in his language, structure, and flow. I don't think I can read any of these stories too many times, so rereading is more of a pleasure than a pain. Read these stories, move on to other things, then at some point come back and re-read the stories in conjunction with the annotations. You may well have to grin and bear it through many of the unneccessary, repetitive, and not entirely relevant footnotes, but you will gain some rewarding insights and make some new discoveries in these rich otherworldly tales by horror's greatest writer.

Rating:
Summary: Nice for fans to have
Review: I don't give this book an average rating based upon the actual stories, which are fine examples of Lovecraft's best, but for Joshi's paltry annotations. I didn't buy this book for the stories, which can be found in almost any Lovecraft anthology, but for the information about Lovecraft. Somehow I was expecting more, perhaps exerpts from Lovecraft's letters, explaining his frame of mind while writting the stories, or more references to his other works. Instead, the reader gets definitions of eldritch and cyclopean, and a glossed over explanation that Lovecraft was no more racist than anyother New Englander in the 1920's.

All in all, it's neat to have on the shelf, if you're a fan, but you can get as much information reading the introductions to other collections.

Rating:
Summary: Good background about Lovecraft
Review: I found the footnotes and forward in this edition to be a welcome addition to one of my favorite author's stories. The last mini biography I read on Lovecraft was bland, but this one was well researched. The collection of stories was a fair offering, too. One minor complaint was that there could have been some better captioning for the photos.

In addition to a biographical foreward there are footnote annotations on the pages of the stories.

Overall, it's a good choice for people who like the Lovecraft stories and would like to learn a little more about the author, and his intents.

Rating:
Summary: Annotations add to the enjoyment
Review: I love annotated books. They teach me so much. This book is no exception. I particularly appreciated seeing the complete version of "At the Mountains of Madness". I'd like to see more of Mr. Lovecraft's work annotated. I am surprised, though, that the section mentioning Lovecraft's work in films or on TV didn't list "The Real Ghostbusters'" hommage to Lovecraft, "The Collect Call of Kathulu" [correct episode spelling?]. If that's because the editor never saw that episode, I hope some kind fan will help out.

Rating:
Summary: To Read is To Read... To Understand Is Priceless.
Review: I tried to read HP Lovecraft in the past. I bought some small paperbacks expecting tales that would chill me bone cold and images that insomnia to shame. I found that it was virtually impossible to comprehend the matters in the Text. That's why anyone who failed to love Lovecraft NEEDS this book. It's filled with all the footnotes and beyond that explain why Lovecraft used names, favorite words, about the man himself! All of this is mandatory to find the truth in all his work. Honestly, once I read this, I finally got the honor of those images and that unsettling feeling that won't allow me to sleep. Truely, he writes some of the best weird horror I have ever written, one of a kind. This book will help you unlock the hidden love of his works. You have to add this to your personal collection.

Rating:
Summary: For your bookshelf: an essential Lovecraft book
Review: I wish I had written The Annotated H. P. Lovecraft, but I was happy someone did and was very interested in reading it. The stories included in the volume make a fine introduction to H. P.'s work for anyone unfamilar with his stories, but also offer real interest to those of us who have read these stories numerous times. Now we can find out what some of H. P.'s more obscure references meant, definitions to scientific terms he used, as well as insight into his inspirations for the stories. The book has a few pictures of some of the actual sites that Lovecraft used as scenes in his tales and how he got place and charactor names. Contents include "Rats in the Walls", "Colour Out of Space", "Dunwich Horror" and "At the Mountains of Madness". The only complaint I have with this book is there could have been even more annotation.

Rating:
Summary: A Tough One to Review
Review: I've been a Lovecraft fan for decades, ever since I was a kid, and I loved this book. Joshi has taken some of Lovecraft's best works and illuminated each with the bright light of his scholarship.

There is a problem, however: Lovecraft appeals to a certain type of reader (IMO), and I think that the footnotes might detract greatly from the enjoyment of the stories for just such a reader; I know they did for me. Because of this, I feel that this is a great book for the already established Lovecraft fan, but might not be so appealing to someone who has just picked up Lovecraft for the first time. I could certainly be wrong about this, but I personally prefer to read Lovecraft's stuff in a different format, sans footnotes.

However, despite my misgivings, I ended up giving this book a five star rating based on Joshi's immaculate and voluminous scholarship. After all, the footnotes ARE the point here, illuminating, as they do, Lovecraft's eerie and unique prose.

I wouldn't have missed this one for the world.

Rating:
Summary: STORIES, PHOTOS, AND FOOTNOTES
Review: In a way, this book is good for both beginners and intermediate Lovecraft readers. If you're a beginner, you'll be pleased to know that--in my opinion--some of Lovecraft's best works are in this book. Namely, THE RATS IN THE WALLS, THE DUNWICH HORROR, and THE COLOUR OUT OF SPACE. The novella AT THE MOUNTAINS OF MADNESS is dreadfully long--read it only if you're bored to death and want to read about nightmare penguins and long architectural descriptions. No matter what story, beginners should skip the footnotes as it will only detract from your reading pleasure. If you're an intermediate Lovecraft reader, you might find SOME of the footnotes interesting, but certainly not all of them. There are some good photos in this book ranging from places that might have inspired Lovecraft, portraits of historical figures, and ESPECIALLY the four black and white pictures of eerie mountains done by Nicholas Roerich. In addition, one will find an essay by Lovecraft and also a very good Bibliography if you're looking for some other Lovecraft-related titles. If you've never read Lovecraft, here's what he is in a nutshell: Blend Edgar Allan Poe with a dash of Stephen King.