A Subtler Magick: The Writings and Philosophy of H. P. Lovecraft [Paperback]

S. T. Joshi (Author, Introduction)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1880448610 | ISBN-13: 978-1880448618 | Publication Date: December 1, 1996 | Edition: 3

The definitive critical guide to the life and works of H.P. Lovecraft, the premier writer of horror fiction in the first half of the 20th century, written by the world's foremost Lovecraft scholar. (Criticism)

Product Details

• Paperback: 316 pages
• Publisher: Borgo Press; 3 edition (December 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1880448610
• ISBN-13: 978-1880448618
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,975,876 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

S. T. Joshi (Seattle, WA) is a freelance writer, scholar, and editor whose previous books include Documents of American Prejudice; In Her Place: A Documentary History of Prejudice against Women; God's Defenders: What They Believe and Why They Are Wrong; Atheism: A Reader; H. L. Mencken on Religion; The Agnostic Reader; and What Is Man? And Other Irreverent Essays by Mark Twain.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Companion Piece to A Biography, September 6, 2000

By 

Rory Coker (Austin, TX USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Subtler Magick: The Writings and Philosophy of H. P. Lovecraft (Paperback)

This is a companion piece of sorts to Joshi's magisterial biography of Lovecraft, delving more into Lovecraft's literary and philosophical positions, and less into the details of his day-to-day life. Unavoidably, there is some duplication between the biography and this material.

Few writers are lucky enough to have a biographer-critic who achieves a good balance among sympathetic understanding, broad literary appreciation, and unbiased dissection, but Lovecraft is fortunate to have Joshi, who does have such a balance. Joshi's lack of an academic position is, however, a pretty clear indication of the low esteem the literary establishment has for Lovecraft scholarship. In the past 40 years I've seen Lovecraft's literary reputation rise steeply in academia, but he has quite a ways to go, and some academic critic who's looking for a writer to champion has only to pick up this book and find a superb introduction to the writer, his work and thought. Recommended.