Reviews

An H.P. Lovecraft Encyclopedia, edited by S.T. Joshi and David E. Schultz, will please HPL purists, since it focuses on the weird writer's literary work with entries for individual stories, the more important poems and essays, fictional locales and characters (including every member of the German U-boat crew named in "The Temple"). Although Cthulhu and HPL's other "gods" don't receive separate entries, there's an essay-length entry on the Cthulhu Mythos. Other longer entries concisely treat such topics as HPL's juvenilia, letters and travels, but his philosophy gets short shrift for, as the editors state in their introduction: "No separate entry on Lovecraft's philosophical thought is included here, as the topic is too complex for succinct discussion." Despite such selective coverage, this is an indispensable volume. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

Lovecraft scholars Joshi (founder and editor of Lovecraft Studies) and Schultz (editor of H.P. Lovecraft's Commonplace Book) have compiled an accessible yet scholarly general encyclopedia and chronology focusing on prolific fantasy/horror author H.P. Lovecraft (1890-1937). Succinct, alphabetically arranged entries cover Lovecraft's numerous works, which include short stories, sketches, poetry, essays, novels, nonfiction, and letters. Also covered are significant characters, little-known features of the stories, and family members, associates, and critics, as well as people known to have influenced Lovecraft, e.g., Nathaniel Hawthorne. The entries for each work include type of work, word count, estimated date of writing, first publication, first appearance in a volume by Lovecraft, and subsequent appearances in corrected or annotated editions. Plot synopses of Lovecraft's fictional works are included, with at least one citation to a book or article discussing that work. Entries include footnotes and references but no cross references, and the bibliography cites both primary and secondary sources. This detailed encyclopedia is highly recommended for public and academic libraries. Laurie Selwyn, San Antonio P.L., TX Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.