Despite being relatively unknown by the general public, there is plenty of biographical
information about Lovecraft available. This list includes mostly in-print volumes but also
includes some of the more important out-of-print books.
- Autobiographical Writings
- By H.P. Lovecraft (Necronomicon Press). This chapbook collects many of Lovecraft’s own
writings about himself.
- Ave atque Vale
- Edited by S. T. Joshi & David E. Schultz (Necronomicon Press). A collection of 67 memoirs
and tributes in honor of H. P. Lovecraft.
- The Curious Case of H.P. Lovecraft
- By Paul Roland (Plexus Publishing).
- The Dream World of H.P. Lovecraft: His Life, His Demons, His
Universe
- By Donald Tyson (Llewellyn Worldwide).
- A Dreamer and a Visionary: H.P. Lovecraft in his Time
- By S.T. Joshi (Liverpool University Press). Essentially a much shorter and more accessible
version of Joshi’s much larger H.P. Lovecraft: A Life.
- The Gentleman from Angell Street: Memories of H.P.
Lovecraft
- By Muriel E. Eddy and C.M. Eddy, Jr.; Edited by Jim Dyer (Fenham Publishing).
- H.P. Lovecraft: A Biography
- By L. Sprague de Camp (Barnes & Noble Books). Originally published as Lovecraft: A
Biography in 1975, this has long been the most prominent and available of Lovecraft
biographies. Unfortunately, it also has many errors of fact and de Camp tends to be very
judgmental towards Lovecraft. Still, it’s a good overview of Lovecraft’s life and
works.
- H.P. Lovecraft: A Life
- By S.T. Joshi (Necronomicon Press). Published in 1996, this has now been superseded by the
unabridged version, I Am Providence: The Life and Times of H.P. Lovecraft (see
below).
- H.P. Lovecraft: A Short Biography
- By S. T. Joshi (Sarnath Press). Originally published as H.P. Lovecraft: Nightmare
Countries, this paperback edition (sans illustrations) is a very inexpensive
introduction to Lovecraft.
- H.P. Lovecraft: An Introduction to His Life and
Writings
- By Arthur S. Koki (Hippocampus Press).
- H.P. Lovecraft: Master of Weird Fiction
- By William Schoell (Morgan Reynolds Publishing). Part of the “Writers of
Imagination” series, targeted at young adult readers.
- H.P. Lovecraft: Nightmare Countries
- By S.T. Joshi (Metro Books). Lavishly illustrated, this inexpensive book is very accessible
for those new to Lovecraft, but still a treat for those already familiar with him.
- H.P. Lovecraft: The Mysterious Man Behind the
Darkness
- By Charlotte Montague (Chartwell Books).
- Howard Phillips Lovecraft: Dreamer on the Nightside
- By Frank Belknap Long (Arkham House).
- I Am Providence: The Life and Times of H.P. Lovecraft
- By S.T. Joshi (Hippocampus Press). A new and unabridged version of Joshi’s H.P.
Lovecraft: A Life which restores 150,000 words excised from the original manuscript, making
it the new definitive edition. Joshi examines all aspects of Lovecraft’s life and works
without whitewashing them. A must read for all fans of Lovecraft.
- In the Mountains of Madness: The Life and Extraordinary Afterlife of
H.P. Lovecraft
- By W. Scott Poole (Soft Skull Press).
- Lord of a Visible World: An Autobiography in Letters
- By H.P. Lovecraft, Edited by S.T. Joshi and David E. Schultz (Hippocampus Press). A
collection of Lovecraft’s letters and essays arranged to form an autobiography.
- Lovecraft At Last
- By H.P. Lovecraft and Willis Conover; New Introduction by S.T. Joshi (Cooper Square Press). A
touching account by one of Lovecraft’s final correspondents.
- Lovecraft Remembered
- Edited by Peter Cannon (Arkham House). A collection of 65 reminiscences by those who knew
Lovecraft personally.
- Midnight Rambles: H. P. Lovecraft in Gotham
- By David J. Goodwin (Empire State Editions-Fordham University Press). This
“micro-biography” focuses on Lovecraft’s time in New York City.
- Miscellaneous Writings
- By H.P. Lovecraft (Arkham House). The final chapter of this hardback, “Personal,”
includes some of Lovecraft’s autobiographical writings.
- Some Notes on a Non-entity: The Life of H. P.
Lovecraft
- By Sam Gafford, illustrated by Jason Eckhardt (PS Publishing). A biography of Lovecraft in
graphic novel form.
- The Weird Tales Boys: H.P. Lovecraft, Robert E. Howard, Clark Ashton
Smith and “The Unique Magazine”
- By Stephen Jones (Drugstore Indian Press-PS Publishing). This book focuses on the relationships
of these three men, and both their and Weird Tales’ enduring legacies.
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