In the Mountains of Madness: The Life and Extraordinary Afterlife of H.P. Lovecraft

by W. Scott Poole

Overview

This “smart, shrewd, and insightful” biography of H.P. Lovecraft not only explores the author’s fascinating life but also reveals his “lasting power and influence” on the entertainment industry and society as a whole (Victor LaValle, author of The Changeling)

Interweaving the biography of the legendary writer with an exploration of Lovecraft as a phenomenon, In the Mountains of Madness strives to explain this reclusive, cultish figure while challenging some of the general views held by Lovecraft devotees. Focusing specifically on the large cross-section of horror and science fiction fans who know Lovecraft through films, role-playing games, and video games directly influenced by his work, but who know little or nothing about the man himself, In the Mountains of Madness places Lovecraft and his work in a cultural context, as an artist more in tune with our time than his own.

More than a traditional biography, this provocative book reclaims the true essence of Lovecraft in relation to the comics of Joe Lansdale, the novels of Stephen King, and some of the biggest blockbuster films in contemporary America, proving the undying influence of this rare and significant figure.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781593766474
Publisher:	Catapult
Publication date:	09/13/2016
Pages:	320
Sales rank:	646,853
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

W. Scott Poole who teaches at the College of Charleston, has written widely about American history, horror, and pop culture. His books include Vampira: Dark Goddess of Horror and his award-winning history Monsters in America, which received the John G. Cawelti prize from the Popular Culture Association and was named among the "Best of the Best" by the AAUP for 2011. Poole is a regular contributor to Popmatters and his work has appeared in the Huffington Post, Religions Dispatches, and Killing the Buddha. He blogs at his website, monstersinamerica.com.

Editorial Reviews

08/29/2016
Historian Poole (Vampira: Dark Goddess of Horror) turns his scholarly attention to H.P. Lovecraft (1890–1937) in this highly readable, informal biography, which also surveys the iconic horror writer's place in today's popular culture. Acknowledging the work done on Lovecraft by S.T. Joshi and other critics in recent decades, Poole takes pains to point out where his views differ from theirs. In particular, Poole stresses the importance of the women in Lovecraft's life, notably his mother, Sarah, and his wife, Sonia, to whom he was effectively married for only two years. Sarah may have had a detrimental psychological influence on her son, Poole concedes, but "at every opportunity, she let his imagination run in its wildest directions," encouraging his pursuit of such hobbies as chemistry and astronomy. In addition to putting in a good word for Sonia, Poole cites an anecdote that will be unfamiliar even to those steeped in Lovecraft lore: a document among Sonia's papers at the John Hay Library in Providence, R.I., suggests that Lovecraft enjoyed watching his wife dance to a recording of "Danse Macabre," the Camille Saint-Saëns tone poem. For Lovecraft neophytes wanting to learn more about the man and his work, this is a fine starting point. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

Must reading for both loyal Lovecraft fans and biography lovers.”
—Booklist

“This work by Poole makes Lovecraft's story accessible to casual readers without forsaking the level of detail expected of a more scholarly work . . . this book entertains and surprises, as with Poole's decision to write in the first person—he's a wry and jovial narrator. He also takes pains to explore Lovecraft's influence upon art and popular culture... This interesting biography also provides new perspectives on the author's character that will incense the keepers of Lovecraft's mythos.”
—Library Journal

“H.P. Lovecraft is having one hell of a resurgence. Luckily, the author of the man's latest biography is the smart, shrewd, and insightful W. Scott Poole. In the Mountains of Madness gives a welcome accounting of Lovecraft's career but, importantly, urgently, Poole also offers a new outlook on the women in Lovecraft's life. His mother and wife, dismissed or vilified for so long, are cast as some of his most essential supporters. What a welcome new point of view this book offers about this issue and so many others. What a wonderful testament to the lasting power and influence of H.P. Lovecraft.”
—Victor LaValle, author of The Changeling

“As Poe was to the 20th century, Lovecraft is to the 21st, and W. Scott Poole’s book is his Horrible Holiness's Gospels, his Revelations, and his Necronomicon, all in one, like some kind of twisted trinity guiding us deep into the mountains of madness.”
—Grady Hendrix, author of My Best Friend’s Exorcism

“A fascinating journey . . . The secret of Lovecraft revealed a page at a time. A must read for all true fans of horror.”
—Jonny Coffin, owner of Coffin Case

From the Publisher

08/01/2016
Although horror writer H.P. Lovecraft's (1890–1937) oeuvre is widely read, his life and times have been infrequently profiled. Because of its brevity (relative to S.T. Joshi's definitive biography, H.P. Lovecraft: A Life) and engaging style, this work by Poole (history, Coll. of Charleston; Vampira: Dark Goddess of Horror) makes Lovecraft's story accessible to casual readers without forsaking the level of detail expected of a more scholarly work. Poole examines the known events from birth to death, while carefully detailing the people and literature that influenced Lovecraft; his significant stories are also discussed. In other ways, though, this book entertains and surprises, as with Poole's decision to write in the first person—he's a wry and jovial narrator. He also takes pains to explore Lovecraft's influence upon art and popular culture. Likewise, Poole does not shrink from explaining his subject's sexuality, nor does he shirk his duty to discuss Lovecraft's undeniable racism and xenophobia. This interesting biography also provides new perspectives on the author's character that will incense the keepers of Lovecraft's mythos. VERDICT It's hard to argue against acquiring this volume to support a literature collection, though its appeal to readers beyond those fascinated with Lovecraft will be limited.—Chris Wieman, Univ. of the Sciences Libs., Philadelphia

Library Journal

2016-06-21
A deep plunge into the Lovecraft-ian dark side.Poole (History/Coll. of Charleston; Vampira: Dark Goddess of Horror, 2014, etc.) enthusiastically explores how H.P. Lovecraft (1890-1937) influenced modern pop culture. The author's ardent fandom occasionally gets in the way, but he doesn't shy away from being critical when it matters, as when he discusses the "raw sewage of the author's racial theories." Poole reveals how a "strange, sickly, geeky, gawky, weird, impossible Howard" became H.P. Lovecraft, creating "horror tales without precedent and monsters without antecedent." The reclusive writer was lucky to be around when scary ghost stories were the thing; even "high-falutin figures" like Henry James were writing them. Lovecraft's moody "fictional grimoire" found favor with the editors of Weird Tales beginning in 1926 with "The Tomb" (they originally rejected his most famous work, "The Call of Cthulhu"). It gained him an audience but little income. Downplaying the role Poe had on his work and paying particular attention to the role women played in Lovecraft's life, Poole seamlessly weaves biography and criticism as he shows how the fodder of Lovecraft's mental state was transformed into the eerie, occult-infused stories Nail Gaiman calls "where the darkness begins." The rise of interest in Lovecraft after his death at 46 to the "apex of American popular culture's current fascinations form[s] a story as peculiar as his own life." Poole chronicles how writers like Robert E. Howard, August Derleth, and Robert Bloch championed him while Arkham House tirelessly kept his books in print. The "contemporary geek culture" created a "multibillion dollar entertainment juggernaut" consisting of video and board games, films, TV shows, comics, and steampunk that bear the Lovecraft-ian stamp. Poole even chronicles his visits to fantasy conferences interviewing fans who want to talk about the author who "wrote a new American history and a new geography to match it." Poole calls his occasionally flaky biography "unorthodox," but it's also thoroughly enjoyable and highly readable.

Kirkus Reviews