In the 1920s and '30s, H.P. Lovecraft pioneered a new type of weird fiction that fused elements of supernatural horror with the concepts of visionary science fiction. Lovecraft's tales of cosmic horror revolutionized modern horror fiction and earned him the reputation of the most influential American writer of weird tales since Edgar Allan Poe.
H.P. Lovecraft: The Complete Fiction collects for the first time in a single volume all of Lovecraft's groundbreaking fiction: "The Call of Cthulhu," "The Dreams in the Witch House," "The Haunter of the Dark," "At the Mountains of Madness," "The Shadow out of Time," "The Shadow over Innsmouth," the full-length novels the Case of Charles Dexter Ward and The Dream Quest of Unknown Kadath, and many others.
H.P. Lovecraft: The Complete Fiction is one of Barnes & Noble's leatherbound classics. Each volume features authoritative texts by the world's greatest authors in exquisitely designed bonded-leather bindings with distinctive gilt edging and an attractive silk-ribbon bookmark. Decorative, durable, and collectible, these books offer hours of pleasure to readers young and old and are an indispensible cornerstone for any home library.
I have just order'd this leatherbound edition of Lovecraft's The Fiction. I have the first printing, and it is a wonderful book, yet highly flawed by a lack of proofreading. Martin Andersson has diligently examined the complete text of the book and has found hundreds if not thousands of typographical errors that have crept into the book, making it the most textually flawed edition of Lovecraft's tales ever published! This is a tragick irony since the book's editor, the amazing S. T. Joshi, has worked so hard to correct Lovecraft's texts for his numerous editions of Lovecraft's poetry and prose. I am hopeful that many if not most of the mistakes have been corrected for this leatherbound edition--although I doubt that that will be the case.
Still, the book is wonderful and a joy to read. One of the best features is that editor Joshi includes a wee introductory note for each tale, telling the story's publishing history, facts concerning its composition, &c. The book includes all of the fiction that Lovecraft wrote on his own (thus we do not find the revisions, and the only collaboration included is "Through the Gates of the Silver Key"). As an appendix we are treated with Lovecraft's juvenilia (included the first publication of a second version of "The Mysterious Ship") and the discarded draft of "The Shadow over Innsmouth." Also included is Lovecraft's excellent essay. SUPERNATURAL HORROR IN LITERATURE. I have wanted to purchase a second copy of this book and am really looking forward to seeing the leatherbound edition. I shall post a video review of it on my MrWilum channel at YouTube, where I discuss Lovecraftian literature.
16 out of 16 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.ThirdCamelot
Posted September 23, 2011
This 2011 'bonded leather' edition of Lovecraft's Complete Fiction, thanks Martin Anderson for help on the texts, and after comparing his long errata list of the 2008 edition, I found they were indeed corrected... (as stores had told me the opposite was likely, I thought to let others know who value this author)... This is an attractive and durably bound book... as to the 'bonded leather', it is mostly a tasteful synthetic alternative to dead animal skin, which may be a plus for some... H.
13 out of 13 people found this review helpful.
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Posted August 1, 2011
It seemed like a very good deal in the store at $20, but if you want to be swept away to fantastic realms, DON'T buy this edition! No sooner do I begin to really get into a story than I'm rudely jerked back to reality by extremely obvious and irritating typos, misspellings, and grammar errors! The entire book is rife with glaring mistakes that should have been caught by any semi-competent proofreader. It really diminishes the quality of one's reading experience. What's more, the (very lovely) binding is regrettably quite shoddily made. I've only owned this book for a few weeks, and the other day the thin layer of photographic foil on the front began spontaneously to peel and flake off! Also, to agree with some of the comments below, it is definitely not leather. Which is completely fine; I don't require my reading material to be wrapped in dead cow, but they should probably be clearer in their product description since they do say "leather."
Do go and buy some other Lovecraft collection, because the stories are wonderful, but if typos and misspellings bad enough to actually change the meaning of sentences (e.g. snakes "writing" instead of "writhing") are going to disturb your reading experience, THIS IS NOT THE ONE FOR YOU.
7 out of 8 people found this review helpful.
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Posted May 19, 2011
At least it sure doesn't look/feel/smell like leather; more like some kind of fiberboard-ish material. Since it's classified and described as a "leatherbound classic," I was expecting it to be leather/vinyl and to fit in with my other Barnes & Noble leatherbound books, but it doesn't because it isn't. Had I known this fact, I wouldn't have purchased it since I already have a previous clothbound edition. The supposed "leatherbound" book is essentially a down-sized copy of the earlier Library of Essential Writers version B&N released a few years ago. Everything is the same--introduction, stories, even page numbers--except that this new version is missing the brief author bio at the end and the typesetting is smaller to fit the "tidier" dimensions of this new edition. Also, B&N's poor packing job managed to mushroom a corner during transit. I can always exchange it at the nearest B&N store, but I shouldn't have to do that. It would be nice if they would at least try to protect the book while packing it for shipment. One air pillow in an oversized box just doesn't cut it.
5 out of 6 people found this review helpful.
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Posted February 17, 2011
This is the way Lovecraft would have wanted it. In a style of Class and like it would have been published during his lifetime...Enjoy Americass no the Worlds true great Author...:)
Many in the Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Strange, and Horror would all agree.
3 out of 5 people found this review helpful.
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Posted March 27, 2013
As has been stated in other reviews, the first printing in 2008 is riddled with typos and spelling errors. The new edition, printed in 2011 has corrected the failings of its predecessor. Since Barnes & Noble has sealed the book in plastic, you must check the color of the ribbon bookmark. The old version is gold, the new is purple. Make sure you get the purple.
I have spent quite a bit of time and money attempting to collect the entire works of HPL and to my knowledge this is the first volume that contains everything, including the hard to find History of the Necronomicon. As some have said, it is true that there are a handful of revisions and collaborations of his which are not found here, but honestly most of those are quite bad.
Bottom line: if you get the 2011 edition with the purple ribbon this is the best Lovecraft collection printed to date.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.SnarkyKaya
Posted September 15, 2011
What else is there to say about the stories themselves - they're wonderfully engaging, thought-provoking, weird, and wonderful. Lovecraft would be perfect to read in ANY format, the only real question here is about the quality of the book itself.
I am pleased - overjoyed - to say that even though this book ran under twenty dollars, this book is one that will remain in my library for as long as I live. I had to choose between this and the "Necronomicon" for a collection of Lovecraft, and the classier look of this version won out over the other. The pages are wonderful - thick, perfect to the touch, and classic. The binding is extremely durable - and, can I just say, looks awesome? - and the design of the whole thing screams "personal library addition"!
The price is right, the book is a beautiful compendium for the works of Lovecraft, and save for perhaps wanting an ebook version of his complete works, I forsee this as being my end-all collection of his works.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted December 28, 2012
DO NOT BUY! THE CURRENT EDITION IS MISPRINTED! An entire chapter on the author is missing from the book. I went to the store to try to exchange it, but we discover that ALL the copies they had were missing the section. Huge bummer, I am not sure what I'm going to do at this point. If you haven't bought this already or care about having the section, you might be better off waiting awhile and seeing if it gets fixed.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted May 14, 2012
The leatherbound collection consists of nice books and all, but I was extremely disappointed to learn that these books are manufactured in China and not the United States. Guess I should have known since these books are only $18. But if you do not care where these are made they are fairly decent.
1 out of 12 people found this review helpful.
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Posted February 22, 2011
That it's taken this long for a Complete Fiction of Lovecraft is a crime. That we get one in this format and edited by premier Lovecraft scholar S.T. Joshi completely makes up for it. An essential book.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted June 16, 2013
Better since they made corrections
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted March 28, 2013
the 2011 seems correct and it is superb(putting my nose real close it smells like a shoe) don't need anymore than that. It is a stunning copy in your hands especially for 20$
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted December 13, 2012
Meticulously edited by S.T. Joshi, the whole of Lovecraft's fiction in collected one handsome volume with each story in chronological order of composition, this is the definitive collection of the master's fiction.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Lovecraft has a way of making you feel the intensity of horror he is conveying. There is a psychological tension that you can not get from watching a movie. Hell of a lot better than any movie from the last 50+ years that used his titles or plot lines.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Lane_Enul
Posted June 27, 2012
A steal! I picked this up at a B&N brick and mortar store and made sure it was the 2011 edition ( with purple bookmark ribbon and correct copyright inside, not the gold shown in the picture above). This was the only way to ensure I did not inherit roughly a thousand errors in a 2008 edition by ordering online. That being said, paying $18 to have all of Lovecraft's non-collaborative stories (minus his poems) in this nicely bound edition is a criminal steal!!
For those counting there are 74 stories within, including his only novel ("The Case of Charles Dexter Ward") and his novellas ("The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath," "At the Mountains of Madness," "The Shadow Over Innsmouth," "The Shadow Out of Time"). Just those works alone are work $18 in book form.
Highly recommended for someone looking to pick up (almost) all of his works in one book. I was a bit disappointed that they didn't include some of his collaborative works such as "The Walls of Eryx" (his most science fictiony work) which is one of my favorites for some odd reason. This should keep you entertained for years. I peck away at it by reading a short story between each book I finish just to break things up. Enjoy!
Anonymous
Posted May 14, 2012
H.P. Lovecraft and his stories have inspired dozens of authors and newly formed stories of our generation because of the depiction of the weird and diabolical from his mind. Everything about Lovecraft and his stories is just incredible; they are part of an absolute imagination. If you are a true reader of sci-fi/fantasy, you MUST purchase this book of Lovecraft's fiction (I still need to obtain his poetry) for his works are essential to any science fiction readers' collection. By the way, the Cthulhu Mythos is the greatest thing of all time (If you do read/purchase his works).
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted March 29, 2012
A brillant book to introduce any individual to one of the greatest horror authors who ever lived.
Lovecraft understood that the greatest fear came from the unknown. As Franklin D. Roosevelt once said "We have nothing to fear but fear itself". While this is true, a great author like Lovecraft can use this to their advantage. Good horror shouldn't have to go into detail about every little pus-dripping sore on the body of a horrendous corpse risen from the dead. All good horror needs to do is provoke you into drawing from your imagination to fill in the blanks with what terrifies us. After all, who can scare us better than ourselves?
This volume contains all of Lovecraft's stories, including some of the more "meh" ones. While some of his tales can inspire nightmarish dread, others sound like campfire stories with better writing. That's okay though, because those are few and far inbetween.
I did encounter a bit of an issue with the image on the front cover of the book. Rather than a plastic image stuck on the front cover, it's actually a shiny type of thin material, and it's begun to peel around the edges. It's a minor annoyance, but an annoyance none the less.
Honestly though, Lovecraft is great. If you're looking for a good selection of short, disturbing tales, then this is for you.
5915961T
Posted January 15, 2012
We all know that Lovecraft's works are a monument of XXth century litterature.  So the question lies not here, but in the following suspicion : how can this book be called Complete works, if its number of pages is 30% inferior to Harper Collins' edition in three volumes ?  And what about the corrections to be executed on first edition hideous typo ? Really dommage, because a one-volume complete edition was a *nice* idea.
0 out of 7 people found this review helpful.
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Posted January 8, 2012
not only will you be delighted by Lovecraft's works both famous and infamous but you will learn how they came to be, when they where written and where they where published altogether a very enjoyable read
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.MGmirkin
Posted August 11, 2011
I'm happy there is finally a "complete" (stories) collection for H.P. Lovecraft! That said, it carries forward many typographical errors, rather than utilizing the "corrected" editions from S.T. Joshi...
I'm hopeful they will eventually re-produce this in a new edition that uses the updated / corrected texts of the various stories and does a better job of proofing. I know, I know, there are a lot of pages... But, that's what proofreaders get *paid for*, to catch all these glaring mistakes before publication. If someone can read through a story and clearly, easily discern spelling mistakes and other typographical errors, it represents a failure on the part of the publisher to do their due diligence.
Typos aside, I love this book, and you will too. If/when a corrected version comes out, I'll upgrade to that. Until then, this will fill a major need. To be complemented nicely by The Ancient Track, the completist collection of Lovecraft's poetry, put out by Joshi.
Overview
In the 1920s and '30s, H.P. Lovecraft pioneered a new type of weird fiction that fused elements of supernatural horror with the concepts of visionary science fiction. Lovecraft's tales of cosmic horror revolutionized modern horror fiction and earned him the reputation of the most influential American writer of weird tales since Edgar Allan Poe.
H.P. Lovecraft: The Complete Fiction collects for the first time in a single volume all ...