In relating the circumstances which have led to my confinement within this refuge for the demented, I am aware that my present position will create a natural doubt of the authenticity of my narrative.
According to biographical information, “The Tomb” was the very first short story that H.P. Lovecraft wrote as an adult after a nearly decade-long hiatus since the last story he wrote as a teenager. More likely than not, that simply means it was the first one he actually finished. Whatever the case, while composed at a previous date, it would not be published until after several of the author’s later stories. As to whether the opening sentence quoted above is actually the very first line of short story prose Lovecraft ever wrote can probably never be determined, but if that were the case, it is an auspicious commencement to a heralded career. While perhaps not to everybody’s taste, for a certain segment of the reading public, it would be difficult, indeed, to not pursue the story which begins in this way.
Of Herbert West, who was my friend in college and in after life, I can speak only with extreme terror.
For the casual acquaintance of Lovecraft (as opposed to full-scale devotee deeply steeped in the mythology of Cthulhu), Herbert West is likely the character most well-known as a result of the 1980’s cult film adaptation and its sequel. Though memorably portrayed by Jeffery Combs, the Herbert West of the film actually bears little resemblance to the character created by Lovecraft, but then the screenplay at best be termed a loose adaptation of the source material. Nevertheless, both the Herbert West created by Lovecraft and the version of the character played by Combs are both quite accurately described in this opening line which introduced him.
And in the end the burgesses passed that remarkable law which is told of by traders in Hatheg and discussed by travelers in Nir; namely, that in Ulthar no man may kill a cat.
This story which precedes this concluding line describes how it came to be that killing cats are outlawed in Ulthar. As a passionate lover of cats himself, this story that situates the sublime superiority of felines remained one of Lovecraft’s own personal favorites of all the stories he wrote. Whether because his fan base is comprised of similar cat lovers or lovers of fiction about cats, it ranks very highly with fans as well.
Vainly did I struggle with my drowsiness, seeking to connect these strange words with some lore of the skies which I had learnt from the Pnakotic manuscripts.
The more committed devotee of Lovecraftian fiction whose knowledge seeps down well past the Re-Animator is drawn to read the entire body of the author’s work in part because of an overarching mythology that connects tales to each other across time and space. A vital element of that mythology are recurring references to fictional volumes of lost and forgotten lore. “Polaris” holds a distinctive place within the literature of Lovecraft for being the first story to introduce one of these volumes: the Pnakotic manuscripts. Aside from what is by far the most famous of these books—the Necronomicon—the Pnakotic manuscripts is referenced in more of his stories than any other, nearly twenty aside from "Polaris."
There in the ancient Gothic doorway stood a human figure. It was that of a man clad in a skull-cap and long mediaeval tunic of dark colour. His long hair and flowing beard were of a terrible and intense black hue, and of incredible profusion.
“The Alchemist” was written by a teenage Lovecraft and published in what might be termed a forerunner of the indie ‘zine movement. The United Amateur was published in association with The United Amateur Press Association of America and in addition to being a contributor, Lovecraft was also editor. Though the work of a young, immature talent, all the elements that would coalesce to make Lovecraft a giant in his field can be found on display in this early story.
