A weekly blog post, celebrating H.P. Lovecraft’s interest in our fascinating felines.
The cover illustration and jacket for Something about Cats and other Pieces, ed. August Derleth, Arkham House, 1949. This usefully reprinted an initial set of memoirs including Providence items such as neighbour Clara L. Hess’s memoir-letter to The Providence Journal newspaper, which had appeared 19th September 1948. This appeared in the book as “Addenda to ‘H.P.L.: A Memoir’” with some additions from an interview Derleth had managed to obtain with Hess. The chapter’s title positioned it as an update on Derleth’s own earlier book H.P.L.: A Memoir (1945). Sadly both books are now collectable first editions from Arkham, and thus unobtainable by scholars expect at substantial cost. I’m unsure who the cover artist of Something about Cats was.
Update: the Hess letter + additions from her interview with Derleth, and some further research from, is in the book Lovecraft Remembered and is there listed not under Hess but as ‘August Derleth, “Lovecraft’s Sensitivity” (1949)’. My thanks to magister76se for pointing this out.
Having read the last sentence, I googled “something about cats” and found that Ronald Clyne was the cover artist.
Many thanks. An example of the perils of blocking Wikipedia in one’s search results! I never considered that Wikipedia would have a complete page just for this one book.
Fortunately everything in this book (at least everything of importance) is available elsewhere in books that are in print.
Great. Where can I find the Hess letter with its additions by Derleth re: his interview with her? It begins on page 247 of ‘Cats’ and is not listed in the Contents given on the Wikipedia page. I already have the letter itself.
Lovecraft Remembered, edited by Peter Cannon (Arkham House, 1998), p. 32-37. It is listed as “Lovecraft’s Sensitivity” (item no. 34) in the Contents on the Wikipedia page.
Wonderful, thank you. I had overlooked it there because the book’s Contents page credits Derleth, not Hess.