Arkham and H.P. Lovecarft

 "What lay behind our joint love of shadows and marvels was, no doubt, the ancient,
mouldering, and subtly fearsome town in which we live - witch-cursed, legend-haunted
Arkham, whose huddled, sagging gambrel roofs and crumbling Georgian balustrades
brood out the centuries beside the darkly muttering Miskatonic." Thing on the Doorstep

Some of you might know already Lovecraft's strong connections to Salem. For those who do not know yet, let me fill you in.

Lovecraft first journey to Salem in April of 1923. Arkham is the home of Miskatonic University, which figures prominently in many of Lovecraft's works. The institution finances the expeditions in both At the Mountains of Madness (1936) and The Shadow Out of Time (1936). Walter Gilman, of The Dreams in the Witch House (1933), attends classes at the university. Other notable institutions in Arkham are the Arkham Historical Society and the Arkham Sanitarium. It is said in Herbert West—Reanimator, the town was devastated by a typhoid outbreak in 1905. Arkham’s most notable characteristics are its gambrel roofs and the dark legends that have surrounded the city for centuries.

Danvers State Hospital is the basis for his Arkham Sanitarium. Later the Batman universe will borrow that mythos and rename it Arkham Asylum. In 1992, the same year the old Salem Jail was closed, they shut their doors and sent the patients walking to Salem's homeless shelter. Both buildings are now luxury condos.... Only in Salem! In 2012 my friend Jon Archer actually took a cupola from the building and attached it to a new wing on his mansion. He also appropriated one of their lobotomy kits amidst many other architectural artifacts he incorporated in his new wing. Danvers State Hospital is said to have performed the first lobotomy.

Other Buildings and the quotes they are mentioned in from his stories....

Crowninshield-Bentley House

Asenath had bought the old Crowninshield place in the country at the end of High Street, and they proposed to settle there after a short trip to Innsmouth, whence three servants and some books and household goods were to be brought. (“The Thing on the Doorstep”)

The Derby House 

We discussed certain possible arrangements for his moving back into the Derby mansion, and I hoped that he would lose no time in making the change. He did not call the next evening, but I saw him frequently during the ensuing weeks. We talked as little as possible about strange and unpleasant things, but discussed the renovation of the old Derby house, and the travels which Edward promised to take with my son and me the following summer. (“The Thing on the Doorstep”)

 Charter Street Burial Ground, Salem
 
....you know Pickman comes of old Salem stock, and had a witch ancestor hanged in 1692. (“Pickman’s Model”)

Danvers State Hospital 

Before long I was pretty nearly a devotee, and would listen for hours like a schoolboy to art theories and philosophic speculations wild enough to qualify him for the Danvers asylum. (“Pickman’s Model”)

  I’ve heard personally of more’n one business or government man that’s disappeared there, and there’s loose talk of one who went crazy and is out at Danvers now. (“The Shadow Over Innsmouth”) 

So as you walk through the streets and dark corners of Salem, be careful. Be aware! You never know when one of his critters might be stalking up on you.....

 ~Chris

To find out more about Chris and his peculiar habits visit his page filled with fun games and animation. Then check out his publishers page to see a list of his books and the works of his friends at Salem House Press. Also check out the cool site dedicated to The Salem Trilogy!

Black Cat Magazine~Pulp Fiction from the Witch City

The Black Cat Magazine was started in 1895 in Boston  under the editorial eye of Herman Daniel (H.D.) Umbstaetter of  Salem , Massachusetts. It initially focused on strange fantasy stories and welcomed contributions from first-time writers. Science fiction writer Clark Ashton Smith first got his start in its pages. The most notable neophyte writer to launch his career in The Black Cat was Jack London, whose short story A Thousand Deaths was published in May 1899 and earned him $40.

In 1912 the Black Cat was moved to Salem as the city was transforming into the Witch City. What better timing. Umbstaetter died in 1913 and the editorial reigns passed through a few more hands before resting in those of Harold E. Bessom in 1915. At the start of 1919, Black Cat announced the beginning of the Black Cat Club. BCC membership allowed subscribers to submit critiques of stories that appeared in the magazine, and would pay one penny a word in return. The club folded by the end of the year.

Henry Miller first learned of this "club" when he happened to purchase a 15-cent copy of the January 1919 issue of The Black Cat.  Although Henry Miller did not write any stories for the magazine, he did have 5 critiques published. Upon payment of his first critique he was so happy he threw his hat in the air. It landed in traffic and that was the end of that hat....

The last issue of the Black Cat was published in 1922 in NYC. Although this is not the end of clever short stories with gripping illustrations. In Oct 2013 Salem House Press published Arkham: Tales from the Flipside . Pulp fiction covering sci-fi, horror, humorous narrative, and fantasy. They are offering emagazine subscriptions on their website. On their page they also give offer a free audio cast of stories by Ray Bradbury, Philip K. Dick, Isac Asimov, Robert A. Heinlein, and more.

 ~Chris

To find out more about Chris and his peculiar habits visit his page filled with fun games and animation. Then check out his publishers page to see a list of his books and the works of his friends at Salem House Press. Also check out the cool site dedicated to The Salem Trilogy!