To Worlds Unknown - Clark Ashton Smith

The joint correspondence of four titans of the Lovecraft Circle sheds fascinating light on the complex interplay of the personal and professional lives of these writers, artists, editors, and collectors. R. H. Barlow initiated much of the correspondence, seeking to preserve manuscripts and other material in what he called the "Vaults of Yoh-Vombis." Barlow discussed plans to publish a variety of Smith's poetry, but these ultimately came to nothing. Similarly, he wished to issue a volume of Howard Wandrei's weird artwork, but Howard's brother put an end to the idea.

H. P. Lovecraft is a focal point of discussion in all the correspondence. Donald Wandrei developed an enmity to Barlow, in part because Wandrei falsely believed that Barlow had stolen Lovecraft's books and manuscripts, even though he had been declared Lovecraft's literary executor. When Wandrei was helping August Derleth found Arkham House, he urged Derleth, Smith, and others to shun Barlow, with the result that Barlow was essentially driven out of the field.

This volume presents an invaluable glimpse into the world of weird and pulp fiction in the 1930s and 1940s, as each writer displays the distinctive traits that have made him a renowned figure in the genre. The correspondence has been meticulously edited and exhaustively annotated by David E. Schultz and S. T. Joshi, two leading authorities in Lovecraft scholarship.