Most helpful customer reviews
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5.0 out of 5 stars
a correspondent's dream team, Feb 10 2004
Mysteries of Time and Spirit is a superb and wholly interesting collection of letters between H.P. Lovecraft (1890-1937) and Donald Wandrei (1908-1987), the latter being one of the co-founders (with Auggie Derleth) of Arkham House. In this book, we find Necrophilis and Ghost-Eater Lovecraft--so named in an 1927 letter by Wandrei--and the young Melmoth himself (one of HPL's names for Wandrei)--in a long series of eloquent, erudite letters which give the reader an in-depth look at the lives and interests of both men from late 1926 up to the time of Lovecraft's death from intestinal cancer in 1937. There's much epistolary greatness here, and as I was reading, I found myself envious of the relationship of these two men of letters. How I wish I could have been a correspondent of either of them.I highly recommended this book to Lovecraft & Wandrei fans, weird fiction enthusiasts or historians, or anyone interested in epistolary greatness.
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4.0 out of 5 stars
A worthy addition!, April 25 2003
H.P. Lovecraft was at the hub of a small circle of weird fiction writers, artists and enthusiasts. Even the most casual note sent in by a fan of his work would often receive a wonderfully long and detailed letter by way of thanks. Were it not for HPL's mammoth correspondence, writers like Frank Belknap Long, Clark Ashton Smith, E. Hoffmann Price, August Derleth, and Donald Wandrei would never have gotten to know one another and, very possibly, might not have persued writing careers with nearly as much fervor and creative imagination.This book is a record of the friendship that developed between HPL and Donald Wandrei who, as a 19-year-old University of Minnesota student in 1926, one day decided to write a fan letter. For the next ten years, the two men would exchange views on everything from the "weird" influence on art and literature to the woes of trying to get Hugo Gernsback, editor of WEIRD TALES, to pay for the stories he bought. Readers will also find interesting Wandrei's hitching odessey in the Summer of 1927, when he went from St. Paul to New York City to Providence, Rhode Island (bumming lifts all the way) in order to visit HPL from July 12-29. There is also a great deal of humor to be garnered from these letters, especially HPL's near obsession with a cheap eatery called JAKE'S (where you could get a complete meal for 25 cents) and a precursor to Baskin and Robbins called MAXWELL'S, where HPL would take visitors and stage ice cream eating contests. The only truly sad notes were HPL's consistent failures to secure a steady writing job and his persistent racism (also shared by Wandrei, at least while he explored New York). While certainly a blot on their characters, it does add to rendering a more complete picture of two creative people: one a neophyte, the other a rather weary and disillusioned veteran.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Fantastic glimpse into the life of Lovecraft!, Mar 17 2003
This must surely be one of the most fascinating books published on Lovecraft in a very long time. The book contains nearly all of the correspondance between him and Donald Wandrei, a horror/sci-fi writer in his own right, as well as upcoming co-founder of Arkham House. What makes this volume particular fascinating, is that it not only contains Lovecrafts letters, but also Wandreis, making this volume so much more exciting to read because of the ping-pong effect it gives. A lot of other letter-books tend to be slightly boring because the letters seem out of place due to the missing answers.
The two talk about their life, their writings, their authorfriends and what they read, giving a wonderful glimpse into the lives of two struggling writers who never made the big jackpot!
Of course the book will mainly be enjoyed by the hardcore-Lovecraft-fan, but even the more casual reader will be entertained by this book, that also gives a glimpse into the way life was lived in the beginning of the last century!On top of that, the publisher has done a wonderful job in producing the book; smythsewn binding, fine paper and highquality printing!!
The book is the first in a series of books containing letters of Lovecraft, and I already look forward to the next volumes!
Highly recommended!
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