''The Watchers Out of Time and Others'' is an omnibus collection of stories by American writer
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 ...
, inspired in part by notes left by
H. P. Lovecraft after his death and presented as a "posthumous collaboration" between the two writers (Derleth acted as Lovecraft's
literary executor
The literary estate of a deceased author consists mainly of the copyright and other intellectual property rights of published works, including film, translation rights, original manuscripts of published work, unpublished or partially completed wo ...
). It was published in an edition of 5,070 copies. Several of the stories relate 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 ...
and had appeared previously in the earliest collections ''
The Lurker at the Threshold
''The Lurker at the Threshold'' is a horror novel by American writer August Derleth, based on short fragments written by H. P. Lovecraft, who died in 1937, and published as a collaboration between the two authors. According to S. T. Joshi, of t ...
'', ''
The Survivor and Others
''The Survivor and Others'' is a collection of fantasy and horror short stories by American writer August Derleth. It was released in an edition of 2,096 copies. It was reissued in paperback by Ballantine Books in 1962 and 1971. The stories were b ...
'', ''
The Shuttered Room and Other Pieces
''The Shuttered Room and Other Pieces'' is an anthology of fantasy and horror short stories, essays and memoirs by American author H. P. Lovecraft and others. It was released in 1959 by Arkham House in an edition of 2,527 copies and was the fi ...
'', ''
The Dark Brotherhood and Other Pieces
''The Dark Brotherhood and Other Pieces'' is a collection of stories, poems and essays by American author H. P. Lovecraft and others, edited by August Derleth. It was released in 1966 by Arkham House in an edition of 3,460 copies. The dustjacket ...
'' and other Arkham House publications.
Some controversy exists among Lovecraft's admirers as to the ethics of presenting the stories as collaborative works. Upon this volume's publication,
Donald Wandrei
Donald Albert Wandrei (20 April 1908 – 15 October 1987)[Minnesota Death Certificates Index](_blank)
. ...
, one of Arkham House's founders, wrote letters to reviewers complaining that the stories were essentially Derleth's own works, incorporating fragments of unpublished Lovecraft prose.
Gahan Wilson agreed that the stories "should really be billed as his
erleth'sown, and merely based on the notes and letters of Lovecraft, and on the Lovecraftian mythos as he
erlethsaw it, and no more than that."
["Books", '']F&SF
''The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction'' (usually referred to as ''F&SF'') is a U.S. fantasy fiction magazine, fantasy and science fiction magazine first published in 1949 by Mystery House, a subsidiary of Lawrence E. Spivak, Lawrence Spiva ...
'', April 1976, pp.65=66
Contents
# "Foreword", by April Derleth
# ''
The Lurker at the Threshold
''The Lurker at the Threshold'' is a horror novel by American writer August Derleth, based on short fragments written by H. P. Lovecraft, who died in 1937, and published as a collaboration between the two authors. According to S. T. Joshi, of t ...
''
# "The Survivor"
# "Wentworth's Day"
# "The Peabody Heritage"
# "The Gable Window"
# "The Ancestor"
# "The Shadow Out of Space"
# "The Lamp of Alhazred"
# "The Shuttered Room"
# "The Fisherman of Falcon Point"
# "Witches' Hollow"
# "The Shadow in the Attic"
# "The Dark Brotherhood"
# "The Horror from the Middle Span"
# "Innsmouth Clay"
# "The Watchers Out of Time"
Notes
The title story at the end of the book was left incomplete and unfinished at the time of Derleth's death.
References
Sources
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Watchers Out of Time and Others, The
1974 short story collections
Horror short story collections
Arkham House books