Shortly before his death in 1961, Clark Ashton Smith began work on a chapbook dealing with his sculptures and paintings. This projected volume, however, went barely beyond the planning stage. It is unfortunate that he did not live to complete it, as his own account could only have been more comprehensive and authoritative than anyone else's could be on the subject. This present booklet is not intended as a scholarly analysis of Smith's artistic work, though it may perhaps lay the groundwork for such an investigation. It is an effort to present the story of Smith's career as a sculptor and painter, and to show a sampling of his works that have for years been, in the words of his friend, H. P. Love-craft, "The delight of a sensitive few."
To bring this booklet to completion, I have relied greatly on the help of friends and associates of Smith, all of whom were anxious to see this aspect of his talents given deserved, if belated, attention. I would like to thank George F. Haas for his wealth of information on this and divers other subjects, Richard L. Tierney for his invaluable assistance, and Roy A. Squires, E. Hoffmann Price, the late August Derleth, Emil Petaja, Donald Sidney-Fryer, John Vetter, Jack L. Chalker, Mrs. Carol Jones Smith, Robert Elder, Kirby McCauley, Forrest J. Ackerman, Glenn Lord, Gerry de la Ree, Ethel Heiple, Bill Blackbeard, Mrs. Helen Sully Trimble, Mrs. Marion Sully Schenck, Matt Wyse, Richard Harper, Noel Farmer, Peter Casper Zwarts, and Kenneth W. Faig, Jr.