Last Update 2/20/12

Letters to James F. Morton edited by David E. Schultz and S.T. Joshi, Hippocampus, 2011, $25, ISBN 9780-9844802-3-4

These are the letters of H.P. Lovecraft to one of his many correspondents, written in a day when letter writing was almost an artform in itself, and one in which Lovecraft was very skilled. I confess that I only skimmed through these, many of which are written in a somewhat contrived dialect. The subject matter varies from political and social philosophy to world events to jokes. Also included is some of Morton's own writing, plus remembrances of him by some of his personal acquaintances. This one is probably of interest only to Lovecraft students, as it presents a rarely seen side of Lovecraft. 2/20/12

The Secret of the Incas by William Sullivan, Crown, 1996 

The premise of this book is very interesting. Sullivan contends that myths and legends compose a kind of history that doesn’t get proper attention and that through them we can tell when the stories took place because they frequently reflect the constellations, thus can be dated. Unfortunately he goes on from there to suggest that the Incas knew that their civilization was doomed, even the year when it would happen, because they read it in the sky and tried to alter the sky to avert their fate. His arguments aren’t helped by his frequently opaque constructions and there were several places where I couldn’t understand what he was trying to say despite re-reading the relevant passages. 2/17/12

The Theology of Dracula by Noel Montague-Etienne Rarignac, McFarland, 2012, $40, ISBN 978-0-7864-8709-7

Although this analysis of the text of Bram Stoker's classic novel as an expression of various Christian belief systems is intelligently written and very detailed, I felt that in several cases the author was bending the evidence to fit the premise. I very much doubt that Stoker was consciously (and perhaps not even unconsciously) trying to incorporate Gnosticism and Mariology into his novel, although as elements of the Christian tradition they may have had some residual effect on his personal philosophy. That said, the book contains several reinterpretations of elements of the story that were actually somewhat thought provoking. The price tag on this is probably prohibitive for casual readers, but Stoker enthusiasts will certainly want to give it a look. 2/7/12

Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond, Norton, 1997 

This fascinating book attempts – and I think largely succeeds – in explaining why some civilizations like Europe acquired ascendancy over other ones like the Aztecs. An oversimplified summary is that environmental factors in various parts of the world affected the time and efficacy of the switch from hunter-gatherers to farmers, and farming led to food surpluses which allowed the establishment of specialists like soldiers and politicians and inventors. The number of animals which could be domesticated exposed some populations to wider varieties of germs, which meant that the ones they carried but were relatively immune to were more deadly to other cultures than those in the opposite direction. All of this is quite entertainingly written and there are lots of other little side issues that he discusses entertainingly as well. The book won the Pulitzer Prize. 2/6/12

The Great Boer War by Byron Farwell, Wordsworth, 1976 

I’d already read a pretty comprehensive discussion of the second Boer War but I like to get at least one other perspective on most historical events. This time I failed to find much new and certainly not an alternative interpretation of events. Both sides come across as pretty despicable and the justification for the conflict doesn’t stand up to even the most cursory scrutiny. The British were initially ineffective because they had uninspired generals and had made no attempt to adapt to modern warfare – they were still using muzzle loading cannon! The Boers failed because they were hopelessly outnumbered, poorly organized, and their support of virtual slavery made it difficult for outside powers to actively intervene. This just reinforced my conviction that both sides were vindictive, incompetent, and not on the side of the angels. 1/30/12

A Monster of Voices by Robert H. Waugh, Hippocampus, 2011, $20, ISBN 978-0-9844802-2-7

A collection of essays about the work of H.P. Lovecraft. I've read a few pieces by Waugh previously and found them informative and well written, so no surprise that this is a good collection, weighted for those who like detailed analysis of individual short stories rather than more superficial pieces. I only found a couple of points where I thought Waugh perhaps stretched things a bit, and there were several cases where he provided some interesting insights into HPL's work, particularly the suppressed eroticism. About half the book deals with specific works and the other half with Lovecraft's place in the literary spectrum, his real and possible influence on other writers and the writers who may have influenced him in turn. The prose is always accessible so you don't have to speak academese to understand what he's trying to say. One of the more enjoyable pieces of literary criticism I've read in recent years. 1/24/12

Dim-Remembered Stories by Massimo Berruti, Hippocampus, 2011, $20, ISBN 978-0-9846386-3-5

This is a lengthy critical story of the works of R.H. Barlow, who wrote a number of short stories, many of them in the Lovecraft tradition. I confess that I have only read a handful of these, and so long ago that I didn't remember any of them, so I found myself skimming through this very detailed analysis of his prose and poetry. The author has taken great pains to explore various aspects of the subject matter, and even in ignorance of the stories involved, I could follow most of the sections that I read. If I ever decide to reread Barlow, this will certainly come off the shelve as a reading aid, but for most readers this may be too specialized to read by itself.  1/20/12

An Epicure in the Terrible edited by David E. Schultz & S.T. Joshi, Hippocampus, 2011, $20, ISBN 978-0-9846386-1-1

Lovecraft Annual 5 edited by S. T. Joshi, Hippocampus, 2011, $15, ISBN 978-11-61498-010-0

Two collections of essays on the life and works of H.P. Lovecraft. The first is a collection that first appeared in 1991, although several of them have been updated for this edition. The authors are familiar names within Lovecraft scholarship, including Kenneth Faig, Donald Burleson, and Robert Price. They are separated into three sections, biographical, thematic, and comparative.  I found the latter two sections more interesting, particularly essays by Stefan Dziemianowicz and Burleson. The second title is more recent essays on the same general subject matter, from some of the same writers and a bunch of new one. These tend to be shorter and the two I found the most interesting were those by Caitlin Kiernan and Robert H. Waugh. If you enjoy Lovecraft, these two books may show you a deeper level of appreciation. 1/7/12

Pictorial Guide to the Moon by Dinsmore Alter, Crowell, 1963 

Parts of this discussion of the Moon are dated, of course, since it was written before the first moon landing, but a lot of it is still relevant and I picked it up mostly for the pictures in any case. The author provides a history of human observation of the moon and a quick discussion of some of the problems of exploring there – no air, temperature variations, no familiar day/night cycle, etc. There’s a nice series of photographs showing specific areas on the moon’s surface and a table of named features with latitude and longitude, although it would have been nice to have them keyed to the various photos. There’s also an extensive and helpful glossary.  But the photos are the best part. 1/6/12

The Passionate War by Peter Wyden, Simon & Schuster, 1983 

The only previous book I’d read about the Spanish Civil War was a personal account, which didn’t provide much of an overview.  This one is somewhat better, but it is also a succession of personal experiences rather than a more detailed analysis and narrative histories of this sort generally don’t interest me. One thing the book did convey to me is that both sides were equally repulsive, rivaling the French Revolution in their bloodthirstiness and violent cruelty. The leftist side – supported by Communists and Socialists – did have the law on their side; they were the properly elected if rather ineffective government of Spain.  But the Fascists under Franco, aided by Hitler, were better organized and could bring in foreign troops from North Africa so their eventual victory was almost assured barring outside intervention. I couldn’t find many people in this to admire.

 

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