"Arkham House : The first 20 years; 1939-1959 by August Derleth" is a publishing history and annotated bibliography written in the mid-20th century. The book traces the origins and development of Arkham House and its role in preserving and promoting weird fiction, especially the legacy of H. P. Lovecraft. The narrative begins with Lovecraft’s death inspiring the decision to collect and publish his work after mainstream publishers declined, leading to the founding of Arkham House, early financing by advance orders and personal funds, and the slow but decisive success of the inaugural omnibus. It then charts the press’s expansion into macabre, fantasy, and science fiction, the creation of allied imprints for detective pastiches and other specialties, the import of key British authors, and the practical lessons learned about print runs, pricing, design, and production. It records wartime constraints, a postwar surge followed by market saturation and rising costs, the shift from direct mail to trade distribution, attempts like The Arkham Sampler and joint ventures, as well as cancellations and titles released elsewhere. The heart of the book is a meticulous bibliography detailing each title’s contents, pricing, and print run, plus addenda noting non-house items the press stocked and a roster of out-of-print titles at the close of the covered period. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
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