The Thing on the Doorstep and Other Weird Stories (Penguin Classics) (Paperback)

~ (Author), (Editor, Contributor) "IN RELATING THE CIRCUMSTANCES which have led to my confinement within this refuge for the demented, I am aware that my present position will create..." (more)
Key Phrases: greenish soapstones, nameless scent, psychic possession, Joseph Curwen, Charles Ward, Old Whateley (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Howard Phillips Lovecraft's unique contribution to American literature was a melding of traditional supernaturalism (derived chiefly from Edgar Allan Poe) with the genre of science fiction that emerged in the early 1920s. This new Penguin Twentieth-Century Classics edition brings together a dozen of the master's tales-from his early short stories "Under the Pyramids" (originally ghostwritten for Harry Houdini) and "The Music of Erich Zann" (which Lovecraft ranked second among his own favorites) through his more fully developed works, "The Dunwich Horror," The Case of Charles Dexter Ward, and At the Mountains of Madness.

The Thing on the Doorstep and Other Weird Stories presents the definitive corrected texts of these works, along with Lovecraft critic and biographer S. T. Joshi's illuminating introduction and notes to each story.

About the Author

Howard Phillips Lovecraft (1890-1937) was born in Providence, Rhode Island, where he spent most of his life. His relatively small body of work-three novels and sixty short stories-has nevertheless exercised an incalculable influence on horror and supernatural fiction.

Product Details

• Paperback: 464 pages
• Publisher: Penguin Classics (October 2, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0142180033
• ISBN-13: 978-0142180037
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #37,552 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

45 of 49 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Contents of This Book, January 4, 2002

By	R. MCCOSKER (California) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Since there are so many different Lovecraft collections out there, it may be useful to prospective buyers to know what's actually in this one:

[By S. T. Joshi:] Acknowledgments; Introduction; Suggestions for Further Reading; A Note on the Text; [short stories, except where noted, by H. P. Lovecraft:] The Tomb; Beyond the Wall of Sleep; The White Ship; The Temple; The Quest of Iranon; The Music of Erich Zann; Under the Pyramids [a.k.a. Imprisoned with the Pharoahs]; Pickman's Model; The Case of Charles Dexter Ward [novella]; The Dunwich Horror; At the Mountains of Madness [novella]; The Thing on the Doorstep; [by Joshi:] Explanatory Notes

Unlike in THE ANNOTATED H. P. LOVECRAFT and MORE ANNOTATED H. P. LOVECRAFT, also edited and annotated (though in the latter case co-edited and co-annotated) by Joshi, the equally copious annotations here are collected at the back of the book (thereby being what are technically known as "endnotes") rather than placed at the bottom of story pages where they're referenced (known as "footnotes"). And also unlike the "ANNOTATED" volumes, THE CALL OF CTHULHU AND OTHER WEIRD STORIES lacks photographs that highlight the relationships between the subjects in the stories and the persons and places of Lovecraft's life; features smaller print, making it slightly harder to read but meaning more stories can be fit into the volume.

THE THING ON THE DOORSTEP AND OTHER WEIRD STORIES is something of a sequel to THE CALL OF CTHULHU AND OTHER WEIRD STORIES, a similarly produced and arranged collection of Lovecraft fiction, with an introduction and endnotes by Joshi, put out by the same publisher, Penguin. To his credit, Joshi's respective introductions to both Penguin collections are informative and interesting for readers regardless of previous familiarity with Lovecraft, while repeating little of the same content.

Each of these Penguin titles, as well as the two "ANNOTATED" titles published by Dell, presents its selection of narrative fiction in the order written, a practical advantage when reading Lovecraft, and make attractive companion volumes.

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Aristocratic horror with a powerful imagination, October 19, 2001

By	Zack Davisson "All Good Things" (Seattle, WA, USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

If you have never read H.P. Lovecraft before, this is an excellent place to start. Each story gets a brief introduction by the Lovecraft scholar S. T. Joshi. The stories are the corrected versions, and the presentation is tasteful and classic.

"The Thing on the Doorstep and Other Weird Stories" is packed with some of Lovecraft's best stories. "The Music of Erich Zann" stands out as one of the best short stories I have ever read. In Paris, in a street that can no longer be found, a student lodger is disturbed by unearthly violin music drifting from the top floors. Who is Erich Zann, and where does he learn these strange tunes?

Other classics in this collection are "The Dunwich Horror," featuring the infamous Necronomicon. "At the Mountains of Madness," Lovecraft's longest story is a mixture of Edgar Allen Poes "The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket" and his own creatures from beyond. Set in the Antarctic, this has been the inspiration for several films. "The Case of Charles Dexter Ward" and "The Thing on the Doorstep" are both excellent. I wish this volume had been around when I first started reading Lovecraft. I am happy to have it now.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A further exploration of Lovecraft, May 11, 2005

By	J. N. Mohlman (Barrington, RI USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

"The Thing on the Doorstep and Other Weird Stories" represents the second of three (to date) collections of H. P. Lovecraft's work edited and annotated by J. T. Joshi and published by Penguin. Like the preceding volume ("The Call of Cthulhu and Other Weird Stories") the stories unfold in the chronological order of their writing, allowing the reader to both observe Lovecraft's development as a writer, and the interlinking of his developing mythos. The only substantial differences between this volume and the former are that this one contains more stories within the Cthulhu Mythos, and it also contains Lovecraft's two longest (and to my mind best) works.

The book begins with an introduction from Joshi that readers of the first volume will probably find disappointing as it offers no meaningful difference to that books introduction. It seems odd that someone who has chronicled Lovecraft's life as intently as Joshi has couldn't find a different avenue of consideration, and it is unfortunate that the same facts are repeated, regardless of how important they may be to understanding Lovecraft's writing.

Fortunately, that is the only black mark against Joshi's work as he has provided exhaustive foot-noting of each story. Sometimes whimsical and sometimes critical, these observations open up an entirely new and deeper view of the stories in "The Thing on the Doorstep and Other Weird Stories". In particular, residents of New England in general and Rhode Island in particular will appreciate the impression that regional history and geography had on Lovecraft's writing.

As for the stories themselves, they are somewhat better generally than the first volume, which may simply be a reflection of my preference for the Cthulhu stories, or may alternately reflect that they are indeed better written (as I would argue). The stand out contributions can be found in the final four entries, "The Case of Charles Dexter Ward", "The Dunwich Horror", "At the Mountains of Madness" and "The Thing on the Doorstep", all of which are noteworthy for both individual and common reasons.

"The Case of Charles Dexter Ward", like all four stories, continues the evolution of Lovecraft's occult mythos, but it is most noteworthy (aside from being the longest piece he ever wrote) for the way that it inverts the traditional Yankee ghost/horror story. Lovecraft removes, or rather reassigns, the supernatural and places it instead within the realm of a vast, seemingly unfathomable but quite literally real hidden world. Likewise, "The Dunwich Horror" plays upon these same elements, but at the same time explores the deep mystery of New England's rural regions, and the dichotomy of the bustling coast and the relatively rural interior.

"At the Mountains of Madness" is my favorite Lovecraft story, and is significant in that it represent the most concrete conveyance of facts regarding the various "Old Ones" who ruled the earth untold millennia ago. It also helped create the adventure/techno-thriller genre which is so prevalent today and which so frequently draws occult imagery and themes (the novels of Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child being the best representation of this admittedly mixed bag). Finally, "The Thing on the Doorstep" is interesting in that it offers a sequel of sorts to the well regarded "The Shadow Over Innsmouth".

"The Thing on the Doorstep and Other Weird Stories" comprises another nice collection of stories by Lovecraft. However, what really makes this edition stand out among other options are the fascinating contributions of Joshi which not only flesh out individual stories, but help place them within the larger context of Lovecraft's body of work, life experience and personal philosophies. As such, this is a book which can be enjoyed equally buy long time fans and new readers alike.

Jake Mohlman