Robert William Chambers (May 26, 1865 – December 16, 1933) was an American artist and fiction writer, best known for his book of short stories titled '' The King in Yellow'', published in 1895.

Life

Chambers was born in

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, New York, to William P. Chambers (1827–1911), a corporate and bankruptcy lawyer, and Caroline Smith Boughton (1842–1913). His parents met when his mother was twelve years old and William P. was interning with her father, Joseph Boughton, a prominent corporate lawyer. Eventually the two formed the law firm of Chambers and Boughton which continued to prosper even after Joseph's death in 1861. Robert Chambers's great-grandfather, William Chambers (birth unknown), a lieutenant in the British

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

, was married to Amelia Saunders (1765–1822), a great granddaughter of

Tobias Saunders Tobias Saunders (c. 1620 – 1695) was a Deputy to the Rhode Island General Assembly (1669, 1671, 1672, 1680, 1681, 1683, and 1690), a Conservator of the Peace (1669, 1678, and 1695) and a founding settler of Westerly, Rhode Island. Uncertain origi ...

of Westerly, Rhode Island. The couple moved from Westerly to Greenfield, Massachusetts and then to Galway, New York, where their son, also William Chambers (1798–1874), was born. The second William graduated from

Union College Union College is a private liberal arts college in Schenectady, New York. Founded in 1795, it was the first institution of higher learning chartered by the New York State Board of Regents, and second in the state of New York, after Columbia Co ...

at the age of 18, and then went to a college in Boston, where he studied medicine. Upon graduating, he and his wife, Eliza P. Allen (1793–1880), a direct descendant of

Roger Williams Roger Williams (21 September 1603between 27 January and 15 March 1683) was an English-born New England Puritan minister, theologian, and author who founded Providence Plantations, which became the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantation ...

, the founder of Providence, Rhode Island, were among the first settlers of Broadalbin, New York. His brother was the architect Walter Boughton Chambers. Chambers was first educated at the

Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute The New York University Tandon School of Engineering (commonly referred to as Tandon) is the engineering and applied sciences school of New York University. Tandon is the second oldest private engineering and technology school in the United Sta ...

, and then entered the

Art Students' League The Art Students League of New York is an art school at 215 West 57th Street in Manhattan, New York City, New York. The League has historically been known for its broad appeal to both amateurs and professional artists. Although artists may stud ...

at around the age of twenty, where the artist

Charles Dana Gibson Charles Dana Gibson (September 14, 1867 – December 23, 1944) was an American illustrator. He was best known for his creation of the Gibson Girl, an iconic representation of the beautiful and independent Euro-American woman at the turn of the ...

was a fellow student. Chambers studied in Paris at the

École des Beaux-Arts École des Beaux-Arts (; ) refers to a number of influential art schools in France. The term is associated with the Beaux-Arts style in architecture and city planning that thrived in France and other countries during the late nineteenth century ...

and the

Académie Julian The Académie Julian () was a private art school for painting and sculpture founded in Paris, France, in 1867 by French painter and teacher Rodolphe Julian (1839–1907) that was active from 1868 through 1968. It remained famous for the number a ...

from 1886 to 1893, and his work was displayed at the

Salon Salon may refer to: Common meanings * Beauty salon, a venue for cosmetic treatments * French term for a drawing room, an architectural space in a home * Salon (gathering), a meeting for learning or enjoyment Arts and entertainment * Salon (P ...

as early as 1889. On his return to New York, he succeeded in selling his illustrations to ''Life'', ''

Truth Truth is the property of being in accord with fact or reality.Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionarytruth 2005 In everyday language, truth is typically ascribed to things that aim to represent reality or otherwise correspond to it, such as beliefs ...

'', and ''Vogue'' magazines. Then, for reasons unclear, he devoted his time to writing, producing his first novel, ''

In the Quarter IN, In or in may refer to: Places * India (country code IN) * Indiana, United States (postal code IN) * Ingolstadt, Germany (license plate code IN) * In, Russia, a town in the Jewish Autonomous Oblast Businesses and organizations * Independ ...

'', written in 1887 in Munich. His most famous, and perhaps most meritorious, effort is '' The King in Yellow'', a collection of Art Nouveau short stories published in 1895. This included several famous

weird Weird derives from the Anglo-Saxon word Wyrd, meaning fate or destiny. In modern English it has acquired the meaning of “strange or uncanny”. It may also refer to: Places * Weird Lake, a lake in Minnesota, U.S. People *"Weird Al" Yankovic (b ...

short stories which are connected by the theme of a fictitious drama of the same title, which drives those who read it insane.

Brian Stableford Brian Michael Stableford (born 25 July 1948) is a British academic, critic and science fiction writer who has published more than 70 novels. His earlier books were published under the name Brian M. Stableford, but more recent ones have dropped ...

, "The King in Yellow" in Frank N. Magill, ed. ''Survey of Modern Fantasy Literature'', Vol 2. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Salem Press, Inc., 1983. (pp. 844–847).

E. F. Bleiler Everett Franklin Bleiler (April 30, 1920 – June 13, 2010) was an American editor, bibliographer, and scholar of science fiction, detective fiction, and fantasy literature. In the late 1940s and early 1950s, he co-edited the first "year's best" s ...

described ''The King in Yellow'' as one of the most important works of American supernatural fiction. It was also strongly admired by H. P. Lovecraft and his circle. Chambers returned to the weird genre in his later short story collections ''

The Maker of Moons ''The Maker of Moons'' is an 1896 short story collection by Robert W. Chambers which followed the publication of Chambers' most famous work, '' The King in Yellow'' (1895). It contained eight new stories, including the title story, one of his ...

'', ''

The Mystery of Choice ''The Mystery of Choice'' is a collection of short stories by American writer Robert W. Chambers, published by D. Appleton in 1897. Distinguished by an atmospheric use of natural scenery, the stories are mostly set in Brittany in France. The mac ...

'' and ''

The Tree of Heaven ''The Tree of Heaven'' is a collection of short stories by Robert W. Chambers, author of '' The King in Yellow'', ''The Maker of Moons'', and '' The Mystery of Choice''. Mostly set in New York with a snowy nocturnal backdrop, the stories are ligh ...

'', but none earned him as much success as ''The King in Yellow''. Some of Chambers's work contains elements of science fiction, such as ''In Search of the Unknown'' and ''Police!!!'', about a

zoologist Zoology ()The pronunciation of zoology as is usually regarded as nonstandard, though it is not uncommon. is the branch of biology that studies the Animal, animal kingdom, including the anatomy, structure, embryology, evolution, Biological clas ...

who encounters monsters. Chambers's main work of historical fiction was a series of novels set during the Franco-Prussian War. These novels were ''The Red Republic'' (1895, centring on the

Paris Commune The Paris Commune (french: Commune de Paris, ) was a revolutionary government that seized power in Paris, the capital of France, from 18 March to 28 May 1871. During the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–71, the French National Guard had defended ...

), ''Lorraine'' (1898), ''Ashes of Empire'' (1898) and ''Maids of Paradise'' (1903).Nield, Jonathan (1925), ''A Guide to the Best Historical Novels and Tales''. G. P. Putnam's Sons, (pp. 91, 114)Bousfield, Wendy. "Chambers, Robert W(illiam)", in Henderson, Lesley, and Kirkpatrick. D. L. (eds.), ''Twentieth-century romance and historical writers''. Detroit : St. James Press, 1990. (pp. 120–122) Chambers wrote ''Special Messenger'' (1909), ''Ailsa Paige'' (1910) and ''Whistling Cat'' (1932), novels set during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

. Chambers also wrote ''Cardigan'' (1901), a historical novel for younger readers, set at the outbreak of the

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revolut ...

. Chambers later turned to writing

romantic fiction A romance novel or romantic novel generally refers to a type of genre fiction novel which places its primary focus on the relationship and romantic love between two people, and usually has an "emotionally satisfying and optimistic ending." Pre ...

to earn a living. According to some estimates, Chambers had one of the most successful literary careers of his period, his later novels selling well and a handful achieving best-seller status. Chambers' romance novels often featured intimate relationships between "caddish" men and sexually willing women, resulting in some reviewers accusing Chambers' works of promoting immorality. Many of his works were also serialised in magazines. His novel ''The Man They Hanged'' was about

Captain Kidd William Kidd, also known as Captain William Kidd or simply Captain Kidd ( – 23 May 1701), was a Scottish sea captain who was commissioned as a privateer and had experience as a pirate. He was tried and executed in London in 1701 for murder a ...

, and argued that Kidd was not a pirate but had been made a scapegoat by the British government. During World War I, Chambers wrote war adventure novels and war stories, some of which showed a strong return to his old weird style, such as "Marooned" in ''Barbarians'' (1917). After 1924 he devoted himself solely to writing historical fiction. Chambers for several years made

Broadalbin, New York Broadalbin is a town in Fulton County, New York, on the eastern border of the county and northwest of Albany. The town was named after the Breadalbane Region in Scotland by an early settler. The town contains a village also called Broadalbin ...

, his summer home. Some of his novels touch upon colonial life in Broadalbin and Johnstown. On July 12, 1898, he married Elsa (Elsie) Vaughn Moller (1872–1939). They had a son, Robert Edward Stuart Chambers (1899–1955) (who sometimes used the name Robert Husted Chambers). Robert W. Chambers died on December 16, 1933, after having undergone intestinal surgery three days earlier.

Criticism and legacy

H. P. Lovecraft said of Chambers in a letter to

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 ...

: Despite Chambers's effective later abandonment of the weird supernatural tale, these early works are all that remained in print through most of the twentieth century, thanks to Lovecraft's inclusion of them in the critical study "

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 ...

Frederic Taber Cooper Frederic Taber Cooper Ph.D. (May 27, 1864 – May 20, 1937) was an American editor and writer. Life Cooper was born in New York City, graduated from Harvard University in 1886 and obtained an LL.B. from Columbia University in 1887."Frederi ...

commented: In an overview of Chambers'

historical fiction Historical fiction is a literary genre in which the plot takes place in a setting related to the past events, but is fictional. Although the term is commonly used as a synonym for historical fiction literature, it can also be applied to other ty ...

, Wendy Bousfield stated that the historical novel ''Cardigan'' was "Chambers' most highly praised historical novel" during his lifetime. Bousfield also argued that much of Chambers' historical fiction was marred by poorly written characters and "insensitive humor at the expense of ethnic types". Bousfield also wrote that "Chambers' trivializing of human relationships is regrettable, since his recreation of period details of dress and daily life is vivid and historically accurate." Critical studies of Chambers's horror and fantasy work include Lee Weinstein's essay in ''Supernatural Fiction Writers'', Brian Stableford's essay in the ''St. James Guide to Horror, Ghost and Gothic Writers'' and a chapter in S.T. Joshi's book ''The Evolution of the Weird Tale'' (2004). Chambers's novel ''The Tracer of Lost Persons'' was adapted into a long-running (1937–54) radio crime drama, '' Mr. Keen, Tracer of Lost Persons'', by soap opera producers

Frank Frank or Franks may refer to: People * Frank (given name) * Frank (surname) * Franks (surname) * Franks, a medieval Germanic people * Frank, a term in the Muslim world for all western Europeans, particularly during the Crusades - see Farang Curre ...

and

Anne Hummert Anne Hummert (née Schumacher) (January 19, 1905 – July 5, 1996) was the leading creator of daytime radio serials or soap opera dramas during the 1930s and 1940s, responsible for more than three dozen series. Biography She was born in Baltimore ...

. Chambers's '' The King in Yellow'' has inspired many modern authors, including

Karl Edward Wagner Karl Edward Wagner (12 December 1945 – 14 October 1994) was an American writer, poet, editor, and publisher of horror, science fiction, and heroic fantasy, who was born in Knoxville, Tennessee and originally trained as a psychiatrist. He w ...

Joseph S. Pulver Joseph S. Pulver Sr. (July 5, 1955 – April 24, 2020) was an author and poet, much of whose work falls within the horror fiction, noir fiction / hardboiled, and dark fantasy genres. He lived in Germany, and died from COPD and other issues in a ...

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 ...

James Blish James Benjamin Blish () was an American science fiction and fantasy writer. He is best known for his ''Cities in Flight'' novels and his series of ''Star Trek'' novelizations written with his wife, J. A. Lawrence. His novel ''A Case of Conscienc ...

Nic Pizzolatto Nicholas Austin Pizzolatto (born October 18, 1975) is an American writer, producer and director. He is best known for creating the HBO crime drama series ''True Detective''. Early life Pizzolatto was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. He is of Ita ...

Michael Cisco Michael Cisco (born October 13, 1970) is an American writer, Deleuzian academic, and teacher currently living in New York City. He is best known for his first novel, ''The Divinity Student,'' winner of the International Horror Guild Award for B ...

Stephen King Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author of horror, supernatural fiction, suspense, crime, science-fiction, and fantasy novels. Described as the "King of Horror", a play on his surname and a reference to his high s ...

, Ann K. Schwader,

Robert M. Price Robert McNair Price (born July 7, 1954) is an American New Testament scholar. His most notable stance is arguing in favor of the Christ myth theorythe claim that a historical Jesus did not exist. Price is the author of a number of books on bi ...

Galad Elflandsson Galad Elflandsson (born 1951) is a Canadian fantasy writer. Literary career In the 1980s, Elflandsson was a member of a group of fantasy writers who met at the House of Speculative Fiction bookstore in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, which he also mana ...

and

Charles Stross Charles David George "Charlie" Stross (born 18 October 1964) is a British writer of science fiction and fantasy. Stross specialises in hard science fiction and space opera. Between 1994 and 2004, he was also an active writer for the magazine '' ...

In Search of the Unknown - Bookcover - Project Gutenberg eText 18668

Bibliography

Novels and story collections

* ''In the Quarter'' (1894) * '' The King in Yellow'' (1895) – short stories * ''The Red Republic'' (1895) * ''

'' (1896) – short stories * ''A King and A Few Dukes'' (1896) * ''With the Band'' (1896) * ''

'' (1897) – short stories * ''Lorraine'' (1898) * ''Ashes of Empire'' (1898) * '' The Haunts of Men'' (1898) – short stories * ''Outsiders'' (1899) * ''The Cambric Mask'' (1899) * ''The Conspirators'' (1899) * ''Cardigan'' (1901) * ''The Maid-at-Arms'' (1902) * ''The Maids of Paradise'' (1903) * ''In Search of the Unknown'' (1904) * '' A Young Man in a Hurry'' (1904) – short stories * ''The Reckoning'' (1905) * ''Iole'' (1905) * ''The Tracer of Lost Persons'' (1906) * ''The Fighting Chance'' (1906) * ''

'' (1907) – short stories * ''The Younger Set'' (1907) * ''Some Ladies in Haste'' (1908) * ''The Firing Line'' (1908) * ''Special Messenger'' (1909) * ''The Danger Mark'' (1909) * ''The Green Mouse'' (1910) * ''Ailsa Paige'' (1910) * ''The Common Law'' (1911) * ''The Adventures of a Modest Man'' (1911) * ''Blue-Bird Weather'' (1912) * ''The Streets of Ascalon'' (1912) * ''The Japonette'' (1912) – serialized in ''

Cosmopolitan Cosmopolitan may refer to: Food and drink * Cosmopolitan (cocktail), also known as a "Cosmo" History * Rootless cosmopolitan, a Soviet derogatory epithet during Joseph Stalin's anti-Semitic campaign of 1949–1953 Hotels and resorts * Cosmopoli ...

'' under the title ''The Turning Point'' * ''The Gay Rebellion'' (1913) * ''The Business of Life'' (1913) * ''Quick Action'' (1914) * ''The Hidden Children'' (1914) * ''Anne's Bridge'' (1914) * ''Between Friends'' (1914) * ''Who Goes There!'' (1915) * ''Athalie'' (1915) * ''Police!!!'' (1915) – short stories * ''The Girl Philippa'' (1916) * ''The Better Man'' (1916) – short stories * ''The Dark Star'' (1917) * ''Barbarians'' (1917)book in front of me--Toronto: George J. McLeod, Ltd. Publishers, 1917 * ''The Laughing Girl'' (1918) * ''The Restless Sex'' (1918) * ''The Moonlit Way'' (1919) * ''In Secret'' (1919) * ''The Crimson Tide'' (1919) * ''A Story of Primitive Love'' (1920) * ''The Slayer of Souls'' (1920) * ''The Little Red Foot'' (1920) * ''Eris'' (1922) * ''The Flaming Jewel'' (1922) * ''The Talkers'' (1923) * ''The Hi-Jackers'' (1923) * ''America; or, The Sacrifice'' (1924) * ''The Mystery Lady'' (1925) * ''Marie Halkett'' (1925 UK, 1937 US) * ''The Girl in Golden Rags'' (1925 UK, 1936 US) * ''The Man They Hanged'' (1926) * ''The Drums of Aulone'' (1927) * ''The Gold Chase'' (1927) * ''The Sun Hawk'' (1928) * ''The Rogue's Moon'' (1928) * ''The Happy Parrot'' (1929) * ''The Painted Minx'' (1930) * ''The Rake and the Hussy'' (1930) * ''War Paint and Rouge'' (1931) * ''Gitana'' (1931) * ''Whistling Cat'' (1932) * ''Whatever Love Is'' (1933) * ''Secret Service Operator 13'' (1934) – short stories published in ''Cosmopolitan'' between 1930 and 1932 * ''The Young Man's Girl'' (1934) – serialized in ''

The Delineator ''The Delineator'' was an American women's magazine of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, founded by the Butterick Publishing Company in 1869 under the name ''The Metropolitan Monthly.'' Its name was changed in 1875. The magazine was publis ...

'', 1933 * ''Love and the Lieutenant'' (1935) – serialized in ''

The Woman's Home Companion ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

'', 1934 * ''Beating Wings'' (1936) – serialized in ''

McCall's ''McCall's'' was a monthly American women's magazine, published by the McCall Corporation, that enjoyed great popularity through much of the 20th century, peaking at a readership of 8.4 million in the early 1960s. It was established as a small-for ...

'', 1927 * ''The Fifth Horseman'' (1937) – serialized in ''McCall's'', 1930 * ''Smoke of Battle'' (1938) – this novel was possibly finished by

Rupert Hughes Rupert Raleigh Hughes (January 31, 1872 – September 9, 1956) was an American novelist, film director, Academy Award, Oscar-nominated screenwriter, military officer, and music composer. He was the brother of Howard R. Hughes Sr. and uncle of bi ...

Children's books

* ''Outdoorland'' (1902) Illustrated by

Reginald Bathurst Birch Reginald Bathurst Birch (May 2, 1856 – June 17, 1943) was an English-American artist and illustrator. He was best known for his depiction of the titular hero of Frances Hodgson Burnett's 1886 novel ''Little Lord Fauntleroy'', which started a cra ...

* ''Orchard-Land'' (1903) Illustrated by

* ''River-Land'' (1904) Illustrated by Elizabeth S. Green * ''Forest-Land'' (1905) Illustrated by Emily Benson Knipe * ''Mountain-Land'' (1906) Illustrated by Frederick Richardson & Walter King Stone * ''Garden-Land'' (1907) Illustrated by Harrison Cady * The Happy Parrot (1931) Illustrated by Norman Price

Reprint collections

* ''The King in Yellow and Other Horror Stories'', edited by

Dover Dover () is a town and major ferry port in Kent, South East England. It faces France across the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the English Channel at from Cap Gris Nez in France. It lies south-east of Canterbury and east of Maidstone ...

1970 * ''The Yellow Sign and Other Stories'', edited by S.T. Joshi,

Chaosium Chaosium Inc. is a publisher of tabletop role-playing games established by Greg Stafford in 1975. Chaosium's major titles include '' Call of Cthulhu'', based on the horror fiction stories of H. P. Lovecraft'', RuneQuest Glorantha'', ''Pendragon'' ...

2004

Anthologies containing reprinted work by Robert W. Chambers

* ''Sporting Blood: The Great Sports Detective Stories'', edited by

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 ...

Little, Brown and Company Little, Brown and Company is an American publishing company founded in 1837 by Charles Coffin Little and James Brown in Boston. For close to two centuries it has published fiction and nonfiction by American authors. Early lists featured Emily ...

1942 – contains "The Purple Emperor" * '' Sleep No More'', edited by

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 ...

Rinehart & Company Rinehart & Company was an American publishing company founded in 1946. Renamed Rinehart & Company in 1946, the publishing company merged with Henry Holt and Company and the John C. Winston Company in 1960, to form Holt, Rinehart and Winston (HRW). ...

1944 – contains "The Yellow Sign" * ''The Faded Banners'', edited by Eric Solomon, T. Yoseloff 1960 – contains "Pickets" * ''The Dark Descent'', edited by

David G. Hartwell David Geddes Hartwell (July 10, 1941 – January 20, 2016) was an American critic, publisher, and editor of thousands of science fiction and fantasy novels. He was best known for work with Signet, Pocket, and Tor Books publishers. He was also no ...

Tor Tor, TOR or ToR may refer to: Places * Tor, Pallars, a village in Spain * Tor, former name of Sloviansk, Ukraine, a city * Mount Tor, Tasmania, Australia, an extinct volcano * Tor Bay, Devon, England * Tor River, Western New Guinea, Indonesia Sc ...

1987 – contains "

The Repairer of Reputations "The Repairer of Reputations" is a short story published by Robert W. Chambers in the collection ''The King in Yellow'' in 1895 in literature, 1895. The story is an example of Chambers' horror fiction, and is one of the stories in the collection w ...

" * ''The Horror Hall of Fame'', edited by

Robert Silverberg Robert Silverberg (born January 15, 1935) is an American author and editor, best known for writing science fiction. He is a multiple winner of both Hugo and Nebula Awards, a member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame, and a Grand ...

and

Martin H. Greenberg Martin Harry Greenberg (March 1, 1941 – June 25, 2011) was an American academic and anthologist in many genres, including mysteries and horror, but especially in speculative fiction. In all, he compiled 1,298 anthologies and commissioned ov ...

Carroll & Graf Carroll & Graf Publishers was an American publishing company based in New York City, New York, known for publishing a wide range of fiction and non-fiction by both new and established authors, as well as issuing reprints of previously hard-t ...

1991 – contains "The Yellow Sign" * ''The Hastur Cycle'', edited by

1993 – contains "

" and "The Yellow Sign" * ''Detection by Gaslight'', edited by

Douglas G. Greene Douglas G. Greene (born September 24,1944) is an American historian, editor, and author. He is the son of Margaret Chindahl Greene and the Reverend George L. Greene, He is married to Sandi Greene with whom he has a son, Eric and a daughter, Kather ...

Dover Publications Dover Publications, also known as Dover Books, is an American book publisher founded in 1941 by Hayward and Blanche Cirker. It primarily reissues books that are out of print from their original publishers. These are often, but not always, books ...

1997 – contains "The Purple Emperor" * ''The Innsmouth Cycle'', edited by

1998 – contains "The Harbor-Master" (the first five chapters of ''In Search of the Unknown'') * ''American Supernatural Tales'', edited by

S. T. Joshi Sunand Tryambak Joshi (born June 22, 1958) is an American literary critic whose work has largely focused on weird and fantastic fiction, especially the life and work of H. P. Lovecraft and associated writers. Career His literary criticis ...

Penguin Classics Penguin Classics is an imprint of Penguin Books under which classic works of literature are published in English, Spanish, Portuguese, and Korean among other languages. Literary critics see books in this series as important members of the Western ...

2007 – contains "The Yellow Sign" * ''The Tindalos Cycle'', edited by

Hippocampus Press Hippocampus Press is an American publisher that specializes in, "the works of H. P. Lovecraft and his literary circle." Founded in 1999, and based in New York City, Hippocampus is operated by founder Derrick Hussey. As of 2017, it has issued ...

2010 – contains "

Movies

* '' The Reckoning'' (1908), silent short film adaptation of novel. Directed by

D. W. Griffith David Wark Griffith (January 22, 1875 – July 23, 1948) was an American film director. Considered one of the most influential figures in the history of the motion picture, he pioneered many aspects of film editing and expanded the art of the na ...

* '' The Common Law'' (1916), silent film adaptation of novel. Directed by

Albert Capellani Albert Capellani (23 August 1874 – 26 September 1931) was a French film director and screenwriter of the silent film, silent era. He directed films between 1905 and 1922. One of his brothers was the actor-sculptor Paul Capellani, and anoth ...

* ' (1916), silent film adaptation of novel. * '' The Girl Philippa'' (1917), silent film adaptation of novel. Directed by

S. Rankin Drew Sidney Rankin Drew (September 19, 1891May 19, 1918) was an American actor and film director. Biography Born in 1891, Drew was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Sidney Drew and first cousin of the actors John Barrymore, Lionel Barrymore, and Ethel Barrymo ...

* ''

The Hidden Children ''The Hidden Children'' is a 1917 American silent historical drama film directed by Oscar Apfel and starring Harold Lockwood, May Allison and Lillian West.Lowe p.9 It is based on a 1914 novel by Robert W. Chambers, set in Colonial America. Locatio ...

'' (1917), silent film adaptation of novel. Directed by

Oscar Apfel Oscar C. Apfel (January 17, 1878 – March 21, 1938) was an American film actor, director, screenwriter and producer. He appeared in more than 160 films between 1913 and 1939, and also directed 94 films between 1911 and 1927. Biography Apf ...

* ''

The Fettered Woman ''The Fettered Woman'' is a 1917 American silent drama film directed by Tom Terriss and starring Alice Joyce, Webster Campbell, and Donald MacBride.McCaffrey & Jacobs p. 160 Based on the 1914 novel ''Anne's Bridge'' by Robert W. Chambers, it is n ...

'' (1917), silent film adaptation of ''Anne's Bridge''. Directed by

Tom Terriss Thomas Herbert F. Lewin (28 September 1872 – 8 February 1964), known professionally as Tom Terriss, was a British actor, screenwriter, and film director. After trying various occupations, he became an actor playing a variety of roles, beginni ...

* ' (1917), silent film adaptation of novel. Directed by

William P. S. Earle William Pitt Striker Earle (December 28, 1882 – November 30, 1972) was an American director of the silent film era. He attended Columbia University and worked for a time as a photographer before breaking into the movie business by sneaking o ...

* ''

The Woman Between Friends ''The Woman Between Friends'' is a 1918 American silent drama film written and directed by Tom Terriss that was based on the novel ''Between Friends'' by Robert W. Chambers. The film stars Alice Joyce, Marc McDermott, and Robert Walker. It was ...

'' (1918), silent film adaptation of ''Between Friends''. Directed by Tom Terriss * ' (1918), silent film adaptation of novel. Directed by Tom Terriss * ''

The Danger Mark ''The Danger Mark'' is a lost 1918 American silent drama film directed by Hugh Ford and starring Elsie Ferguson. It was produced by Famous Players–Lasky, and distributed by Paramount Pictures. It is based on a play by Robert W. Chambers. Prio ...

'' (1918), silent film adaptation of novel. Directed by Hugh Ford * ''The Girl of Today'' (1918), silent film adaptation of short story. Directed by John S. Robertson * '' The Cambric Mask'' (1919), silent film adaptation of novel. Directed by Tom Terriss * ''

The Firing Line ''The Firing Line'' is a lost 1919 American silent drama film directed by Charles Maigne and starring Irene Castle. It was based on the 1908 novel by Robert W. Chambers and produced by Famous Players-Lasky. Paramount Pictures distributed the film ...

'' (1919), silent film adaptation of novel. Directed by

Charles Maigne Charles Maigne (November 11, 1879 – November 28, 1929) was an American screenwriter and film director of the silent film, silent era. He wrote for 32 films between 1916 and 1928. He also directed 18 films between 1918 and 1923. He was bor ...

* '' The Dark Star'' (1919), silent film adaptation of novel. Directed by

Allan Dwan Allan Dwan (born Joseph Aloysius Dwan; April 3, 1885 – December 28, 1981) was a pioneering Canadian-born American motion picture director, producer, and screenwriter. Early life Born Joseph Aloysius Dwan in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Dwan, was ...

* ''

The Black Secret ''The Black Secret'' is a 1919 American adventure film, adventure film serial directed by George B. Seitz. The film was recorded in both Fort Lee, New Jersey, as well as in the nearby Hudson Palisades. Recording took place during a time when man ...

'' (1919), silent film serial adaptation of ''In Secret''. Directed by

George B. Seitz George Brackett Seitz (January 3, 1888 – July 8, 1944) was an American playwright, screenwriter, film actor and director. He was known for his screenplays for action serials, such as '' The Perils of Pauline'' (1914) and ''The Exploits o ...

* ''

Even as Eve ''Even as Eve'' is a 1920 American silent drama film by A. H. Fischer Features and distributed by Associated First National Pictures. Produced by B. A. Rolfe, the film was directed by Rolfe and Chester De Vonde, with Arthur A. Cadwell and C ...

'' (1920), silent film adaptation of short story "The Shining Band". Directed by

Chester De Vonde Chester M. De Vonde (October 7, 1872 - January 10, 1928) was an actor, writer, and director of theatrical productions and films. He wrote the play ''A Widow's Son''. It was described as a Masonic passion play. Filmography *''Cinderella Husband'' ( ...

and

B. A. Rolfe Benjamin Albert Rolfe (October 24, 1879 – April 23, 1956) was an American musician known as "The Boy Trumpet Wonder" who went on to be a bandleader, recording artist, radio personality, and film producer. Biography He was born on October 24, ...

* '' The Turning Point'' (1920), silent film adaptation of ''The Japonette''. Directed by J. A. Barry * '' The Fighting Chance'' (1920), silent film adaptation of novel. Directed by Charles Maigne * ''

The Restless Sex ''The Restless Sex'' is a 1920 American silent drama film starring Marion Davies, and Ralph Kellard. It was directed by Leon D'Usseau and Robert Z. Leonard and written by Frances Marion. The film is based upon the 1918 novel of the same name b ...

'' (1920), silent film adaptation of novel. Directed by Leon D'Usseau and

Robert Z. Leonard Robert Zigler Leonard (October 7, 1889 – August 27, 1968) was an American film director, actor, producer, and screenwriter. Biography He was born in Chicago, Illinois. At one time, he was married to silent star Mae Murray with the two formin ...

* ''

Unseen Forces ''Unseen Forces'' is an extant 1920 silent film drama directed by Sidney Franklin and starring Sylvia Breamer and Conrad Nagel. It was long thought to be lost until a copy was located in New Zealand. It was produced by the same production company ...

'' (1920), silent film adaptation of ''Athalie''. Directed by

Sidney A. Franklin Sidney Arnold Franklin (March 21, 1893 – May 18, 1972) was an American film director and producer. Franklin, like William C. deMille, specialized in adapting literary works or Broadway stage plays. His brother Chester Franklin (1889–1954) a ...

* '' Cardigan'' (1922), silent film adaptation of novel. Screenplay by Chambers. Directed by

John W. Noble John Winthrop Noble (born Winfield Fernley Kutz; June 24, 1880 – September 10, 1946) was an American film director and screenwriter during the silent era. Career John Winthrop Noble was the professional name of Winfield Fernley Kutz (someti ...

* '' The Common Law'' (1923), silent film adaptation of novel. Directed by

George Archainbaud George Archainbaud (May 7, 1890 – February 20, 1959) was a French-American film and television director. Biography In the beginning of his career he worked on stage as an actor and manager. He came to the United States in January 1914, and s ...

* ''

America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

'' (1924), silent film adaptation of ''The Reckoning''. Screenplay by Chambers. Directed by D. W. Griffith * '' Between Friends'' (1924), silent film adaptation of novel. Directed by

J. Stuart Blackton James Stuart Blackton (January 5, 1875 – August 13, 1941) was a British-American film producer and director of the silent era. One of the pioneers of motion pictures, he founded Vitagraph Studios in 1897. He was one of the first filmmakers to ...

* '' The Common Law'' (1931), film adaptation of novel. Directed by

Paul L. Stein Paul Ludwig Stein (4 February 1892 – 2 May 1951) was an Austrian-born film director with 67 films to his credit. Stein began his career in Berlin in 1918 and worked exclusively in the German silent film industry until 1926, when he first w ...

* ''

Operator 13 ''Operator 13'' is a 1934 American pre-Code romance film directed by Richard Boleslawski and starring Marion Davies, Gary Cooper, and Jean Parker. Based on stories written by Robert W. Chambers, the film is about a Union spy who impersonates a ...

'' (1934), film adaptation of short stories from ''Secret Service Operator 13''. Directed by

Richard Boleslawski Richard Boleslawski (born Bolesław Ryszard Srzednicki; February 4, 1889 – January 17, 1937) was a Polish theatre and film director, actor and teacher of acting. Biography Richard Boleslawski was born Bolesław Ryszard Srzednicki on February ...

* ''

A Time Out of War ''A Time Out of War'' is a 1954 American short war film directed by Denis Sanders and starring Corey Allen and Barry Atwater. In 1955, it won an Academy Award for Best Short Subject (Two-Reel) at the 27th Academy Awards, first prize at the Veni ...

'' (1954), short film adaptation of short story "Pickets". Directed by

Denis Sanders Denis Sanders (January 21, 1929 – December 10, 1987) was an American film director, screenwriter and producer who directed the debut performances of Robert Redford and Tom Skerritt in the 1962 film ''War Hunt''. He won two Academy Awards, ...

* ''The Yellow Sign'' (2001), film adaptation of short story. Directed by Aaron Vanek

Notes

References

External links

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''Operator 13'' Manuscript
at Dartmouth College Library {{DEFAULTSORT:Chambers, Robert W. 1865 births 1933 deaths 19th-century American novelists 20th-century American novelists Académie Julian alumni American alumni of the École des Beaux-Arts American fantasy writers American historical novelists Writers of historical fiction set in the early modern period Writers of historical fiction set in the modern age American horror writers American illustrators American science fiction writers Mythopoeic writers Writers from Brooklyn People from Broadalbin, New York American male novelists American male short story writers 19th-century American short story writers Novelists from New York (state) Weird fiction writers 20th-century American male writers Members of the American Academy of Arts and Letters