H.p Lovecraft Tales (Library of America)

Rating:
Summary: Near-perfect one-volume collection of Lovecraft
Review: As a long-time admirer of HPL, I find it deeply gratifing to see a collection of his best fiction from the prestigious Library of America. Though a bit pricy, this impressive volume stands as the best "core collection" of Lovecraft's work to date, superseding Joyce Carol Oates' thoughtfully-edited "Tales of H.P. Lovecraft."

Still, there are a few flies in the ointment. By all that's right and just, this volume should have been edited by the pre-eminent Lovecraft scholar, S. T. Joshi, rather than by the poor man's Dean Koontz. Lord knows Joshi has earned the honor of editing the Library of America Lovecraft edition many times over. Even so, Joshi's indespensible work in establishing the pure Lovecraft texts --the texts that make up this collection-- is fully acknowledged in the end papers. Also, I would have preferred that "The Hound" and "The Silver Key" had been included in addition to/instead of "The Lurking Fear" and "He." Then this one-volume core collection of Lovecraft's "Tales" would be perfect to my mind.

Still, you won't go wrong in getting this book. I can only hope --in vain, I suppose-- that a companion to "Tales" will one day be issued --"Poetry, Essays, Letters." This volume would include, among others, The Fungi from Yuggoth, Supernatural Horror in Literature, and a carefully chosen selection of Lovecraft's most fascinating and insightful correspondence. Editing this volume would be a task well beyond the means of even an avid and appreciative fan like Peter Straub, and could only fall to S. T. Joshi. Publishers of the Library of America series, please take note.