At the Mountains of Madness [Hardcover]

H.P. Lovecraft (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1966

from the introductory:I am forced into speech because men of science have refused to follow my advice without knowing why. It is altogether against my will that I tell my reasons for opposing this contemplated invasion of the antarctic - with its vast fossil hunt and its wholesale boring and melting of the ancient ice caps. And I am the more reluctant because my warning may be in vain.Doubt of the real facts, as I must reveal them, is inevitable; yet, if I suppressed what will seem extravagant and incredible, there would be nothing left. The hitherto withheld photographs, both ordinary and aerial, will count in my favor, for they are damnably vivid and graphic. Still, they will be doubted because of the great lengths to which clever fakery can be carried. The ink drawings, of course, will be jeered at as obvious impostures, notwithstanding a strangeness of technique which art experts ought to remark and puzzle over.In the end I must rely on the judgment and standing of the few scientific leaders who have, on the one hand, sufficient independence of thought to weigh my data on its own hideously convincing merits or in the light of certain primordial and highly baffling myth cycles; and on the other hand, sufficient influence to deter the exploring world in general from any rash and over-ambitious program in the region of those mountains of madness. It is an unfortunate fact that relatively obscure men like myself and my associates, connected only with a small university, have little chance of making an impression where matters of a wildly bizarre or highly controversial nature are concerned.It is further against us that we are not, in the strictest sense, specialists in the fields which came primarily to be concerned. As a geologist, my object in leading the Miskatonic University Expedition was wholly that of securing deep-level specimens of rock and soil from various parts of the antarctic continent, aided by the remarkable drill devised by Professor Frank H. Pabodie of our engineering department. I had no wish to be a pioneer in any other field than this, but I did hope that the use of this new mechanical appliance at different points along previously explored paths would bring to light materials of a sort hitherto unreached by the ordinary methods of collection.Pabodie's drilling apparatus, as the public already knows from our reports, was unique and radical in its lightness, portability, and capacity to combine the ordinary artesian drill principle with the principle of the small circular rock drill in such a way as to cope quickly with strata of varying hardness. Steel head, jointed rods, gasoline motor, collapsible wooden derrick, dynamiting paraphernalia, cording, rubbish-removal auger, and sectional piping for bores five inches wide and up to one thousand feet deep all formed, with needed accessories, no greater load than three seven-dog sledges could carry. This was made possible by the clever aluminum alloy of which most of the metal objects were fashioned. Four large Dornier aeroplanes, designed especially for the tremendous altitude flying necessary on the antarctic plateau and with added fuel-warming and quick-starting devices worked out by Pabodie, could transport our entire expedition from a base at the edge of the great ice barrier to various suitable inland points, and from these points a sufficient quota of dogs would serve us.

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'The 20th century horror story's dark and baroque prince' Stephen King 'These tales of horror are in the true gothic tradition ! full of hinted terrors and unholy stenches. They are something very much out of the ordinary, a real collector's piece for connoisseurs of the unusual! Lovers of the macabre, the sinister, and the uncanny, take note.' Guardian' 'Horror against which there is neither defence nor refuge ! there is in his work something of lasting appeal' Time Out --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

H P Lovecraft was born in 1890 and lived most of his life in Providence, Rhode Island. A major figure in twentieth-century supernatural fiction, Lovecraft wrote many classic horror stories, many of which were published in book form only after his death in 1937. Among them are At the Mountains of Madness and Other Novels of Terror (1964), Dagon and Other Macabre Tales (1965) and The Horror in the Museum and Other Revisions (1970). --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 448 pages
• Publisher: Littlehampton Book Services Ltd (August 1966)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0575010568
• ISBN-13: 978-0575010567
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)

More About the Author

H. P. Lovecraft was born in 1890 in Providence, Rhode Island, where he lived most of his life. He wrote many essays and poems early in his career, but gradually focused on the writing of horror stories, after the advent in 1923 of the pulp magazine Weird Tales, to which he contributed most of his fiction. His relatively small corpus of fiction--three short novels and about sixty short stories--has nevertheless exercised a wide influence on subsequent work in the field, and he is regarded as the leading twentieth-century American author of supernatural fiction. H. P. Lovecraft died in Providence in 1937.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars beautifully presented classic of the genre, July 8, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: At the Mountains of Madness (Hardcover)

Lovecraft's work deserves this sort of presentation, though of course the price could be a little less ominous. Nevertheless, bound in beautiful leather and adorned with simple and absolutely appropriate art work one can find onesself taken away on the cosmic journey that's part Pym, part Alice In Inferno, and certainly reminicent of the cold arctic caverns that made their most recent appearance in the X-Files movie.If you know a fan, this would make an outstanding gift.

3.0 out of 5 stars Perfect tale, laughable cover., December 7, 2011

By 

Origo - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: At the Mountains of Madness (Paperback)

The first thing you'll notice when picking up this issue of H.P. Lovecraft's cult classic is that there's some kind of yeti and a weird portal on the cover. Clearly the illustrator read something different than the rest of us.

5 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars a good story presented in an awkward format, May 4, 2005

By 

Joseph L. Kolb (harris, mn USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: At the Mountains of Madness (Hardcover)

Although I enjoyed the story itself, this deluxe edition really didn't do anything for me. The book is 9.5 x 13 which makes it awkward to handle, hard to read and difficult to store. Fernando Duval did the illustrations and are alright at best. Supposed to be limited to 1000 copies. The book is autographed by Duval but not numbered. Not that it would make any difference. Overpriced, stick to the regular hardbound edition unless you are into odd-sized books.