Three signed letters to Clark Ashton Smith
$25,000 · Offered by Biblio
First edition · Signed
[No Place]: [No Publisher], 1929. Near Fine. Three manuscript letters written by H.P. Lovecraft and signed to Clark Ashton Smith. Each a single sheet written both sides in ink, folded two or three times. Second and third letters accompanied by matching envelopes with handwritten postscripts. Fine with toning to all items, minimal red pencil marks to second and third letters and envelopes. Sender's address on third envelope has been partially torn off. Housed in a custom dark red cloth clamshell case, portrait onlay to front cover, lightly rubbed and scuffed. The first letter, written at Lovecraft's home in Rhode Island and dated Sept 27, 1922, is the second he that ever sent to Clark Ashton Smith. Lovecraft begins: "My dear Mr. Smith: It is needless to say that I was vastly pleased to receive your reply to my unsolicited letter, & that I appreciate very much your courtesy in thus noticing an obscure companion in the realms of the macabre." He heaps praise upon Smith's work and laments the indifference of American critics toward horror ("Today neither Poe nor Baudelaire could expect the slightest hearing in a standard magazine"). The author finishes by thanking Smith for the other man's praise of his own work, and adds that he has included some pieces of writing, "which you might glance over if they look promising." He signs off "with every kind of appreciation and admiration, believe me, most sincerely yrs HP Lovecraft." The second letter letter is dated June 7, and the postm
- Publisher: [No Publisher]
- Year: 1929
- Edition: First Edition
- Binding: unknown
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