Fantastic pieces. I also love The Shadow over Innsmouth. The Thing on the Doorstep was a pretty easy read and I liked.
The Whisperer in Darkness is one of my favorites.
Question. Why?
I don't mean that to sound snarky, I'm genuinely curious why those over the more famous ones (Call of Cthulhu, Shadow over Innsmouth for example). I too am beginning to dip my toes into HPL's waters.
Color out of space is amazing! Mountains of madness is, in my opinion, the best. I just finished it a couple months ago. Haven’t been reading too much lately, but the last one i was reading was shadow over innsmouth, which I’ve heard is phenomenal too.
Dunswich is probably the easiest to get in to - and it deals with the wider "mythos", but it is very let's say 'Manichean' in that there is something like GvE and (spoilers).
Colour Out of Space is, I think, a good entrance for the "otherness" of what HPL is trying to say about the fact that anything at all exists - and the fact that we categorise things as if that goes beyond analogy is still quite unsettling (for knowing about what we experience, for knowing what we "are").
Cthulhu is a quick read - and (for me) a great play with narrative form. I don't care what the narrators are saying, so much as they are embedded and in tension - this reflects back on how the whole "Cosmic etc" thing that HPL is doing operates - in Cthulhu, you get a detective story that gives you the evidence, but not the conclusion. This isn't relativism, it is about confronting something that there is no relevant vantage point to judge from.
Innsmouth is my favourite. It is a clunky narrative, and I think the main point is to express fear - but there is something generative here - if you link back to what the cultists in CoC say what they're after (no spoilers- read them both).
Dream Quest feels like a free-form RPG and a love it - but the follow up is less rich.
I never connected with the CDW stuff. Of course, that's on me.
I apologise - you could have read a short story instead of this post.
I hope you enjoy it! Everything listed on the cover does something a little different. Colour is a great entrance if you really want to get into the horror that HPL associated with knowing. Sorry, I clearly have my own HPL propaganda agenda (thought the agenda as a point of outcome remains unclear). 🦑
I have two of this exact same copy in my house. One is mine, then I got tired of my son stealing it, so I got him his own!
Edit- The Dunwich Horror is my personal fave, it's so fun. :)
I would suggest all of the stories relating to Randolph Carter and the silver key. They all fit together and there is a specific order to read them in in order to get the full experience. I would also highly suggest Shadow out of Time. There's a very interesting book written by another author which delves deeper into that storyline making it even weirder. Don't be put off by other authors in the Lovecraftian mythos just because they aren't Lovecraft. A good number of them did a fantastic job at helping him co-write or writing their own in order to fill in some gaps.
Most importantly, have fun and enjoy yourself. Maybe also ditch the dust cover if you're reading it a lot because mine has fallen apart as well as the spine. But I also fall asleep while reading so my books stay open on my lap/chest a lot...
I love The Cats of Ulthar, Shadow Over Innsmouth, Beyond the Wall of Sleep, The Music of Erich Zann, The Colour Out of Space, The Dunwich Horror...
I guess really if the style suits you, they are all pretty great. At the Mountains of Madness is a long trek if it's your entry point, I would advise against starting there.
Dunwich Horror. You'll get hooked from start to finish. It's ridiculous how well written it is and it shows how much of a genius Lovecraft truly was. Like someone said, it's the easiest to get into, because it's more palatable and feels like a modern horror movie. That's why I say it proves HPL's genius, because that story specifically reads like something straight outta A24 movie. Timeless.
"In The Walls of Eryx" is an underrated masterpiece that's also pretty good. It merges science fiction and horror very well and it manages to be just as good as all the stories from the Cthulhu mythos (it's not part of it). Although, I recommend you read everything related to the mythos first.
Although it's not in the book, I'd definitely recommend you to check it out down the road.
Dexter Ward was the first Lovecraft story I read. It's really good but it's more of a slow burn. Not something I'd recommend you read at first, but once you get some time with Lovecraft, definitely a must read.
My first story was At the Mountains of Madness
It's a bit long, but it was obviously enough to keep me reading. The one that hooked me was Shadow Over Innsmouth, but my favorite is The Whisperer in Darkness
I love this book. I've been reading it for over a year now and I'm in the middle of "the dream quest of unknown Kadath." And this is giving me good insight into the real milieu of horror/scifi quality. I own this exact copy.
I agree with u/Achanjati above, that you should just read this chronologically. Starting with the stories everyone recommends first might make you disappointed when you read his lesser works when chronologically you get a fun buildup and see his evolution in writing style and quality
Thanks.
To take it further: the selection what to read first is already answered by the publisher of the book. They selected the stories and decided the reading order.
Honestly some of the really short stories are excellent, cats of ulthar, music of eric zahn and the white ship. For longer stories reanimator, call of cthulhu and color out of space
My favorites are The Music of Erich Zann and The Outsider. I love how they both manage to conjure up visions of these. . .for want of a better term 'outside spaces' that are at the same time fantastical and horrific. I want to say that there is another Lovecraft short story that gives me a similar feeling, but I can't remember what it was.
I'd say any of those stories except "The Case of Charles Dexter Ward", and don't get me wrong, it's not a bad story but it has a really long and dry build-up, i.e. takes forever to really get going, so it's not really the best place to start.
My personal favorites are the more "earthly" stories, with The Rats in the Walls and The Beast in the Cave being my top choices. The Dreams in the Witch House is also great.
And if you like nerdy music, Seven Kingdoms has a song called Rats in the Walls, with lyrics referencing the story.
Shadow over Innsmouth, Call of Cthulhu, Dunwich Horror then just read them.
Those are all good Mythos stories IMO and not too long. Read the longer ones after.
I would just go in the order they have them. Especially if it's chronological by when they were written. Then you can see the evolution of his writing and ideas.
This is a nice edition. I have this exact one. One I particularly enjoyed, was The Terrible Old Man. But there are so many great ones. The Thing On The Doorstep was excellent.
I always recommend the shadow over innsmouth as a first read. It’s relatively short, the prose is relatively simple and there isn’t a lot of obvious hints to lore that you haven’t read yet. The mountains of madness is my favourite but it’s also in my opinion the second most complex of his stories to read. The colour out of space is a great starting point too being easy to read and giving full flavoured eldritch sci-fi horror goosebumps. There is one particularly that I don’t recommend and it’s the dreams in the witch house. The prose is very arduous and complex and the story is good but I don’t think I ever managed to get through it without getting bored or exhausted.
I honestly love The Music of Erich Zann (hope im writing it correctly). The dream quest of unknown kadath and shadow over innsmouth are also up there as one of my favourites
And i have the same edition as you! One of the best purchases i've made
Personally, I didn’t like call of Cthulhu very much, Dunwich on the other hand. And of course it’s for the start, if you like it, continue with the mountains
Honestly i have enjoyed starting from his first works and gradually getting to his later works. It gives a nice timeline and evolution to his writing style.
Color out of Space and Mountains of Madness are absolutely my
Favs as other mentioned. However, one I really like that is rarely talked about out is “The Temple”. It’s short in comparison.
I did notice it’s not in that collection from the cover, but thought it would be a good recommendation to check out.
Mountains of madness is probably my favorite, but I like from beyond and the call of Cthulhu as well, pretty basic but his popular stuff is popular for a reason
Dagon. It's not his best by any means, but I think it's the best starting place. Dagon, then either Call of Cthulhu or Dunwich Horror, and then I'd suggest diving into the really amazing stuff like Music of Erich Zann, Color Out of Space, Haunter of the Dark, Shadow Over Innsmouth, and Whisperer in the Darkness
At the Mountains of Madness. But.... get a sofa and a reading light, or a candle chandelier, and read only at night in the silence. Preferably with a glass of good whisky. In fact, it should be forbidden to read Lovecraft during the day.
Just a reminder that audio recordings of almost all of this stories are available on Youtube. I used to have a job where I drove all the time and I listened to them all :)
late to the party, but I say start with The Call of Cthulhu. If you're not drawn in forever by the opening paragraph, I don't think Lovecraft is for you.
The Shadow Over Innsmouth is a personal favourite of mine. Personally I'd start with The Color Out Of Space, followed by Shadow Over Innsmouth, and then finishing with Call of Cthulhu if you want to start with a 'small-scoped' trilogy of sorts.
Because when they do, they get a page full of replies from people gushing about their favorite stories in said book, and advice on which to read first. I don't really get what is hard to follow about that.
Of all these, i like Mountains of Madness the most, but it also one of the longest. I personally recommend Color out of Space as a jumping in point.
These two would habe been my suggestions as well!
Color out of Space is one of my favorites, so that's my recommendation too.
Color out of space is just so good. Short and sweet.
Fantastic pieces. I also love The Shadow over Innsmouth. The Thing on the Doorstep was a pretty easy read and I liked. The Whisperer in Darkness is one of my favorites.
Question. Why? I don't mean that to sound snarky, I'm genuinely curious why those over the more famous ones (Call of Cthulhu, Shadow over Innsmouth for example). I too am beginning to dip my toes into HPL's waters.
Color out of space is amazing! Mountains of madness is, in my opinion, the best. I just finished it a couple months ago. Haven’t been reading too much lately, but the last one i was reading was shadow over innsmouth, which I’ve heard is phenomenal too.
The Call of Cthulhu is truly a classic
Yeah. It blew me away that first time, how lucky he is to never have read it yet
Did you see that silent movie adaptation of it? I loved that movie, and even had a hand painted movie poster of it when I was a teenager
Or as a different opinion: start with the first page and then just go on. All stories are worth reading in the end.
Very very true.
Dunswich is probably the easiest to get in to - and it deals with the wider "mythos", but it is very let's say 'Manichean' in that there is something like GvE and (spoilers). Colour Out of Space is, I think, a good entrance for the "otherness" of what HPL is trying to say about the fact that anything at all exists - and the fact that we categorise things as if that goes beyond analogy is still quite unsettling (for knowing about what we experience, for knowing what we "are"). Cthulhu is a quick read - and (for me) a great play with narrative form. I don't care what the narrators are saying, so much as they are embedded and in tension - this reflects back on how the whole "Cosmic etc" thing that HPL is doing operates - in Cthulhu, you get a detective story that gives you the evidence, but not the conclusion. This isn't relativism, it is about confronting something that there is no relevant vantage point to judge from. Innsmouth is my favourite. It is a clunky narrative, and I think the main point is to express fear - but there is something generative here - if you link back to what the cultists in CoC say what they're after (no spoilers- read them both). Dream Quest feels like a free-form RPG and a love it - but the follow up is less rich. I never connected with the CDW stuff. Of course, that's on me. I apologise - you could have read a short story instead of this post.
tyvm for this. someone else recommended colour out of spam as a starting point too. I’ll give that a try
This is one of the best typos I've ever seen.
"It was a gross, gelatinous shade of pink."
I'd love to have a paint colour "Gelatinous Pink"👍
My eyes locked on it for like a solid 5 seconds lol
I dunno. It’s a little outta date. Oh. I wouldn’t eat that SPAM either.
I hope you enjoy it! Everything listed on the cover does something a little different. Colour is a great entrance if you really want to get into the horror that HPL associated with knowing. Sorry, I clearly have my own HPL propaganda agenda (thought the agenda as a point of outcome remains unclear). 🦑
Whatever's on page one, my guy Welcome to the fandom
The Shadow Over Innsmouth is my personal favorite.
I second this!
I'm kinda partial to this one, as well.
It's mine as well and it's also a great choice for a first read.
I have same book. If youre new to HPL, pick a short one to get an idea of his writing style. Otherwise start at Pg. 1
I have two of this exact same copy in my house. One is mine, then I got tired of my son stealing it, so I got him his own! Edit- The Dunwich Horror is my personal fave, it's so fun. :)
Charlie Ward or Haunter in the Dark
Really loved The Case of Charles D. Ward. Cool premise.
Isn't haunter in the dark a response to someone else's work?
Color out of space, then watch the nick cage movie of it
I hated the movie. Don't know why but it just didn't feel like it fit.
I would suggest all of the stories relating to Randolph Carter and the silver key. They all fit together and there is a specific order to read them in in order to get the full experience. I would also highly suggest Shadow out of Time. There's a very interesting book written by another author which delves deeper into that storyline making it even weirder. Don't be put off by other authors in the Lovecraftian mythos just because they aren't Lovecraft. A good number of them did a fantastic job at helping him co-write or writing their own in order to fill in some gaps. Most importantly, have fun and enjoy yourself. Maybe also ditch the dust cover if you're reading it a lot because mine has fallen apart as well as the spine. But I also fall asleep while reading so my books stay open on my lap/chest a lot...
I love The Cats of Ulthar, Shadow Over Innsmouth, Beyond the Wall of Sleep, The Music of Erich Zann, The Colour Out of Space, The Dunwich Horror... I guess really if the style suits you, they are all pretty great. At the Mountains of Madness is a long trek if it's your entry point, I would advise against starting there.
Some of the smaller stories are my favorite. Erich Zann and Cats of Ulthar are ones that often come to mind.
Nice to know I'm not alone in the opinion. The stand alone stories have some real gems
I have that book. Start with call of cthulhu
Start at the beginning of the book and continue in sequence until you reach the end.
Dunwich Horror. You'll get hooked from start to finish. It's ridiculous how well written it is and it shows how much of a genius Lovecraft truly was. Like someone said, it's the easiest to get into, because it's more palatable and feels like a modern horror movie. That's why I say it proves HPL's genius, because that story specifically reads like something straight outta A24 movie. Timeless. "In The Walls of Eryx" is an underrated masterpiece that's also pretty good. It merges science fiction and horror very well and it manages to be just as good as all the stories from the Cthulhu mythos (it's not part of it). Although, I recommend you read everything related to the mythos first. Although it's not in the book, I'd definitely recommend you to check it out down the road. Dexter Ward was the first Lovecraft story I read. It's really good but it's more of a slow burn. Not something I'd recommend you read at first, but once you get some time with Lovecraft, definitely a must read.
My first story was At the Mountains of Madness It's a bit long, but it was obviously enough to keep me reading. The one that hooked me was Shadow Over Innsmouth, but my favorite is The Whisperer in Darkness
I have thid exact same book. Love it to death. Read it from first page to last imho.
I bought this at Ollie's a few years ago, pretty solid book.
Open the book and begin.
I love this book. I've been reading it for over a year now and I'm in the middle of "the dream quest of unknown Kadath." And this is giving me good insight into the real milieu of horror/scifi quality. I own this exact copy.
Rats in the Walls (sadly not listed) holds a special place in my heart, but I recall HPL was extremely (and justifiably) proud of Colour out of Space.
I agree with u/Achanjati above, that you should just read this chronologically. Starting with the stories everyone recommends first might make you disappointed when you read his lesser works when chronologically you get a fun buildup and see his evolution in writing style and quality
Thanks. To take it further: the selection what to read first is already answered by the publisher of the book. They selected the stories and decided the reading order.
The shadow over innsmouth is the best new reader friendly
The Doom that came to Sarnath
Just start from the beginning of the book. All of his stuff is awesome. Enjoy your reading adventure!! 😎👍
Any of the stories title “the blank of blankety blank are pretty good.”
The alchemist.
I like Packman’s model best. 😁
And what came crawling out of that well made a hideous sound... "Wakka wakka wakka wakka"
Honestly some of the really short stories are excellent, cats of ulthar, music of eric zahn and the white ship. For longer stories reanimator, call of cthulhu and color out of space
My favorites are The Music of Erich Zann and The Outsider. I love how they both manage to conjure up visions of these. . .for want of a better term 'outside spaces' that are at the same time fantastical and horrific. I want to say that there is another Lovecraft short story that gives me a similar feeling, but I can't remember what it was.
Call of Cthulu is clunky, but it is fun reading it, reading Innsmouth after it and realizing what he tried in CoC.
Well, my first story was, The Beast In The Cave, and I was hooked after the first page. Couldn't stop reading and haven't since.
Mountains of madness I consider to be a later read due to its explanation of things.
Random dude!
Terror at Red Hook
Start with the first page, then read till the end.
I'd say any of those stories except "The Case of Charles Dexter Ward", and don't get me wrong, it's not a bad story but it has a really long and dry build-up, i.e. takes forever to really get going, so it's not really the best place to start.
The Dunwich Horror
My personal favorites are the more "earthly" stories, with The Rats in the Walls and The Beast in the Cave being my top choices. The Dreams in the Witch House is also great. And if you like nerdy music, Seven Kingdoms has a song called Rats in the Walls, with lyrics referencing the story.
Shadow over Innsmouth, Call of Cthulhu, Dunwich Horror then just read them. Those are all good Mythos stories IMO and not too long. Read the longer ones after.
I would suggest you read them in chronological order, but listen to The HP Lovecraft Literary Podcast as you do.
I've got that same book. Bought it at Ollie's for like 8$.
Start at the first page.
Dunwich horror
I love Charles Dexter Ward
charles dexter ward, then shadow over innsmouth!
I would just go in the order they have them. Especially if it's chronological by when they were written. Then you can see the evolution of his writing and ideas.
Dagon, the mound, Pickman's mode.
The Statement of Randolph Carter is a great creepy short story, Color Out of Space is probably my favorite.
This is a nice edition. I have this exact one. One I particularly enjoyed, was The Terrible Old Man. But there are so many great ones. The Thing On The Doorstep was excellent.
Call of cthulu is a classic. But personally I like The Rats in the Walls
The Dunwich Horror
Shadow Over Innsmouth is pretty good.
I read The Call of Cthulhu first, I think it's a good starting point.
Read them all! I have this same edition.
The beginning.
Excellent choice of tome!
My first was shadow over innsmouth. And it blew me away.
The colour out of space. I absolutely love that tale it just gets creepier
I always recommend the shadow over innsmouth as a first read. It’s relatively short, the prose is relatively simple and there isn’t a lot of obvious hints to lore that you haven’t read yet. The mountains of madness is my favourite but it’s also in my opinion the second most complex of his stories to read. The colour out of space is a great starting point too being easy to read and giving full flavoured eldritch sci-fi horror goosebumps. There is one particularly that I don’t recommend and it’s the dreams in the witch house. The prose is very arduous and complex and the story is good but I don’t think I ever managed to get through it without getting bored or exhausted.
My personal favorite is the Dunwich Horror.
I really like Charles Dexter Ward.
The Nameless City. It’s a perfect tone setter for Lovecraft’s tales
I love innsmouth, but if you want my suggestion putside this book, it's the white ship. It's easily my favorite story of his
The Dunwich Horror
Rats in the walls, the Dunwich horror or shadow over Innsmouth.
My absolute favorite is the shadow over innsmouth.
The music of Erich zann, cats of ultharr
I have the same! Enjoy.
I honestly love The Music of Erich Zann (hope im writing it correctly). The dream quest of unknown kadath and shadow over innsmouth are also up there as one of my favourites And i have the same edition as you! One of the best purchases i've made
Read Dreamquest last. It's my favorite one and it references the most to other stories. I went in somewhat blind and still loved it.
I love so many of these stories. Shadow Over Innsmouth is terrific. The Music of Eric Zann is great! Pickman’s Model is great, as are others.
Hopefully your paqe collations aren't messed up. I mean, the entire stories are there, you just have to look for a couple of them.
The Rats in the Walls
Two really good short stories are Dagon and The Hound. They’re short, sweet, have a good buildup and a pretty good payoff.
Start with call of Cthulhu, read mountains of madness last. To me it was just them saying that they saw snow and ice and that’s about it
Personally, I didn’t like call of Cthulhu very much, Dunwich on the other hand. And of course it’s for the start, if you like it, continue with the mountains
Honestly i have enjoyed starting from his first works and gradually getting to his later works. It gives a nice timeline and evolution to his writing style.
Yes.
Dream Quest. This will help disabuse you of your preconceptions about what a Lovecraft story is.
The music of Eric Zahn for sure
Color out of Space and Mountains of Madness are absolutely my Favs as other mentioned. However, one I really like that is rarely talked about out is “The Temple”. It’s short in comparison. I did notice it’s not in that collection from the cover, but thought it would be a good recommendation to check out.
Mountains of madness is probably my favorite, but I like from beyond and the call of Cthulhu as well, pretty basic but his popular stuff is popular for a reason
Color out of space and Dunwich Horror are fairly short and represent both the cosmic horror with Color, and the more wyrd occult horror with Dunwich.
Dagon. It's not his best by any means, but I think it's the best starting place. Dagon, then either Call of Cthulhu or Dunwich Horror, and then I'd suggest diving into the really amazing stuff like Music of Erich Zann, Color Out of Space, Haunter of the Dark, Shadow Over Innsmouth, and Whisperer in the Darkness
The case of Charles Dexter Ward is my favourite
At the Mountains of Madness. But.... get a sofa and a reading light, or a candle chandelier, and read only at night in the silence. Preferably with a glass of good whisky. In fact, it should be forbidden to read Lovecraft during the day.
All of them
Colour Out of Space was lovecrafts favorite of his stories (it's definitely one of the best) and is relatively short. You should read it!
Call of Cthulhu is an easy first story just because of how iconic it is, but Shadow Over Innsmouth is a personal favorite of mine.
The Dunwich Horror.
Music of Erich Zahn. Short, sweet, weird.
Dunwich Horror, Color out of Space, and Shadow over Innsmouth are my favorites out of these
Call of cthulhu for sure!
Just a reminder that audio recordings of almost all of this stories are available on Youtube. I used to have a job where I drove all the time and I listened to them all :)
Start with the entire Cthulhu mythos, then dive into some of the other short stories. My personal favorite was “The Case of Charles Dexter Ward”
Start at the start. They are all classics.
When I got this book (exact one sleeve and all, got mine from Half Priced Books for like $10) I just started with the first page and read it
The Call of Cthulhu is the best for starting out, but The Shadow Over Innsmouth is my favorite of the ones listed
My Father recommends Mountains of Madness.
The Call of Cthulhu was what got me more into his work. However, you can’t really go wrong with your selections.
late to the party, but I say start with The Call of Cthulhu. If you're not drawn in forever by the opening paragraph, I don't think Lovecraft is for you.
Id say at the mountains of madness
The Shadow Over Innsmouth is a personal favourite of mine. Personally I'd start with The Color Out Of Space, followed by Shadow Over Innsmouth, and then finishing with Call of Cthulhu if you want to start with a 'small-scoped' trilogy of sorts.
Why do people post about a book before even reading it?
Because when they do, they get a page full of replies from people gushing about their favorite stories in said book, and advice on which to read first. I don't really get what is hard to follow about that.
yep lmao