poe1a.gifThree useful essays on H.P. Lovecraft’s background are readily available on the web and are worth a read. The first, by Lovecraft circle member Robert Bloch (1917-1994) best known as the author of Psycho, labors to compare the lives & works of Lovecraft and Edgar Allan Poe. Bloch’s essay was was first published in Ambrosia #2 (August, 1973), and he rejects the simplistic superficial comparisons of their works and looks at the men’s similarities of character. The full content of the essay is printed here: http://alangullette.com/lit/hpl/bloch.htm.

gent.jpgThe second essay, by Alan Gullette, takes us on a walk through Loveraft’s literary works in relation to his life. A concise essay, Alan covers many of the key elements of Lovecraft’s literary achievements. The essay can be found here: http://alangullette.com/lit/hpl/gent.htm.

The third essay is a fairly complete rendering of H.P. Lovecraft’s life. Originally written by noted Lovecraft scholar S.T. Joshi for the H.P. Lovecraft Centennial Guidebook, it is now hosted by the H.P. Lovecraft Archives. Like most of Joshi’s work, this piece is scholastically well researched with considerable insight into the events of Lovecraft’s. The essay is posted here: http://www.hplovecraft.com/life/biograph.asp. The more detailed and voluminous biography, H.P. Lovecraft: A Life weighs in at 700+ pages and was published by Joshi in 1996, remains one of the most detailed and heavily researched biographies of Lovecraft.

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