I bought this book from the internets. It's my first collectable-type book and it is a first edition from 1975, one of 4,283. It is from Arkham House which is a publishing company that some friend of Lovecraft's set up to publish his stories after his death. Before that, his stories were just randomly floating around in various pulpy magazines like "Weird Tales." He got no respect until way later when people figured out his stories literally destroy everything else in the world. Now they're "literature." I also ordered and am currently reading a book called The Purple Cloud, by the same author of Xelucha..., M.P. Shiel. It's about a guy who goes to the North Pole, but while he's up there a crazy purple cloud kills everything on Earth but him. He deals with being the last human on Earth by burning down major cities while smoking opium and watching their destruction from a remote location. I don't know what it is about these guys with the 2-initials-plus-last name, names, (MP Shiel, HP Lovecraft, GK Chesterton, HG Wells, EE Cummings, etc.) but it seems like the way to go. I think it was a trend for early 20th century literary types.
I will from now on be called A.M. Daboub.
"Jeremiah Johnson"--- Robert Redford western (sort of) directed by Jew in cowboy hat Sydney Pollack. Back to the land mountain man movie. Really very good, and feels like a movie that a teacher would have shown you in junior high for some reason. Based on a book called "Crow Killer: The Saga of Liver-Eating Johnson, which is an amazing title for anything.
"How to Get Ahead in Advertising"--- Really funny movie with one of my favorite posh, ranting Englishmen Richard E. Grant. Other posh, ranting Englishmen include: Peter O'toole, Albert Finney, Alec Guinness, etc. This is done by the guy who did "Withnail and I." Anyway, I liked it even though it was gross sometimes. Richard E. Grant has this ability to look genuinely insane at will while he rants, and his eyes go all watery and give off an unnatural glow. It's incredible.
BEARD.
1 comment:
i found on my list of books to read that the purple cloud was on my list for 1901 in between the violet fairy book and the first men in the moon. but that was the only m.p. shiel book on my lists. he seems pretty interesting but i don't know where to go from there.
i already decided if i ever wrote a book i would go by h.c. [some made-up last name] in honor of lovecraft, wells, and mencken. i also used a mathematical formula to come up with the last name. but i can't say it on a public forum like this.
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