If there’s an offical sign that you’ve ‘made it,’ American literature-wise, it’s to have your work collected into one of those classy black volumes put out by Libary of America. Over the last several years, the Library has paid more due to genre authors, including such influential writers as Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler.
Now H.P. Lovecraft has now been so honored, with a recent volume edited by horror writer Peter Straub. Lovecraft’s influence on the horror genre, both literary and cinematic, grows every year, and so this is only just. At 850 pages, and generally available for under $25 (as it is at Amazon.com), it’s well worth a purchase, and would be worth remembering when giving gifts.
