Depending upon whom you ask, the collaborations and ghost writings of H.P. Lovecraft are either an underappreciated gem in the literary canon of American horror fiction, or an interesting, yet ultimately forgettable collection when compared to the main body of Lovecraft’s work. It is in this editor’s humble opinion that this body of work, while less known and not as appreciated as Lovecraft’s main canon, stands on its own, not as a lesser alternative or dismissive sub-body, but as a strong and equally as rich compendium that acts as an extension of the Lovecraftian world that is so revered.

The Call of Cthulhu, The Dunwich Horror, The Shadow over Innsmouth, At the Mountains of Madness, all have their counterparts in Lovecraft’s secondary body of material with Under the Pyramids, Bothon, Through the Gates of the Silver Key, The Horror in the Museum and The Mound all standing strong on their own against anything from Lovecraft’s primary material. But I would like to present the question, should comparisons be made? Do they even need to be made to begin with?

Lovecraft compilations abound in print and Ebook formats and it seems not a year can pass without a slew of them being published by publishers here, there and everywhere. What sets this compilation apart from the rest? To begin with the vast majority of them tend to focus on Lovecraft’s main body of work with ambitious publishers hoping to make a quick buck by cashing in on the more popular and well-known works in the Lovecraft canon. Often lovingly crafted with high quality paper and hardcovers, elaborately packaged in their presentation, they all ultimately amount to much the same thing. Since Lovecraft’s work now resides in the public domain, anyone with the will to do so can release a compilation of his works and draw an income from it.

This compilation focuses on his lesser known and far more scarce collaborations and ghost-written work, of which collections of are relatively few and far between, with a best of collection such as this being virtually non-existent. Wanting to increase exposure to Lovecraft’s secondary body of work that often goes overlooked and underappreciated I decided to compile this compilation of the best of his collaborations and ghost written work as a loving tribute to the material.

So with a will and a way, and a fledging publishing house to promote and provide material for, I took it upon myself to compile just such a collection and spent many hours researching the stories behind the content for facts, trivia and details to include that would add to the majesty of this overlooked and underappreciated body of work. Not content to just engage in my own hubris I dedicated hours of additional research to ensure a “best of” collection included just that, the best of Lovecraft’s secondary works. Research was conducted online to validate the popularity, reputation, ranking and significance of the works included to ensure they were indeed worthy of inclusion into this anthology.

Howard Phillips Lovecraft is incontestably a pioneer and master of modern horror. His work has inspired generations of writers for the past eighty years, and has a lasting cultural influence upon western civilisation. His unique narrative style, voice and universe combining elements of horror, science fiction and fantasy allowed him to create a vibrant and complex mythos that has stood the test of time well beyond his death, and has only increased in popularity and relevance. Known primarily for his main body of work, Lovecraft none the less compiled a significant number of collaborations and ghost writings for other writers in a lesser known body of work that often goes overlooked and underappreciated. The purpose of this anthology is to compile the best of these works into one cohesive volume that is a tribute and testimony to their brilliance.

Featured within this volume are the stories:

Under the Pyramids
The Curse of Yig
The Mound
The Man of Stone
The Horror in the Museum
Winged Death
Through the Gates of the Silver Key
Out of the Aeons
Till Aèthe Seas
The Disinterment
The Night Ocean
The Diary of Alonzo Typer
In the Walls of Eryx
Bothon