Frank Belknap Long (April 27, 1901 – January 3, 1994) was an
American writer
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry
...
of
horror fiction
Horror is a genre of fiction which is intended to frighten, scare, or disgust. Horror is often divided into the sub-genres of psychological horror and supernatural horror, which is in the realm of speculative fiction. Literary historian J ...
,
fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving Magic (supernatural), magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy ...
,
science fiction
Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...
,
poetry
Poetry (derived from the Greek ''poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meanings i ...
,
gothic romance
Gothic fiction, sometimes called Gothic horror in the 20th century, is a loose literary aesthetic of fear and haunting. The name is a reference to Gothic architecture of the European Middle Ages, which was characteristic of the settings of ea ...
,
comic books
A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...
, and non-fiction.
[ Though his writing career spanned seven decades, he is best known for his horror and science fiction short stories, including early contributions to the ]Cthulhu Mythos
The Cthulhu Mythos is a mythopoeia and a shared fictional universe, originating in the works of American horror writer H. P. Lovecraft. The term was coined by August Derleth
August William Derleth (February 24, 1909 – July 4, 1971) was an ...
. During his life, Long received the World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement
In its most general sense, the term "world" refers to the totality of entities, to the whole of reality or to everything that is. The nature of the world has been conceptualized differently in different fields. Some conceptions see the worl ...
(at the 1978 World Fantasy Convention
The World Fantasy Convention is an annual convention of professionals, collectors, and others interested in the field of fantasy. The World Fantasy Awards are presented at the event. Other features include an art show, a dealer's room, and an ...
), the Bram Stoker Award
The Bram Stoker Award is a recognition presented annually by the Horror Writers Association (HWA) for "superior achievement" in dark fantasy and horror writing.
History
The Awards were established in 1987 and have been presented annually since ...
for Lifetime Achievement (in 1987, from the Horror Writers Association
The Horror Writers Association (HWA) is a worldwide non-profit organization of professional writers and publishing professionals dedicated to promoting the interests of Horror and Dark fantasy writers.
Overview
HWA was formed in 1985 with t ...
), and the First Fandom
First Fandom is an informal association of early, active and well-known science fiction fans.
In 1958 a number of fans at Midwestcon realized amid table-talk that they all had been active in fandom for more than 20 years. This inspired the creati ...
Hall of Fame Award (1977).
Biography
Early life
He was born in Manhattan, New York City
Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the List of co ...
on April 27, 1901. He grew up in the Harlem
Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street (Manhattan), 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and 110th Street (Manhattan), ...
area of Manhattan
Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...
. His father was a prosperous dentist and his mother was May Doty. The family resided at 823 West End Avenue
West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth.
Etymology
The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some R ...
in Manhattan. Long's father was a keen fisher and hunter, and Long accompanied the family on annual summer vacations from the age of six months to 17, usually in the Thousand Islands
The Thousand Islands (french: Mille-Îles) constitute a North American archipelago of 1,864 islands that straddles the Canada–US border in the Saint Lawrence River as it emerges from the northeast corner of Lake Ontario. They stretch for abo ...
region on the Canadian shore, about seven miles from the village of Gananoque
Gananoque ( )
is a town in the Leeds and Grenville area of Ontario, Canada. The town had a population of 5,383 year-round residents in the 2021 Canadian Census, as well as summer residents sometimes referred to as "Islanders" because of the Tho ...
. When he was three years old, on one of these vacations, Long fell into the river at the end of a long pier and contracted pneumonia
A lifelong resident of New York City, Long was educated in the New York City public school system
The New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE) is the department of the government of New York City that manages the city's public school system. The City School District of the City of New York (or the New York City Public Schools) is t ...
. As a boy he was fascinated by natural history, and wrote that he dreamed of running "away from home and explore the great rain forest
Rainforests are characterized by a closed and continuous tree canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforest can be classified as tropical rainforest or temperate rainforest ...
s of the Amazon
Amazon most often refers to:
* Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek mythology
* Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin
* Amazon River, in South America
* Amazon (company), an American multinational technology c ...
." He developed his interest in the weird by reading the Oz books, Jules Verne
Jules Gabriel Verne (;''Longman Pronunciation Dictionary''. ; 8 February 1828 – 24 March 1905) was a French novelist, poet, and playwright. His collaboration with the publisher Pierre-Jules Hetzel led to the creation of the ''Voyages extraor ...
, and H.G. Wells as well as Ambrose Bierce
Ambrose Gwinnett Bierce (June 24, 1842 – ) was an American short story writer, journalist, poet, and American Civil War veteran. His book ''The Devil's Dictionary'' was named as one of "The 100 Greatest Masterpieces of American Literature" by t ...
and Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe (; Edgar Poe; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic. Poe is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales of mystery and the macabre. He is wide ...
. Though writing was to be his life's work, he once commented that as "important as writing is, I could have been completely happy if I had a secure position in a field that has always had a tremendous emotion and an imaginative appeal for me—that of natural history."
In his late teens, he was active in the United Amateur Press Association
An amateur press association (APA) is a group of people who produce individual pages or zines that are sent to a Central Mailer for collation and distribution to all members of the group.
History
The first APAs were formed by groups of amateur pr ...
(UAPA) in which he won a prize from ''The Boy's World'' (around 1919) and thus discovered amateur journalism. His first published tale was "Dr Whitlock's Price (''United Amateur'', March 1920). Long's story "The Eye Above the Mantel" (1921), a pastiche of Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe (; Edgar Poe; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic. Poe is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales of mystery and the macabre. He is wide ...
, in UAPA, caught the eye of H. P. Lovecraft, sparking a friendship and correspondence that would endure until Lovecraft's death in 1937.
Long attended New York University
New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin.
In 1832, the ...
from 1920 to 1921, studying journalism
Journalism is the production and distribution of reports on the interaction of events, facts, ideas, and people that are the "news of the day" and that informs society to at least some degree. The word, a noun, applies to the occupation (profes ...
but later transferred to Columbia, leaving without a degree. In 1921, he suffered a severe attack of appendicitis
Appendicitis is inflammation of the appendix. Symptoms commonly include right lower abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and decreased appetite. However, approximately 40% of people do not have these typical symptoms. Severe complications of a rup ...
, leading to a ruptured appendix
Appendicitis is inflammation of the Appendix (anatomy), appendix. Symptoms commonly include right lower abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and anorexia (symptom), decreased appetite. However, approximately 40% of people do not have these typical ...
and peritonitis
Peritonitis is inflammation of the localized or generalized peritoneum, the lining of the inner wall of the abdomen and cover of the abdominal organs. Symptoms may include severe pain, swelling of the abdomen, fever, or weight loss. One part or ...
. He spent a month in New York's Roosevelt Hospital
Mount Sinai West, opened in 1871 as Roosevelt Hospital, is affiliated with the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and the Mount Sinai Health System.
The 514-bed facility is located in the Midtown West neighborhood of New York City. The f ...
, where he came close to dying. Long's brush with death propelled him into a decision that he would leave college to pursue a freelance writing career.
Early career: the 1920s
In 1924, at the age of 22, he sold his first short story, "The Desert Lich", to ''Weird Tales
''Weird Tales'' is an American fantasy and horror fiction pulp magazine founded by J. C. Henneberger and J. M. Lansinger in late 1922. The first issue, dated March 1923, appeared on newsstands February 18. The first editor, Edwin Baird, prin ...
'' magazine. Throughout the next four decades, Long was to be a frequent contributor to pulp magazines, including two of the most famous: ''Weird Tales'' (under editor Farnsworth Wright) and ''Astounding Science Fiction
''Analog Science Fiction and Fact'' is an American science fiction magazine published under various titles since 1930. Originally titled ''Astounding Stories of Super-Science'', the first issue was dated January 1930, published by William C ...
'' (under editor John W. Campbell
John Wood Campbell Jr. (June 8, 1910 – July 11, 1971) was an American science fiction writer and editor. He was editor of ''Astounding Science Fiction'' (later called '' Analog Science Fiction and Fact'') from late 1937 until his death ...
). Long was an active freelance writer, also publishing many non-fiction articles.
His first book, the scarce volume ''A Man from Genoa and Other Poems'', was published in 1926 by W. Paul Cook William Paul Cook (August 31, 1881 – January 22, 1948) was a writer, printer and publisher. He wrote under his own name and the pseudonym Willis T. Crossman and was a leading figure in the hobbyist tradition of amateur journalism. He lived and wro ...
. Two copies are held in the collections of John Hay Library
The John Hay Library (known colloquially as the Hay) is the second oldest library on the campus of Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. It is located on Prospect Street opposite the Van Wickle Gates. After its constructio ...
. The poems in this collection won praise from a great variety of writers, among them Arthur Machen
Arthur Machen (; 3 March 1863 – 15 December 1947) was the pen-name of Arthur Llewellyn Jones, a Welsh author and mystic of the 1890s and early 20th century. He is best known for his influential supernatural, fantasy, and horror fiction. His ...
, Robinson Jeffers
John Robinson Jeffers (January 10, 1887 – January 20, 1962) was an American poet, known for his work about the central California coast. Much of Jeffers's poetry was written in narrative and epic form. However, he is also known for his short ...
, William Ellery Leonard
William Ellery Leonard (January 25, 1876, in Plainfield, New Jersey – May 2, 1944, in Madison, Wisconsin) was an American poet, playwright, translator, and literary scholar.
Early life
William Ellery Channing Leonard was born on the family ho ...
, John Drinkwater, John Masefield
John Edward Masefield (; 1 June 1878 – 12 May 1967) was an English poet and writer, and Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom, Poet Laureate from 1930 until 1967. Among his best known works are the children's novels ''The Midnight Folk'' and ...
and George Sterling
George Sterling (December 1, 1869 – November 17, 1926) was an American writer based in the San Francisco, California Bay Area and Carmel-by-the-Sea. He was considered a prominent poet and playwright and proponent of Bohemianism during the f ...
.[Jacket bio, Frank Belknap Long, ''The Hounds of Tindalos'', Sauk City, WI: Arkham House, 1946] Samuel Loveman
Samuel E. Loveman (January 14, 1887 – May 14, 1976) was an American poet, critic, and dramatist probably best known for his connections with writers H. P. Lovecraft and Hart Crane.
Early life and career
He spent the first 37 years of his l ...
declared that Long's poem "The Marriage of Sir John de Mandeville" was worthy of Christopher Marlowe
Christopher Marlowe, also known as Kit Marlowe (; baptised 26 February 156430 May 1593), was an English playwright, poet and translator of the Elizabethan era. Marlowe is among the most famous of the Elizabethan playwrights. Based upon the ...
.
Long's closest friends (apart from H. P. Lovecraft) in this period included Samuel Loveman, H. Warner Munn
Harold Warner Munn (November 5, 1903 – January 10, 1981) was an American writer of fantasy, horror and poetry,Don Herron, "Munn, H(arold) Warner", in Jack Sullivan, ''The Penguin Encyclopedia of Horror and the Supernatural'' (New York, Viking ...
, and James F. Morton. He had several encounters with Hart Crane, who lived one flight above Loveman in Brooklyn Heights.
1930s
"The Horror from the Hills", a story serialised in 1931 in ''Weird Tales
''Weird Tales'' is an American fantasy and horror fiction pulp magazine founded by J. C. Henneberger and J. M. Lansinger in late 1922. The first issue, dated March 1923, appeared on newsstands February 18. The first editor, Edwin Baird, prin ...
'', incorporated almost verbatim a dream H. P. Lovecraft related to him (among other correspondents) in a letter. The short novel was published many years later in separate book form by Arkham House in 1963, as'' The Horror from the Hills''.
In the late 1930s, Long turned his hand to science fiction, writing for ''Astounding Science Fiction''. He also contributed horror stories to ''Unknown
Unknown or The Unknown may refer to:
Film
* The Unknown (1915 comedy film), ''The Unknown'' (1915 comedy film), a silent boxing film
* The Unknown (1915 drama film), ''The Unknown'' (1915 drama film)
* The Unknown (1927 film), ''The Unknown'' (1 ...
'' (later called ''Unknown Worlds''). Long contributed an episode (along with C.L. Moore, Robert E. Howard and H. P. Lovecraft) to the round-robin story "The Challenge from Beyond" (1935).
Like ''The Man from Genoa and Other Poems'', his second book is a volume of fantastic verse: ''The Goblin Tower'' (1935), published jointly by H. P. Lovecraft and Robert H. Barlow under Barlow's The Dragonfly Press imprint. (A variant edition of this volume was published in 1945 by New Collectors Group - see Bibliography). Published in an edition of only 100 copies, this volume is exceedingly scarce; two copies are held at the collections of the John Hay Library
The John Hay Library (known colloquially as the Hay) is the second oldest library on the campus of Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. It is located on Prospect Street opposite the Van Wickle Gates. After its constructio ...
.
1940s
In pulps such as ''Thrilling Wonder Stories'' and ''Startling Stories'' during the 1940s, Long sometimes wrote using the pseudonym "Leslie Northern". What Long characterized as a "minor disability" kept him out of World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
and writing full-time during the early 1940s.
Long reputedly ghost-wrote two, possibly three, of the Ellery Queen
Ellery Queen is a pseudonym created in 1929 by American crime fiction writers Frederic Dannay and Manfred Bennington Lee and the name of their main fictional character, a mystery writer in New York City who helps his police inspector father solve ...
Junior novels (see Ellery Queen (house name) (mentioned in correspondence with August Derleth)) but did not identify the three titles. It has been speculated by researchers that the two are ''The Golden Eagle Mystery'' (1942) and ''The Green Turtle Mystery'' (1944). The third one may have been ''The Mystery of the Golden Butterfly'', which apparently was never published. (This volume is mentioned as Long's on the rear panel of'' The Horror from the Hills'' and on the rear flap of'' The Rim of the Unknown'').
He wrote comic book
A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...
s in the 1940s, including horror stories for ''Adventures Into the Unknown
''Adventures Into the Unknown'' was an American comic-book magazine series best known as the medium's first ongoing horror-comics title. Published by the American Comics Group, initially under the imprint B&I Publishing, it ran 174 issues (cover-d ...
'' (ACG). Long contributed several original scripts to this comic's early issues, as well as an adaptation of Walpole's ''The Castle of Otranto
''The Castle of Otranto'' is a novel by Horace Walpole. First published in 1764, it is generally regarded as the first gothic novel. In the second edition, Walpole applied the word 'Gothic' to the novel in the subtitle – ''A Gothic Story''. Se ...
''. He authored scripts for ''Planet Comics
''Planet Comics'' was a science fiction comic book title published by Fiction House from January 1940 to Winter 1953. It was the first comic book dedicated wholly to science fiction.Benton, Mike. ''Science Fiction Comics: The Illustrated History'' ...
'', ''Superman
Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and debuted in the comic book ''Action Comics'' #1 (cover-dated June 1938 and publi ...
'', ''Congo Bill
Congorilla, originally a human character known as Congo Bill, is a superhero appearing in comic books published by DC Comics and Vertigo Comics. Originally co-created by writer Whitney Ellsworth and artist George Papp, he was later transformed i ...
'', DC's Golden Age
The term Golden Age comes from Greek mythology, particularly the ''Works and Days'' of Hesiod, and is part of the description of temporal decline of the state of peoples through five Ages of Man, Ages, Gold being the first and the one during ...
''Green Lantern
Green Lantern is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. They fight evil with the aid of rings that grant them a variety of extraordinary powers, all of which come from imagination, fearlessness, ...
'', and the Fawcett Comics
Fawcett Comics, a division of Fawcett Publications, was one of several successful comic book publishers during the Golden Age of Comic Books in the 1940s. Its most popular character was Captain Marvel (DC Comics), Captain Marvel, the alter ego of ...
'' Captain Marvel''. He worked in the 1940s as a script-reader for Twentieth Century Fox
20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film studio, film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm o ...
Long wrote crime and weird menace
Weird menace is a subgenre of horror fiction and detective fiction that was popular in the pulp magazines of the 1930s and early 1940s. The weird menace pulps, also known as shudder pulps, generally featured stories in which the hero was pitted a ...
stories for ''Ten Gang Mystery'' and other magazines.
During the 1940s, Long lived for a period in California.
Long credited Theodore Sturgeon
Theodore Sturgeon (; born Edward Hamilton Waldo, February 26, 1918 – May 8, 1985) was an American fiction author of primarily fantasy, science fiction and horror, as well as a critic. He wrote approximately 400 reviews and more than 120 sh ...
, whom he met several times in the mid-1940s, as being instrumental in getting one of his middle-period stories, "A Guest in the House", produced on CBS-TV in 1954.
In 1946, Arkham House published Long's first collection of supernatural fiction,'' The Hounds of Tindalos
A Hound of Tindalos is a fictional creature created by Frank Belknap Long and later incorporated into the Cthulhu Mythos when it was codified by August Derleth. They first appeared in Long's short story "The Hounds of Tindalos", first published in ...
'', which collected 21 of his best tales from the previous twenty years of magazine publication. It featured works which had appeared in such pulps as ''Weird Tales
''Weird Tales'' is an American fantasy and horror fiction pulp magazine founded by J. C. Henneberger and J. M. Lansinger in late 1922. The first issue, dated March 1923, appeared on newsstands February 18. The first editor, Edwin Baird, prin ...
'', ''Astounding Stories
''Analog Science Fiction and Fact'' is an American science fiction magazine published under various titles since 1930. Originally titled ''Astounding Stories of Super-Science'', the first issue was dated January 1930, published by William C ...
'', ''Super Science Stories
''Super Science Stories'' was an American pulp science fiction magazine published by Popular Publications from 1940 to 1943, and again from 1949 to 1951. Popular launched it under their Fictioneers imprint, which they used for magazines, payin ...
'', Unknown
Unknown or The Unknown may refer to:
Film
* The Unknown (1915 comedy film), ''The Unknown'' (1915 comedy film), a silent boxing film
* The Unknown (1915 drama film), ''The Unknown'' (1915 drama film)
* The Unknown (1927 film), ''The Unknown'' (1 ...
, ''Thrilling Wonder Stories
''Wonder Stories'' was an early American science fiction magazine which was published under several titles from 1929 to 1955. It was founded by Hugo Gernsback in 1929 after he had lost control of his first science fiction magazine, ''Amazing Stor ...
'', ''Dynamic Science Fiction
''Dynamic Science Fiction'' was an American pulp magazine which published six issues from December 1952 to January 1954. It was a companion to ''Future Science Fiction'', and like that magazine was edited by Robert W. Lowndes and published by C ...
'', ''Startling Stories
''Startling Stories'' was an American pulp science fiction magazine, published from 1939 to 1955 by publisher Ned Pines' Standard Magazines. It was initially edited by Mort Weisinger, who was also the editor of ''Thrilling Wonder Stories'', S ...
'', and others. In "The Man from Time", a time-traveller from the future has an encounter with writer F. Scott Fitzgerald
Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald (September 24, 1896 – December 21, 1940) was an American novelist, essayist, and short story writer. He is best known for his novels depicting the flamboyance and excess of the Jazz Age—a term he popularize ...
.
His later science fiction works include the story collection ''John Carstairs, Space Detective'' (1949) about a 'botanical detective', and the novels ''Space Station 1'' (1957), ''Mars is My Destination'' (1962) and ''It Was the Day of the Robot'' (1963).
1950s
In the 1950s he was involved with editing five different magazines. He was uncredited associate editor on ''The Saint Mystery Magazine'' and ''Fantastic Universe
''Fantastic Universe'' was a U.S. science fiction magazine which began publishing in the 1950s. It ran for 69 issues, from June 1953 to March 1960, under two different publishers. It was part of the explosion of science fiction magazine publishin ...
''. He was associate editor on ''Satellite Science Fiction
''Satellite Science Fiction'' was an American science-fiction magazine published from October 1956 to April 1959 by Leo Margulies' Renown Publications. Initially, ''Satellite'' was digest sized and ran a full-length novel in each issue with a ...
'', 1959; on ''Short Stories
A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the oldest t ...
'', 1959–60; and on ''Mike Shayne Mystery Magazine'' until 1966.
Long several times met fellow ''Weird Tales
''Weird Tales'' is an American fantasy and horror fiction pulp magazine founded by J. C. Henneberger and J. M. Lansinger in late 1922. The first issue, dated March 1923, appeared on newsstands February 18. The first editor, Edwin Baird, prin ...
'' writer and poet Joseph Payne Brennan
Joseph Payne Brennan (December 20, 1918 – January 28, 1990) was an American writer of fantasy and horror fiction, and also a poet. Of Irish ancestry, he was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut and he lived most of his life in New Haven, Connect ...
, and later provided the foreword for Brennan's ''The Chronicles of Lucius Leffing'' (1977).
1960s
After the decline of the pulps, Long moved into the prolific production of science fiction and gothic romance
Gothic fiction, sometimes called Gothic horror in the 20th century, is a loose literary aesthetic of fear and haunting. The name is a reference to Gothic architecture of the European Middle Ages, which was characteristic of the settings of ea ...
novels during the 1960s and 1970s. He even wrote a '' Man from UNCLE'' story, "The Electronic Frankenstein Affair", which appeared under the pen name Robert Hart Davis in the ''Man from UNCLE Magazine''.
In 1960, he married Lyda Arco, an artists' representative and aficionado of drama. She was a Russian descended from a line of actors in the Yiddish theatre who ran a salon in Chelsea, NY. They stayed together till Long's death in 1994, but had no children. Long described himself as an "agnostic." Referring to Lovecraft, Long wrote that he "always shared HPL's skepticism . . . concerning the entire range of alleged supernatural occurrences and what is commonly defined as 'the occult.'"
In 1963 Arkham House published Long's novel'' The Horror from the Hills'', a work partly incorporating Lovecraft's account of a dream Lovecraft had experienced. This work introduced Long's alien entity Chaugnar Faugn into the Cthulhu Mythos
The Cthulhu Mythos is a mythopoeia and a shared fictional universe, originating in the works of American horror writer H. P. Lovecraft. The term was coined by August Derleth
August William Derleth (February 24, 1909 – July 4, 1971) was an ...
cycle.
1970s
In 1972 Arkham House published'' The Rim of the Unknown'', their second hardcover collection of Long's work - a volume focusing primarily on his science fiction short stories.
Long wrote nine modern Gothic novels, starting with ''So Dark a Heritage'' in 1966 (published under his own name), eight of which were published as by "Lyda Belknap Long", a combination of his wife (Lyda Arco Long)'s first name and his middle name and surname. Seven of these appeared during the 1970s; all were entirely his own work and were workmanlike products intended to support him and his wife rather than to be of high literary quality.
Illumination on Long's own life and work is provided by his extensive introduction to '' The Early Long'' (1975), a collection of his best early stories which essentially duplicates the contents of ''The Hounds of Tindalos
A Hound of Tindalos is a fictional creature created by Frank Belknap Long and later incorporated into the Cthulhu Mythos when it was codified by August Derleth. They first appeared in Long's short story "The Hounds of Tindalos", first published in ...
'' but to which Long adds detailed headnotes to each story. Further writing on his own life is found in his ''Autobiographical Memoir'' (Necronomicon Press, 1986).
Long's book-length memoir of H. P. Lovecraft, '' Howard Phillips Lovecraft: Dreamer on the Nightside'', was issued by Arkham House in 1975. It was written in haste as a result of Long's reading of L. Sprague de Camp
Lyon Sprague de Camp (; November 27, 1907 – November 6, 2000) was an American writer of science fiction, fantasy and non-fiction. In a career spanning 60 years, he wrote over 100 books, including novels and works of non-fiction, including biog ...
's'' Lovecraft: A Biography'' (1975), which Long felt to be biased against Lovecraft.
In 1977, Arkham House issued Long's hardcover poetry collection '' In Mayan Splendor'', containing all the poems from ''A Man from Genoa and Other Poems'' (1924) and ''The Goblin Tower'' (1926). The same year he won the First Fandom Hall of Fame award (1977). In 1978 he won the World Fantasy Award
The World Fantasy Awards are a set of awards given each year for the best fantasy literature, fantasy fiction published during the previous calendar year. Organized and overseen by the World Fantasy Convention, the awards are given each year a ...
for Life Achievement (at the 1978 4th World Fantasy Convention).
Later career: 1980s–1990s
Long's literary output slowed down after 1977, with his gothic ''The Lemoyne Heritage''. He published several scattered stories in the 1980s including the story chapbook "Rehearsal Night" (Pub: Thomas L. Owen,1981) and one episode in the round-robin sequence ''Ghor Kin-Slayer'' (Necronomicon Press, 1997). He and his wife lived in extreme poverty during the 1980s and 1990s in an apartment in Chelsea, Manhattan
Chelsea is a neighborhood on the West Side of the borough of Manhattan in New York City. The area's boundaries are roughly 14th Street to the south, the Hudson River and West Street to the west, and Sixth Avenue to the east, with its northe ...
- a period documented in Peter Cannon's memoir ''Long Memories'' (1997).
In 1987, Long was awarded the Bram Stoker Award
The Bram Stoker Award is a recognition presented annually by the Horror Writers Association (HWA) for "superior achievement" in dark fantasy and horror writing.
History
The Awards were established in 1987 and have been presented annually since ...
for Lifetime Achievement (from the Horror Writers Association).
Long, though confined to a wheelchair, was a Guest of Honour at the H. P. Lovecraft Centennial Conference in Providence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. One of the oldest cities in New England, it was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a Reformed Baptist theologian and religious exile from the Massachusetts Bay ...
, in 1990, where he spoke on panels regarding his memories of his great friend and literary mentor.
Long died of pneumonia on January 3, 1994, at the age of 92 at Saint Vincent's Catholic Medical Center
Saint Vincent Catholic Medical Centers of New York d/b/a as Saint Vincent's Catholic Medical Centers (Saint Vincent's, or SVCMC) was a healthcare system, anchored by its flagship hospital, St. Vincent's Hospital Manhattan, locally referred to a ...
in Manhattan, after a seven-decade career as a writer and editor. He was briefly survived by his wife, Lyda.
Due to his poverty, he was interred in a potter's field. Friends and colleagues had his remains reinterred at New York City's Woodlawn Cemetery, in a family plot near that of Lovecraft's grandparents. A graveside ceremony on November 3, 1995, was attended by such figures as Scott D. Briggs, Peter Cannon, Stefan Dziemianowicz, Ben P. Indick, S. T. Joshi, T.E.D. Klein and others and with a homily delivered by the Rev. Robert M. Price. On November 17, 1995, the actual interment of Long's body took place, an event witnessed by Peter Cannon, Ben P. Indick and S. T. Joshi. Long's fans contributed over $3,000 to have his name engraved upon the central shaft of his burial plot.[''The New Lovecraft Collector'' 9 (Winter 1995), 3] Lyda died shortly after Frank; her ashes were scattered on his grave.
In 2015, Wildside Press acquired the rights to Long's copyrights from Long's cousins. Since that time, all Wildside Press reprints of Long's work carry the acknowledgment "Reprinted with the kind permission and assistance of Lily Doty, Mansfield M. Doty, and the family of Frank Belknap Long."
Legacy
Frank Belknap Long left behind a body of work that included twenty-nine novels, 150 short stories, eight collections of short stories, three poetry collections, and numerous freelance magazine articles and comic book scripts. Author Ray Bradbury
Ray Douglas Bradbury (; August 22, 1920June 5, 2012) was an American author and screenwriter. One of the most celebrated 20th-century American writers, he worked in a variety of modes, including fantasy, science fiction, horror, mystery, and r ...
summed up Long's career: "Frank Belknap Long has lived through a major part of science fiction history in the U.S., has known most of the writers personally, or has corresponded with them, and has, with his own writing, helped shape the field when most of us were still in our early teens."
Friendship with Lovecraft
H. P. Lovecraft was a close friend and mentor to Frank Belknap Long, with whom he came in contact in 1920 when Long was nineteen. Lovecraft found Long a stimulating correspondent especially in regard to his aesthetic tastes, focussing on the Italian Renaissance and French literature. Lovecraft published some of Long's early work in his ''Conservative'' (e.g. ''Felis: A prose Poem'' uly 1923 about Long's pet cat) and paid tribute to Long in a flattering article, "The Work of Frank Belknap Long, Jun.," published anonymously in the ''United Amateur'' (May 1924) but clearly by Lovecraft. They first met when Lovecraft visited New York in April 1922. They saw each other with great frequency (especially during Lovecraft's Brooklyn residence in New York City from 1924 to 1926), at which time they were the chief members of the Kalem Club and wrote to each other often. Long's family apartment was always Lovecraft's residence and headquarters during his periodic trips from Providence to New York. Long writes that he and Lovecraft exchanged "more than a thousand letters, not a few running to more than eighty handwritten pages" before Lovecraft's death in 1937. Some of their correspondence has been reprinted in Arkham House
Arkham House is an American publishing house specializing in weird fiction. It was founded in Sauk City, Wisconsin, in 1939 by August Derleth and Donald Wandrei to publish hardcover collections of H. P. Lovecraft's best works, which had pr ...
's ''Selected Letters'' series, collecting the voluminous correspondence of Lovecraft and his friends. Long's ''Howard Phillips Lovecraft: Dreamer on the Night Side'' was extensively edited by James Turner.
During the 1920s, Long and Lovecraft were both members of the Kalem Club (named for the initials of the surnames of original members—K, L, or M). Long was also part of the loosely associated "Lovecraft Circle" of fantasy writers (along with Robert Bloch, August Derleth
August William Derleth (February 24, 1909 – July 4, 1971) was an American writer and anthologist. Though best remembered as the first book publisher of the writings of H. P. Lovecraft, and for his own contributions to the Cthulhu Mythos and the ...
, Robert E. Howard, Henry Kuttner, Clark Ashton Smith
Clark Ashton Smith (January 13, 1893 – August 14, 1961) was an American writer and artist. He achieved early local recognition, largely through the enthusiasm of George Sterling, for traditional verse in the vein of Algernon Charles Swinburne ...
, C. M. Eddy, Jr., and Donald Wandrei
Donald Albert Wandrei (20 April 1908 – 15 October 1987)[Minnesota Death Certificates Index](_blank)
. ...
) who corresponded regularly with each other and influenced and critiqued each other's works.
Long wrote a brief preface to the stillborn edition of Lovecraft's ''The Shunned House'' (1928). Lovecraft, in turn, ghostwrote for Long the preface to Mrs William B. Symmes' ''Old World Footprints'' (W. Paul Cook/The Recluse Press, 1928), a slim poetry collection by Long's aunt. Long's short novel ''The Horror from the Hills'' (''Weird Tales'', Jan and Feb-March 1931; published in book from 1963) incorporates verbatim a letter by Lovecraft recounting his great 'Roman dream' of Hallow'een 1927. Long teamed with Lovecraft in a revision service with Lovecraft in 1928. Long's parents frequently took Lovecraft on various motor trips between 1929 and 1930, and Lovecraft visited Long at Christmas between 1932 and 1935 inclusive. Lovecraft helped set type for Long's second poetry collection, ''The Goblin Tower'' (1935), correcting some of Long's faulty metre in the process. Lovecraft's letters to Long after 1931 have all been lost, with the letters up to that date existing primarily in transcriptions prepared by Arkham House
Arkham House is an American publishing house specializing in weird fiction. It was founded in Sauk City, Wisconsin, in 1939 by August Derleth and Donald Wandrei to publish hardcover collections of H. P. Lovecraft's best works, which had pr ...
.
The Long/Lovecraft friendship was fictionalized in Peter Cannon
Peter H. Cannon (born 1951 in California) is an H. P. Lovecraft scholar and an author of Cthulhu Mythos fiction. Cannon works as an editor for ''Publishers Weekly'', specializing in thrillers and mystery. He lives in New York City and is marrie ...
's 1985 novel ''Pulptime: Being a Singular Adventure of Sherlock Holmes, Lovecraft, and the Kalem Club as if Narrated by Frank Belknap Long, Jr.''. Long was a Guest of Honour at the Lovecraft Centennial Conference in Providence in 1990.
Long wrote a number of early Cthulhu Mythos
The Cthulhu Mythos is a mythopoeia and a shared fictional universe, originating in the works of American horror writer H. P. Lovecraft. The term was coined by August Derleth
August William Derleth (February 24, 1909 – July 4, 1971) was an ...
stories. These included "The Hounds of Tindalos
A Hound of Tindalos is a fictional creature created by Frank Belknap Long and later incorporated into the Cthulhu Mythos when it was codified by August Derleth. They first appeared in Long's short story "The Hounds of Tindalos", first published in ...
" (the first Mythos story written by anyone other than Lovecraft), '' The Horror from the Hills'' (which introduced the elephantine Great Old One
American author H. P. Lovecraft (1890–1937) created a number of fictional deities throughout the course of his literary career. These entities are usually depicted as immensely powerful and utterly indifferent to humans who can barely begin to ...
Chaugnar Faugn to the Mythos), and "The Space-Eaters" (featuring a fictionalized HPL as its main character). A number of other works by Long can be considered as falling within the Cthulhu Mythos; these include "The Brain Eaters" and "The Malignant Invader", as well as such poems as "The Abominable Snowman" and "When Chaugnar Wakes". A later Mythos story, "Dark Awakening", appeared in ''New Tales of the Cthulhu Mythos''. The story betrays the influence of Long's pseudonymous romantic fiction, and the final paragraph was added by the editor at Long's suggestion.
The "Hounds of Tindalos" is Long's most famous fictional creation. The Hounds were a pack of foul and incomprehensibly alien beasts "emerging from strange angle
In Euclidean geometry, an angle is the figure formed by two Ray (geometry), rays, called the ''Side (plane geometry), sides'' of the angle, sharing a common endpoint, called the ''vertex (geometry), vertex'' of the angle.
Angles formed by two ...
s in dim recesses of non-Euclidean space before the dawn of time" (Long) to pursue travelers down the corridors of time. They could only enter our reality via angles, where they would mangle and exsanguinate their victims, leaving behind only a "peculiar bluish pus
Pus is an exudate, typically white-yellow, yellow, or yellow-brown, formed at the site of inflammation during bacterial or fungal infection. An accumulation of pus in an enclosed tissue space is known as an abscess, whereas a visible collection ...
or ichor
In Greek mythology, ichor () is the ethereal fluid that is the blood of the gods and/or immortals. The Ancient Greek word () is of uncertain etymology, and has been suggested to be a foreign word.
In classical myth
Ichor originates in Greek ...
" (Long).
Influence on popular culture
The Hounds of Tindalos have been used or referenced by many later Mythos writers, including Ramsey Campbell
Ramsey Campbell (born 4 January 1946) is an English horror fiction writer, editor and critic who has been writing for well over fifty years. He is the author of over 30 novels and hundreds of short stories, many of them winners of literary awa ...
, Lin Carter
Linwood Vrooman Carter (June 9, 1930 – February 7, 1988) was an American author of science fiction and fantasy, as well as an editor, poet and critic. He usually wrote as Lin Carter; known pseudonyms include H. P. Lowcraft (for an H. P. L ...
, Brian Lumley
Brian Lumley (born 2 December 1937) is an English author of horror fiction. He came to prominence in the 1970s writing in the Cthulhu Mythos created by American writer H. P. Lovecraft but featuring the new character Titus Crow, and went on to ...
and Peter Cannon
Peter H. Cannon (born 1951 in California) is an H. P. Lovecraft scholar and an author of Cthulhu Mythos fiction. Cannon works as an editor for ''Publishers Weekly'', specializing in thrillers and mystery. He lives in New York City and is marrie ...
. Cannon's story "The Letters of Halpin Chalmers", a direct sequel to "The Hounds of Tindalos", in which the main characters are thinly disguised versions of Frank and Lyda Long, appears in Robert Weinberg, Stefan R. Dziemianowicz and Martin H. Greenberg, ''100 Crooked Little Crime Stories'' (NY: Barnes and Noble, 1994).
Peter Cannon's novel ''Pulptime'' features Long as the narrator. Long also appears in Richard Lupoff's novel ''Lovecraft's Book'' (1985) and its full-text version ''Marblehead''.
"The Hounds of Tindalos" inspired a number of metal and electronic music artists, such as Metallica (with their song "All Nightmare Long
"All Nightmare Long" is a song by American heavy metal band Metallica, released as the second single from their album ''Death Magnetic''. The single was released on December 15, 2008. The song is in drop D tuning. It was nominated for the Ker ...
" from their ninth studio album ''Death Magnetic
''Death Magnetic'' is the ninth studio album by American heavy metal band Metallica, released on September 12, 2008, through Warner Bros. Records. The album was produced by Rick Rubin, marking the band's first album since '' ...And Justice for A ...
''), Epoch of Unlight, Edith Byron's Group, Beowulf, Fireaxe, and Univers Zero, all of whom have recorded tracks based on it.
Charles P. Mitchell has suggested that the drone dog in the film ''Phantoms (film)
''Phantoms'' is a 1998 American science fiction horror film adapted from Dean Koontz's 1983 novel of the same name. Directed by Joe Chappelle with a screenplay by Koontz, the film stars Peter O'Toole, Rose McGowan, Joanna Going, Liev Schreib ...
'', based on a novel by Dean R. Koontz, is reminiscent of the Hounds of Tindalos.
Bibliography
Poetry
*''A Man from Genoa and Other Poems'' (1926) (Athol, MA: W. Paul Cook)
*''The Goblin Tower'' (Cassia FL: Dragon-Fly Press, 1935; New Collectors Group, 1945). Note: Due to the somewhat misleading publisher's introduction to the New Collectors Group edition, it is often mis-catalogued as a reprint of the 1935 Dragon-Fly Press edition. In fact, the selection of poems differs; the New Collectors Group edition drops four, "When Chaugnar Wakes," "Exotic Quest," "West Indies" and "Martial: The Vacationist" and adds three, "The Prophet," "Prediction" and "Walt Whitman." The collection is not to be confused with the novel of the same title by L. Sprague de Camp
Lyon Sprague de Camp (; November 27, 1907 – November 6, 2000) was an American writer of science fiction, fantasy and non-fiction. In a career spanning 60 years, he wrote over 100 books, including novels and works of non-fiction, including biog ...
.
*''On Reading Arthur Machen
Arthur Machen (; 3 March 1863 – 15 December 1947) was the pen-name of Arthur Llewellyn Jones, a Welsh author and mystic of the 1890s and early 20th century. He is best known for his influential supernatural, fantasy, and horror fiction. His ...
: A Sonnet. '' ( Penngrove, Palo Alto, CA: Dog and Duck Press, 1949). 20 copies, privately printed. Note: H. P. Lovecraft quotes Long's sonnet in full within his discussion of Arthur Machen's work in Supernatural Horror in Literature
"Supernatural Horror in Literature" is a 28,000 word essay by American writer H. P. Lovecraft, surveying the development and achievements of horror fiction as the field stood in the 1920s and 30s. The essay was researched and written between Nove ...
.
*''The Marriage of Sir John de Mandeville'' John Mandeville
Sir John Mandeville is the supposed author of ''The Travels of Sir John Mandeville'', a travel memoir which first circulated between 1357 and 1371. The earliest-surviving text is in French.
By aid of translations into many other languages, the ...
(Roy A. Squires, 1976). 22 copies signed by the author.
*'' In Mayan Splendor'' (Arkham House, 1977); Long's own selection of his best verse; includes contents of ''A Man from Genoa'' and ''The Goblin Tower'' plus additional poems. Includes introduction by Samuel Loveman
Samuel E. Loveman (January 14, 1887 – May 14, 1976) was an American poet, critic, and dramatist probably best known for his connections with writers H. P. Lovecraft and Hart Crane.
Early life and career
He spent the first 37 years of his l ...
.
*''When Chaugnar Wakes'' Chaugnar Faugn (Fantome Press, 1978; 80 copies only). A chapbook of this single poem, originally published in ''Weird Tales'' 20, No 3 and reprinted in ''In Mayan Splendor''.
*''The Darkling Tide: Previously Uncollected Poetry'' (Tsathoggua Press, 1995; edited by Perry M. Grayson)
Novels
*''Space Station 1'' (Ace Books D242,1957 - an Ace double, bound with ''Empire of the Atom'' by A.E. van Vogt)
*''Mission to a Distant Star'' (''Satellite SF magazine'' serial in 5 parts)
*''Woman from Another Planet'' (Chariot Books,1960)
*''The Horror Expert'' (Belmont Books, Dec 1961)
*''The Mating Center'' (Chariot Books,1961)
*''Mars is My Destination'' (Pyramid Books, June 1962)
*'' The Horror from the Hills'' (Arkham House,1963); expanded edition as ''Odd Science Fiction'' (1964)
*''Three Steps Spaceward'' (Avalon Books, 1963)
*''It Was the Day of the Robot'' (Belmont Books, 1963). Reprint: Dennis Dobson, 1964.
*''The Martian Visitors'' (Avalon Books, 1964)
*''Mission to a Star'' (Avalon Books, 1964)
*''Lest Earth Be Conquered'' (Belmont Books, Dec 1966); reissue as ''The Androids'', (Tower Books, 1969)
*''This Strange Tomorrow'' (Belmont Books, Feb 1966)
*''So Dark a Heritage'' (Lancer Books,1966)
*''Journey Into Darkness'' (Belmont Books, April 1967)
*''...And Others Shall Be Born'' (Belmont Books, Jan 1968) (bound with ''The Thief of Thoth'' by Lin Carter
Linwood Vrooman Carter (June 9, 1930 – February 7, 1988) was an American author of science fiction and fantasy, as well as an editor, poet and critic. He usually wrote as Lin Carter; known pseudonyms include H. P. Lowcraft (for an H. P. L ...
)
*''The Three Faces of Time'' (Tower Books, 1969)
*''To the Dark Tower'' (Lancer Books, 1969) (as by Lyda Belknap Long)
*''Monster From Out of Time'' (Popular Library, 1970 pbk original). Reprinted in hc, London: Robert Hale, 1971.
*''Survival World'' (Lancer Prestige/Magnum, 1971)
*''The Witch Tree'' (Lancer Books, 1971) (as by Lyda Belknap Long)
*''Fire of the Witches'' (Popular Library, 1971) (as by Lyda Belknap Long)
*''The Shape of Fear'' (Beagle Books, July 1971) (as by Lyda/Lydia Belknap Long; the author's pseudonym 'Lyda Belknap long' was misprinted on the cover as 'Lydia Belknap Long').
*''The Night of the Wolf'' (Popular Library, 1972)
*''House of the Deadly Nightshade'' (Beagle Books, March 1972) (as by Lyda Belknap Long)
*''Legacy of Evil'' (Beagle Books, June 1973) (as by Lyda Belknap Long)
*''Crucible of Evil'' (Avon, July 1974)(as by Lyda Belknap Long)
*''The Lemoyne Heritage'' (Zebra Books, 1977)(as by Lyda Belknap Long)
*''Rehearsal Night'' (Pub: Thomas L. Owen,1981)
*''Ghor Kin-Slayer'' (Long has one episode in this round-robin sequence; Necronomicon Press, 1997)
Story collections
* ''The Hounds of Tindalos
A Hound of Tindalos is a fictional creature created by Frank Belknap Long and later incorporated into the Cthulhu Mythos when it was codified by August Derleth. They first appeared in Long's short story "The Hounds of Tindalos", first published in ...
'' (Arkham House, 1946). Reprints: London: Museum Press, 1950. NY: Belmont books, Aug 1963.
* ''John Carstairs: Space Detective'' (Frederick Fell, 1949). Reprints: Toronto: McLeod, 1949 (?); Kemsley, 1951.
* ''Odd Science Fiction'' (Aug 1964). Reprint, London: Brown Watson
Thorpe & Porter (widely known as T & P) was a British publisher, importer, and distributor of magazines and comic books. At first, the company was known for repackaging American comics and pulp magazines for the UK market. Later on, it became a p ...
, 1965 (as ''The Horror from the Hills''). Contains "The Horror from the Hills", plus "The Flame of Life" and "Giant in the Forest".
* ''The Dark Beasts and Eight Other Stories from the Hounds of Tindalos'' (1964). Contains half the contents of the 1946 ''The Hounds of Tindalos'' collection.
* '' The Rim of the Unknown'' (Arkham House, 1972). Reprint (pbk) Condor Books, 1978.
* ''The Black Druid and Other Stories''. (London: Panther, 1975)
* ''A Dangerous Experiment'' (Necronomicon Press, 1977; single story in chapbook form). This tale is also reprinted in ''The Eye Above the Mantel and Other Stories''.
* '' The Early Long'' (NY: Doubleday, 1975) (London: Robert Hale, 1977). (NY: Jove/HBJ, 1979 as ''The Hounds of Tindalos'').
* ''Night Fear'' (Zebra Books, 1979). Intro by Roy Torgeson. 16 tales from the pulps including "The Horror from the Hills".
* ''Escape from Tomorrow: Three Previously Unreprinted Weird Tales'' (Necronomicon Press, 1995)
* ''The Eye Above the Mantel and Other Stories: 4 Previously Uncollected Weird Tales''. Foreword by H. P. Lovecraft. Edited by Perry M. Grayson. West Hills, CA: Tsathoggua Press, Aug 1995. The Foreword is Lovecraft's essay "The Work of Frank Belknap Long, Jr", reprinted from ''The United Amateur'' (May 1924).
* ''The Man Who Died Twice & Three Others'' (Wildside Press, 2009)
Plays
''A Guest in the House'' (CBS-TV television play, 1954)
Recordings
Audio recording
of author panel discussion from First World Fantasy Convention, Providence, 1975. Long's voice was preserved on a flexi-disc record of this speech issued with the fanzine ''Myrrdin'' Issue 3 (1976). The other side of the flexi-disc contains a recording of Robert Bloch's speech from the convention.
Memoirs of H. P. Lovecraft
* "Random Memories of H. P. Lovecraft" ( Marginalia)
* "H.P.L. in Red Hook" (in ''The Occult Lovecraft'', ed. Anthony Raven, 1975)
* ''Howard Phillips Lovecraft: Dreamer on the Night Side'' (Arkham House, 1975). Italian translation published by Profondo Rosso, Rome, 2010 as ''H. P. Lovecraft e le ombre''
* "H. P. Lovecraft". Poem. ''Weird Tales'' (June 1938); reprinted in ''In Mayan Splendor'' (p. 66)
Other essays
* "At the Home of Poe". Reprint in Lon Milo duQuette, ed, ''The Weiser Book of Horror and the Occult: Hidden Magic, Occult Truths, and the scary Stories That Started It All'', Red Wheel/Weiser, 2014.
Introductions to books by others
*Joseph Payne Brennan
Joseph Payne Brennan (December 20, 1918 – January 28, 1990) was an American writer of fantasy and horror fiction, and also a poet. Of Irish ancestry, he was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut and he lived most of his life in New Haven, Connect ...
. ''The Chronicles of Lucius Leffing.'' Donald M. Grant, Publisher, 1977.
*Richard Lupoff
Richard Allen Lupoff (February 21, 1935 – October 22, 2020) was an American science-fiction and mystery author, who also wrote humor, satire, nonfiction and reviews. In addition to his two dozen novels and more than 40 short stories, he a ...
. ''The Return of Skull-Face''. Fax Collectors Editions, 1977.
* H. P. Lovecraft ''The Colour Out of Space'' (Jove, 1978). Long's brief preface was inadvertently omitted from the first printing of this collection.
* H. P. Lovecraft. ''The Conservative Complete 1915-1923''. West Warwick, RI: Necronomicon Press, 1976 (50 copies only); 1977 (2000 copies). Edited by Marc A. Michaud.
Awards
* Edna St Vincent Millay Poetry Award
*First Fandom Hall of Fame award
First Fandom Hall of Fame is an annual award for contributions to the field of science fiction dating back more than 30 years. Contributions can be as a fan, writer, editor, artist, agent, or any combination of the five. It is awarded by First Fa ...
(1977).
*World Fantasy Award
The World Fantasy Awards are a set of awards given each year for the best fantasy literature, fantasy fiction published during the previous calendar year. Organized and overseen by the World Fantasy Convention, the awards are given each year a ...
for Life Achievement (at the 1978 4th World Fantasy Convention
The World Fantasy Convention is an annual convention of professionals, collectors, and others interested in the field of fantasy. The World Fantasy Awards are presented at the event. Other features include an art show, a dealer's room, and an ...
),
*Bram Stoker Award
The Bram Stoker Award is a recognition presented annually by the Horror Writers Association (HWA) for "superior achievement" in dark fantasy and horror writing.
History
The Awards were established in 1987 and have been presented annually since ...
for Lifetime Achievement (in 1987, from the Horror Writers Association
The Horror Writers Association (HWA) is a worldwide non-profit organization of professional writers and publishing professionals dedicated to promoting the interests of Horror and Dark fantasy writers.
Overview
HWA was formed in 1985 with t ...
).
Long's poem "The Marriage of Sir John de Mandeville" was a retrospective Nominee for Best Long Poem in the 1977 Rhysling Awards
__NOTOC__
The Rhysling Awards are an annual award given for the best speculative poetry, science fiction, fantasy, or horror poem of the year. Unlike most literary awards, which are named for the creator of the award, the subject of the award, or ...
Media adaptations
* Long's short story "The Space Eaters" was adapted as episode 63 of the television series ''Monsters
A monster is a type of fictional creature found in horror, fantasy, science fiction, folklore, mythology and religion. Monsters are very often depicted as dangerous and aggressive with a strange, grotesque appearance that causes terror and fe ...
'', starring Richard Clarke, Mart Hulswit and Richard M. Hughes.
See also
*
References
Further reading
* Mike Ashley. "Frank B. Long". ''Fantasy Media'', 1980, 13.
* Mike Ashley. "Fiction of Frank Belknap Long". ''Pulp Vault'' 12/13 (1996), ix.
* Mike Ashley, "Memories of Frank Belknap Long". ''Pulp Vault'' 12/13 (1996).
* Leigh Blackmore
Leigh (David) Blackmore (born 1959) is an Australian horror writer, critic, editor, occultist, musician and proponent of post-left anarchy. He was the Australian representative for the Horror Writers of America (1994–95) and served as the se ...
. "On the Rim of the Unknown: A Visit with Frank and Lyda Belknap Long". ''Shoggoth'' No 1 (1992).
* Peter Cannon
Peter H. Cannon (born 1951 in California) is an H. P. Lovecraft scholar and an author of Cthulhu Mythos fiction. Cannon works as an editor for ''Publishers Weekly'', specializing in thrillers and mystery. He lives in New York City and is marrie ...
''Long Memories: Recollections of Frank Belknap Long'', Stockport: British Fantasy Society, 1997. Afterword by Ramsey Campbell
Ramsey Campbell (born 4 January 1946) is an English horror fiction writer, editor and critic who has been writing for well over fifty years. He is the author of over 30 novels and hundreds of short stories, many of them winners of literary awa ...
* Peter Cannon. "Frank Belknap Long: A Personal Tribute" in Cannon's Sunset Terrace Imagery in Lovecraft' and Other Essays''. West Warwick, RI: Necronomicon Press, July 1990,29-30.
* Tom Collins. "Frank Belknap Long on Literature, Lovecraft and the Golden Age of 'Weird Tales'"". ''Twilight Zone'' 1, No 10 (Jan 1982)
* Interview. "Frank Belknap Long". ''Fantasy Newsletter'' (August 1980).
* Grayson, Perry M. "Frank Belknap Long: Fantasist of Multiple Dimensions: A Preliminary Critical & Historical Overview".
* Grayson, Perry M. "Frank Belknap Long, Jr (1903-1994): Six Decades of Night Fear in the Eyes of 'The Young Man with Spectacles': A Selected Bio-bibliography". ''Yawning Vortex'' 1, No 1 (Summer 1994).
* Grayson, Perry M. "Frank Belknap Long Pioneers the Unknown". ''Other Dimensions: The Journal of Multimedia Horror'' No 3 (Winter 1996), 24–27. On Long's contribution to the early horror comics.
* Grayson, Perry M. "Hail Francis, Lord Belknap!". Intro in ''Escape from Tomorrow'' (Necronomicon Press, 1995)
* Grayson, Perry M. "The Lyda Books". ''Yawning Vortex'' 2, No 2 (Aug-Sept 1995)
* Ben P. Indick. "In Memoriam: Frank Belknap Long". ''Lovecraft Studies'' No 30 (Spring 1994)
* S. T. Joshi "Frank Belknap Long: The Gods Are Dead", chapter 6 in ''Emperors of Dreams: Some Notes on Weird Poetry''. Sydney: P'rea Press, 2008. (pbk) and (hbk).
* S. T. Joshi. "Things from the Sea: The Early Weird Fiction of Frank Belknap Long". ''Studies in Weird Fiction'' No. 25 (Summer 2001). Reprint in Joshi's ''The Evolution of the Weird Tale''. New York: Hippocampus Press, 2004, 98–106.
* ocus EditorsObituary: Long, Frank Belknap, ''Locus'' v32:2 No.397 Feb 1994
* Long, Frank Belknap, ''Autobiographical Memoir'', Necronomicon Press, 1986.
* Long, Frank Belknap, ''The Early Long: the Hounds of Tindalos'', Jove Books, 1978.
* Long, Frank Belknap, ''Howard Phillips Lovecraft: Dreamer on the Night Side'', Arkham House, 1975.
* Longhorn, David. "A Short Long Life". (review of Peter Cannon's ''Long Memories'' (see above). ''Necrofile'' No. 27 (Winter 1998), 19–20.
* Phelps. Donald. "Frank Belknap Long". ''Pulpsmith'' (Summer 1984).
* Price, Robert M (ed). ''Crypt of Cthulhu'' No. 42 (1986) is a special issue devoted to Long.
* rice, Robert M."The Black Druid" (obituary). ''Crypt of Cthulhu'' 13, No 2 (Whole number 86)(Eastertide 1994): 52.
External links
*
*
*
*
Frank Belknap Long: Fantasist of Multiple Dimensions (biographical essay by Perry M. Grayson)
* Long's gravesite at Woodlawn Cemetery, Bronx County *
{{DEFAULTSORT:Long, Frank Belknap
1901 births
1994 deaths
20th-century American novelists
American male novelists
American comics writers
American fantasy writers
American horror writers
American science fiction writers
American short story writers
Cthulhu Mythos writers
Columbia University alumni
New York University alumni
People from Harlem
World Fantasy Award-winning writers
Writers from Manhattan
American male short story writers
20th-century American poets
American male poets
Novelists from New York (state)
People from Chelsea, Manhattan
Burials at Woodlawn Cemetery (Bronx, New York)
Weird fiction writers
20th-century American male writers