Current Events & Trends | September 2021 | Rebecca Rego Barry

Lovecraft Manuscript Goes to Auction

Courtesy of Heritage Auctions, HA.com

You read that right, Lovecraft fans! Coming to auction on October 14 is a 16-leaf autographed manuscript of H. P. Lovecraft’s short story, “Pickman’s Model.” The story was published in the October 1927 issue of Weird Tales.

As an added bonus, the entire manuscript is written on the verso of typed correspondence with Lovecraft's colleagues, including James F. Morton, August Derleth, W. Paul Cook, and Victor E. Bacon. (The author tended to reuse old letters this way.) It is likely a later draft, according to Heritage Auctions, dating to sometime in 1926 and closely matching the typescript with final edits held in Brown University Library’s Lovecraft collection.

Courtesy of Heritage Auctions, HA.com

Currently bid to $5,500 and expected to go much higher, the manuscript comes from the private collection of the late Gary Munson, a dedicated collector of genre fiction. Other highlights include a nicely bound first edition of Frankenstein, the first appearance of Tarzan, and a first edition (in dust jacket) of The Hobbit.

“Offerings from Mr. Munson’s collection will appeal to a broad range of genre and literature collectors looking to add premium pieces to their collection,” said James Gannon, director of rare books at Heritage Auctions. “The iconic nature of many titles will be coveted by high-spot collectors looking for pride of place pieces.”

For more on this impressive collection, read on.

Courtesy of Open Book Chocolates

In related news, Open Book Chocolates, purveyors of handmade, literary-themed chocolates, has announced a Lovecraft-inspired dark chocolate bar infused with Nori seaweed, ginger spice, and candied ginger. It’s called ‘The Call of Cthulhu,’ and a Kickstarter campaign is underway to launch this new flavor into the world. They’ve already met their funding goal, but potential backers can still get in on the action through October 12.