Clark Ashton Smith (1893-1961), perhaps best known today for his association with H.P Lovecraft and the Cthulhu Mythos, is in his own right a unique master of fantasy, horror and science-fiction. Highly imaginative, his genre-spanning visions of worlds beyond, combined with his profound understanding of the English language, have inspired an ever -increasing legion of fans and admirers.
For most of his life, he lived in physical and intellectual isolation in Auburn, California (USA). Predominantly self-educated with no formal education after grammar school, Smith wore out his local library and delved so deeply into the dictionary that his richly embellished, yet precise, prose leaves one with the sense that they are in the company of a true master of language.
Though Smith primarily considered himself a poet, having turned to prose for the meager financial sum it rewarded, his prose might best be appreciated as a "fleshed" out poetry. In this light, plot and characters are subservient to the milieu of work: a setting of cold quiet reality, which, mixed with the erotic and the exotic, places his work within its own unique, phantasmagoric genre. While he also experimented in painting, sculpture, and translation, it is in his written work that his legacy persists.
During his lifetime, Smith's work appeared commonly in the pulps alongside other masters such H.P. Lovecraft, Robert E. Howard, August Derleth, and E. Hoffmann Price and like many great artists, recognition and appreciation have come posthumously. In recent decades though, a resurgence of interest in his works has lead to numerous reprintings as well as scholarly critiques.
The Eldritch Dark is a site to facilitate both scholars and fans in their appreciation and study of Clark Ashton Smith and his works.
Re: Barlow visiting CAS December 1941
18 Nov, 2024 8:42AM by Knygatin
“Knygatin Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Ray Bradbury loved the design of Out of Space and Time, ... for example.
>
Yes, Smith's book. He bought it new in a bookshop in Los Angeles, in 1942 or -43.… ”
Re: Barlow visiting CAS December 1941
18 Nov, 2024 8:28AM by Knygatin
“Knygatin Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Derleth did not make much money from Arkham House, but did a
> careful and well executed job of it. ...
As I have mentioned elsewhere, I mean the design of the books, layout, typography, cover art (assembling several fine artists onto gladly working for Arkham House); he arranged it in a respectable manner, that… ”
Re: Barlow visiting CAS December 1941
16 Nov, 2024 3:59PM by Platypus
“Tord Wrote:
> I will address some of your concerns, even though I
> have to say your objections does not seem to be
> based on the facts here at all.
I am was reacting to the limited information you provided me. I wanted to know more so I dug up an article. Some of… ”
Re: Barlow visiting CAS December 1941
15 Nov, 2024 7:38AM by Tord
“Platypus Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>
> Tord, obviously there is doubt. I am expressing
> doubt, and I am obviously not the first. And now
> that you are supplying details, my doubts are
> deepening.
>
> So according to you, there was no will naming
> Barlow. Just a note. And not even a handwritten
>… ”
Re: Barlow visiting CAS December 1941
14 Nov, 2024 2:05PM by Tord
“Platypus Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Found the following article on the subject:
>
> link _
> The_Lovecraft_Scholar.pdf
>
> Will take time to digest.
That is a very relevant, early essay that contain very relevant information. I will get back with an answer to your other message tomorrow if I have anything particular to add. I would, again, primarily refer to the… ”