The Call of Cthulhu and Other Weird Stories

By H.P. Lovecraft

Book Overview

A definitive collection of stories from the unrivaled master of twentieth-century horror

"I think it is beyond doubt that H. P. Lovecraft has yet to be surpassed as the twentieth century's greatest practitioner of the classic horror tale." -Stephen King

Frequently imitated and widely influential, Howard Philips Lovecraft reinvented the horror genre in the 1920s, discarding ghosts and witches and instead envisioning mankind as a tiny outpost of dwindling sanity in a chaotic and malevolent universe. S. T. Joshi, Lovecraft's preeminent interpreter, presents a selection of the master's fiction, from the early tales of nightmares and madness such as "The Outsider" to the overpowering cosmic terror of "The Call of Cthulhu." More than just a collection of terrifying tales, this volume reveals the development of Lovecraft's mesmerizing narrative style and establishes him as a canonical- and visionary-American writer.

For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0141182342
• ISBN13: 9780141182346
• Release Date: October 1999
• Publisher: Penguin Classics
• Length: 448 Pages
• Weight: 0.74 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.1" x 7.8"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

The Call of Cthulhu and Other Stories: Gilded Pocket Edition

By a waterfall, I’m calling Cthulhu For some reason, this critter is an H.P. Lovecraft classic. I have ordered the 2005 movie. I kept waiting for the action, and somehow it ended before it started. I did not realize how meaningful the title was until the end, when I said, “Oh wow, now I understand. After Francis Wayland Thurston (a professor at Brown University) shuffles off this mortal coil, he leaves papers. His great-nephew, an anthropologist who narrates the story, is shocked to find that France Wayland’s research into what started as a spooky dream to find that he uncovers a cabal of Cthulhu worshipers. But who or what is Cthulhu? We travel with the narrator as he pieces together what Francis suspects. When Cthulhu calls, we may even have to confront him/it ourselves. Buyer tip: check the ISBN, check the page count, and if the author isn’t Lovecraft, assume you’re dealing with an adaptation, a derivative, or a tentacle‑shaped metadata accident.

Academic treatment of Lovecraft

Its interesting reading those who critise HP for being a bit dull. In my most humble opinion, HP LOvecraft is a true horror writer. Horror is not, adopting HP's view of the world, a Freddy Kruger slashing to bits teenagers, or a world over run with zombies- the REAL horror is a wholly uncaring universe, with human efforts and endevours meaning absolutly nothing. The Cthulu mythos , as it is called, all flows from that basic concept- the universe, and the "great old ones" that populate parts of it, do not care for human endevour and that is enough to drive one mad. This philosophy is well reflected in the chilling opening lines of the "The call of cthulhu"- " "the most merciful thing in the world, I think, is the inability of the human mind to correlate all its contents".With that in mind this is an excellent introduction to HP. It contains a mix of his more serious and well known works " The Call of Cthuthlu" and " The rats in the walls", to some of the more obscure and self parodying works. This is not the full stretch by any imagination, but serves as an excellent intorsuction to a writer whose influence cannot be understated. There are some very short stories, plus the a selection of the longer ones in the canon.Joshis intorduction, and footnotes while from time to time are distracting are scolerly and informative. All in all this is THE best introduction to HP.Bear in mind that the Cthulhu mythos is not for all readers. If you are expecting more direct and blunt horror such as King, you will be disappointed. If you want thought provoking writing, that will get you thinking and linger with you after you turn off the lights you will not be disappointed at all.Grade: A++