Arkham House : The first 20 years

In Short

This book is a retrospective history and annotated bibliography of Arkham House, an independent publisher founded in 1937 to rescue the writings of H. P. Lovecraft from obscurity. Spanning two decades, the account details the precarious financial realities, editorial struggles, and eventual expansion of the house into science fiction and fantasy. It serves as both a memoir of a literary mission and a comprehensive catalog of a specialized imprint that forever changed how fans and scholars interact with supernatural fiction, documenting the persistence required to build a cultural legacy.

The Story

The narrative arc begins in the marshes outside Sauk City, Wisconsin, shortly after the death of Howard Phillips Lovecraft in 1937. The author, having received word of the loss, sits by a railroad trestle and conceives of a project to collect and publish Lovecraft’s best work. This ambition meets immediate, harsh resistance from major New York publishers like Scribner’s and Simon & Schuster. These firms view the project as financially prohibitive due to the public's resistance to short-story collections and the perceived obscurity of the author. Undeterred, the founder joins forces with Donald Wandrei, pooling personal funds—and occasionally dipping into personal income from other writing—to print The Outsider and Others.

The struggle for survival defines the early years. With only 150 prepaid orders, the house operates on the margins, often horrifying local bankers. Yet, the enthusiasm of the readers provides a faint, steady pulse. In 1941, the founder undergoes a period of "soul-searching" before taking the advice of his Scribner's contact to publish his own collection, Someone in the Dark, under the Arkham House imprint. This pivot proves crucial, keeping the brand alive while further Lovecraft works are prepared.

As the war years pass, the venture finds its footing. The house begins publishing other members of the Lovecraft circle, such as Clark Ashton Smith and Frank Belknap Long, and even branches out into British imports and science fiction, notably A. E. Van Vogt’s Slan. By 1945, the operation has grown complex enough to launch two additional imprints: Mycroft & Moran, for "off-trail" detective stories, and Stanton & Lee, for reprints and cartoons.

However, the path is never smooth. The house faces internal challenges, such as Donald Wandrei’s induction into the U.S. Army, and external ones, such as the failure of the literary quarterly The Arkham Sampler due to rising production costs and a shifting market. By the late 1940s, the initial "crest of the wave" in fantasy interest begins to recede. The house adopts a strategy of "cautious, if predominantly optimistic conservatism" to avoid the fate of imitators who failed by lacking editorial guidance.

The history concludes with a forward-looking perspective, listing upcoming titles and summarizing the status of the first twenty years. The text serves as both a ledger of success and a frank admission of the books that could not be published due to cost or contractual disputes. It ends by codifying the house's output in a detailed bibliography, establishing a permanent map of a project that, against all expectations, succeeded in its aim to keep the weird and the wonderful in print.

How It Unfolds

The inception of an idea The narrative begins with the sudden death of a mentor, which prompts the founder to abandon a planned afternoon of reading Thoreau in favor of literary preservation. This moment serves as the catalyst for a decades-long commitment to rescuing manuscripts that major publishers had rejected as messy or unprofitable.

The struggle for solvency The middle section depicts the precarious nature of small-press publishing, where the founder must personally subsidize costs to keep the doors open. Readers gain insight into the specific pressures of the era, from the skepticism of local bankers to the difficulty of generating interest in a market that ignored specialized fantasy.

Expansion and diversification As the house gains stability, it branches into new genres and imprints, including detective fiction and juvenile works. This period represents a transition from a singular mission to a broader editorial vision that embraces a wide range of macabre and science-fiction voices.

The shift of the market The narrative addresses the late 1940s economic downturn and the oversaturation of the market by amateur imitators. The founder reflects on the necessity of editorial discipline and the decision to discontinue unprofitable ventures like their literary quarterly to protect the house’s future.

Consolidation and legacy The final movement provides a comprehensive bibliography and a list of projected titles. It leaves the reader with a sense of professional accomplishment, balancing a record of past achievements with a clear-eyed view of the house’s ongoing, disciplined, and optimistic path forward.

The People

August Derleth acts as the primary architect and narrator, driven by a deep sense of literary duty to his late friend. He is practical, occasionally weary, and fiercely protective of the house's editorial standards. Howard Phillips Lovecraft serves as the spiritual center of the narrative; though he is dead before the first book is printed, his perceived obscurity and the "dog-eared, hardly legible" state of his manuscripts provide the initial challenge that Derleth seeks to resolve. Donald Wandrei is the vital collaborator who insists that collecting only stories is insufficient, arguing that the letters and the full breadth of the author's work must be preserved. While Wandrei is eventually sidelined by military service, his intellectual partnership remains a cornerstone of the project’s scope. Together, these figures represent a tight-knit circle of writers who transformed their personal friendships into a durable, independent publishing institution.

In Its Own Voice

"Though it was not immediately foreseen, Arkham House had its inception in the death of Howard Phillips Lovecraft on March 15, 1937."

The opening line establishes the somber, personal origins of the publishing house.

"The book did not lack publicity; our venture was given generous space in the Publishers’ Weekly and other trade media, though it was so thoroughly ignored locally that even today, after two decades, not one in fifty persons in Sauk City and the area of the village could identify Arkham House if asked to do so by an outsider."

This observation highlights the disconnect between the house’s growing national reputation and its anonymity in its home town.

What It's Really About

The book is a study in the persistence of vision. It explores the tension between artistic value and commercial viability, arguing that some literature is too idiosyncratic or "bulky" for mass-market publishers but remains vital for a dedicated, if niche, audience. Underlying the bibliographical data is a profound question about the responsibility of a literary executor: how to balance the need for profit with the desire to canonize a friend's work. It serves as a case study in how a small, specialized house can survive by cultivating a community of readers rather than chasing the broadest possible audience.

Why Read It Today

Readers with an interest in the history of publishing, specifically the mid-century "small press" movement, will find this a fascinating, granular look at how a dream becomes a reality. It is a warm, honest account that avoids self-congratulation, choosing instead to focus on the grit required to move books from typewriter to shelf. You will feel the weight of every dollar spent and the frustration of every rejected manuscript.

While the book is rich in detail, it does not shy away from the realities of its time, such as the occasional exclusionary tone of the literary circles it describes or the rigid, sometimes dated views on "good" versus "bad" manuscripts. It is a slow, methodical read, best suited for those who appreciate the quiet, bibliographical rigor of a life’s work. What stays with you is the image of the founder sitting by a brook, deciding to take on the world of publishing alone, and the subsequent twenty years of work that proved just how much a small, dedicated team can achieve when they refuse to let a legacy fade.