SHADOW OVER INNSMOUTH – H. P. Lovecraft 1st
Item History & Price
| Reference Number: Avaluer:29168021 | Topic: Horror |
| Subject: Literature & Fiction | Author: H.P. Lovecraft |
| Special Attributes: 1st Edition |
THIS YEAR'S SPECIAL LABOR DAYSALE OFFERINGMAKE A REASONABLE OFFER - LET'S COME TO A DEALHere is a chanceto own one of the very scarce copies of H. P. Lovecraft's classic THE SHADOWOVER INNSMOUTH published by Visionary Publishing Company in Everett, PA.in 1936.A rare book, thepublisher has stated that around 200 copies were bound (see the article"Lovecraft's First Book" byWilliam Crawford in THE SHUTTERED ROOMby Lovecraft published by Arkham House in 1959).The publ...isher, William H. Crawford, is noted for a lifetime of eccentric printing, oftenevidenced by many different states of bindings & typography, with thefinished product usually not up to a professional book publishing standard ofquality. This title is noexception. According to bibliographies 2different styles of stamping on the front cover have been seen (this copy beingone of those printed in silver in both upper & lower case type). Also, 3 variants of the dust jacket have beennoted by science fiction bibliographer L. W. Currey: a) white paper printed inyellow, b) white paper with the frontispiece illustration by Frank Utpatelreproduced in green with lettering in silver & c) white paper without illustration and name"H. P. LOVECRAFT" printed horizontally under the title. There is no priority as to either thebindings or the dust jackets, and according to sources the dust jackets wereprinted after the book was published, and came on some of the later sold copiesas well as being sent to some of those who had earlier purchased jacketlesscopies. Furthermore, after publicationCrawford printed a one-sheet errata page correcting some of his printingerrors.This copy looksabout as FINE as possible given the publisher's professional capabilities. There is a slight wrinkling to the cloth onthe spine (due to publisher's binding), and the silver stamping to the coversappears somewhat light (but clearly due to production & not wear). Otherwise there is no noticeable wear to thebook. This copy comes with the scarceerrata slip and 2 of the 3 dust jacket variants! The jacket of white paper with printing in silveris a truly FINE example with only the slightest of dust. The one of white paper with title in silver& the yellow-greenish Utpatel illustration is nice, with no wear, the onlyproblem being dust-soiling from many years of storage, as can be seen in thephoto.
