In autumn 2011, The H.P. Lovecraft Archive polled over 1,000 visitors regarding Lovecraft’s fiction. Specifically, we asked visitors to tell us what their favorite Lovecraft stories were, as well as what Lovecraft stories they would recommend to those new to Lovecraft’s works. Here are the top ten responses to each question:

“What is your favorite H.P. Lovecraft story?”

Story	Percent	Words
At the Mountains of Madness	16.6%	41,500
“The Shadow over Innsmouth”	10.0%	22,150
“The Call of Cthulhu”	9.8%	12,000
The Case of Charles Dexter Ward	8.3%	51,500
“The Colour out of Space”	7.6%	12,300
“The Dunwich Horror”	5.7%	17,590
The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath	4.4%	43,100
“The Shadow out of Time”	3.5%	25,600
“The Whisperer in Darkness”	3.2%	26,700
“The Rats in the Walls”	2.9%	7,940

“What story would you recommend to a first-time reader of H.P. Lovecraft’s fiction?”

Story	Percent	Words
“The Call of Cthulhu”	21.9%	12,000
“The Shadow over Innsmouth”	8.5%	22,150
“The Colour out of Space”	6.6%	12,300
“The Dunwich Horror”	6.1%	17,590
At the Mountains of Madness	6.0%	41,500
“The Rats in the Walls”	5.6%	7,940
The Case of Charles Dexter Ward	5.3%	51,500
“Dagon”	4.7%	2,240
“The Outsider”	3.2%	2,620
“Pickman’s Model”	3.0%	5,570

First-time readers should exercise some caution when choosing from the above list. At the Mountains of Madness and The Case of Charles Dexter Ward are two of Lovecraft’s three longest stories and may be too lengthy an introduction to his work. Also, while “The Call of Cthulhu” is one of Lovecraft’s best-known and best-loved tales, its departure from more traditional horror stories may put off new readers.