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hackwork. HPL thought enough of Price’s letters to preserve them in full (they are now at JHL). In late August 1932 Price wrote a sequel to “The Silver Key,” entitled “The Lord of Illusion” (first published in CryptNo. 10 [1982]: 47–56), hoping that HPL would revise it and allow it to be published as a collaboration. HPL was reluctant to undertake the task, but finally, in April 1933, completed his extensive revision of it, retitling it “Through the Gates of the Silver Key.” In a letter to Price (October 3, 1932; SL4.74–75) HPL spoke of the need to revise the story radically to bring it in line with the original “Silver Key,” but in the end he kept as many of Price’s conceptions as possible, as well as some of his language. The story was initially rejected by WTbut later accepted, appearing in July 1934. Price visited HPL in Providence in June–July 1933; it was on this occasion that Price and Harry Brobst brought a six-pack of beer, prompting HPL to query, “And what are you going to do with so muchof it?” Price went on to write many stories for the pulps; late in life he wrote several novels. His best tales were collected in Strange Gateways(Arkham House, 1967); another selection of his tales is found in Far Lands, Other Days(Carcosa, 1975). Price wrote a substantial memoir, “The Man Who Was Lovecraft” (in Cats;rpt. LR), along with several slighter pieces, including “The Sage of College Street” ( Amateur Correspondent,May–June 1937), “H.P.Lovecraft the Man” ( Diversifier,May 1976), and several astrological analyses of HPL.
“Primavera.”
Poem (72 lines in 9 stanzas); written on March 27, 1925. First published in the Brooklynite(April 1925).
The springtime causes the narrator to reflect on the mystic realms he has known in the past; he has been “haunted by recollections/Of lands that were not of earth.” As with most of the poems of 1924– 26, “Primavera” was written for a meeting of the Blue Pencil Club, an amateur organization in Brooklyn whose meetings HPL grudgingly attended to please his wife.
“Professional Incubus, The.”
Essay (1,210 words); probably written in early 1924. First published in the National Amateur(March 1924); rpt. MW
HPL avers that the lack of good fiction in amateurdom is a result of the amateurs’ quest to ape the false standards of professional popular fiction.
“Providence.”
Poem (52 lines in quatrains); written on September 26, 1924. First published in the Brooklynite (November 1924); rpt. Brooklynite(May 1927); rpt. Californian(Summer 1937).
The poem was written for a meeting of the Blue Pencil Club on the topic “The Old Home Town”; HPL took occasion to speak longingly, from Brooklyn, of his devotion to the scenic and historic beauties of his hometown. HPL notes (letter to Lillian D.Clark, November 17–18, 1924; ms., JHL) that the poem was also published in the [Providence] Evening Bulletinin early to mid-November, but this appearance has not been found. The appearance in Collected Poems(1963) omits three stanzas. [Providence] Evening News,Astronomy Articles for.
Series of fifty-three astronomy articles (1914–18).
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The articles appeared as follows: “The January Sky” (January 1, 1914); “The February Sky” (January 31, 1914); “The March Sky” (March 2, 1914); “The April Sky” (March 31, 1914); “May Sky” (May 1, 1914); “The June Sky” (May 29, 1914); “The July Sky” (June 30, 1914); “The August Sky” (August 1, 1914); “The September Sky” (September 1, 1914); “The October Sky” (September 30, 1914); “The November Sky” (October 31, 1914); “The December Sky” (November 30, 1914); “The January Sky” (December 31, 1914); “The February Sky” (January 30, 1915); “The March Sky” (February 27, 1915); “April Skies” (April 1, 1915); “The May Sky” (April 30, 1915); “The June Skies” (June 1, 1915); “The July Skies” (June 30, 1915); “The August Skies” (July 31, 1915); “September Skies” (September 1, 1915); “October Skies” (October 1, 1915); “November Skies” (November 1, 1915); “December Skies” (November 30, 1915); “January Skies” (December 31, 1915); “The February Skies” (February 1, 1916); “March Skies” (March 1, 1916); “April Skies” (April 1, 1916); “May Skies” (May 3, 1916); “June Skies” (June 1, 1916); “July Skies” (July 1, 1916); “August Skies” (August 1, 1916); “September Skies” (September 1, 1916); “October Skies” (October 2, 1916); “November Skies” (October 31, 1916); “December Skies” (December 1, 1916); “January Skies” (January 2, 1917); “February Skies” (February 1, 1917); “March Skies” (February 28, 1917); “April Skies” (April 2, 1917); “May Skies” (May 1, 1917); “June Skies” (June 1, 1917); “July Skies” (July 2, 1917); “August Skies” (July 31, 1917); “September Skies” (August 31, 1917); “October Skies” (October 2, 1917); “November Skies” (November 5, 1917); “December Skies” (December 1, 1917); “January Skies” (January 2, 1918); “February Skies” (February 1, 1918); “March Skies” (March 1, 1918); “April Skies” (April 1, 1918); “May Skies” (May 2, 1918).
HPL’s most extensive and detailed astronomy columns, the articles averaged 1,750 words in length. As with his other articles, they somewhat mechanically cover the major celestial phenomena of the coming month, but as time passes they are enlivened with explanations of the classical names for the stars and constellations, original bits of poetry by HPL himself (usually presented anonymously), and other diversions. Their greatest significance, however, may be biographical, indicating that HPL had begun to emerge from his five-year-long hermitry several months before he joined amateur journalism in April 1914. The series came to an end because “the request of [the paper’s] editor for me to make my articles ‘so simple that a child might understand them’ caused me to withdraw from the field” (HPL to Alfred Galpin, May 27, 1918; ms., JHL).
“Providence in 2000 A.D.”
Poem (70 lines); probably written in early 1912. First published in the [Providence] Evening Bulletin (March 4, 1912).
HPL’s first published poem is a satire in which a man in the future returns to Providence and finds all the place names changed to reflect the foreign immigrants in the city. The poem was inspired by a petition by the Italian residents of the city to rename Atwell’s Avenue (the chief thoroughfare in the Italian district, Federal Hill) to Columbus Avenue.