title: Essential Solitude: The Letters of H. P. Lovecraft and August Derleth (2 VOLUME SET)
author: H. P. Lovecraft
description: This monumental two-volume compendium gathers the correspondence between horror writer H.P. Lovecraft (18901937) and one of his most devoted disciples, August Derleth (19091971). Schultz and Joshi have scrupulously edited and annotated the hundreds of letters that survive, the bulk on Lovecraft's side, from Derleth's first epistle sent in care of <i>Weird Tales</i> magazine in July 1926 to Lovecraft's final missive penned a month before his untimely death 11 years later. While philosophical disquisitions are few, Lovecraft's letters present an appealing portrait of a man keen to share his interest in the literature of the weird with a fellow enthusiast. Reproductions of drawings Lovecraft used to illustrate his letters, an appendix that includes Derleth's posthumous tributes to his friend, a list of both men's contributions to <i>Weird Tales</i> and more enhance the scholarly package. <i>(Jan.)</i> <br />Copyright  Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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  Text copyright © 2017 Emily Windsor
  
  All Rights Reserved
  
  This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, places and incidents are
  products of the author’s imagination. All characters are fictitious and any
  resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
  
  This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner
  whatsoever without the express written permission of the author except for the
  use of brief quotations in book reviews.
  
  Cover design by Melody Simmons
  
  This book is written using British English spelling.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
    
  
  TABLE OF CONTENTS
  
  [TEXT COPYRIGHT](index_split_001.html#filepos460)
  
  [PROLOGUE](index_split_003.html#filepos4252)
  
  [CHAPTER ONE](index_split_004.html#filepos25113)
  
  [CHAPTER TWO](index_split_005.html#filepos44374)
  
  [CHAPTER THREE](index_split_006.html#filepos64696)
  
  [CHAPTER FOUR](index_split_007.html#filepos89515)
  
  [CHAPTER FIVE](index_split_008.html#filepos125445