The Shadow Over Innsmouth
H.P. Lovecraft. Everett, Pennsylvania: Visionary Publishing Co., 1936.
Original black cloth, front and spine panels stamped in silver.. Spine panel a bit creased at spine ends, else a fine copy in very. good pictorial dust jacket with shelf wear and slight loss at spine. ends and corners, several short tears at upper edges of spine and. front panels with internal tape mend, and general dust soiling to. front, spine and rear panels.
A superior copy of this book with. distinguished provenance. (#114482). First edition. A highly important presentation copy with a signed inscription by Lovecraft to August Derleth on the front free endpaper: “To Auguste- Guillaume, Comte d’Erlette, / whose encouraging opinion of this / tale is responsible for its present / appearance in (mis) print. / A reasonably corrected copy, with / the grateful compliments of the / perpetrator — / H. P. Lovecraft / Christmas, MDCCCCXXXVI.”
Lovecraft’s first published book, preceded by THE SHUNNED HOUSE (1928) that was printed, but not circulated beyond a tiny circle of Lovecraft’s friends. Publisher William H. Crawford has stated that approximately 400 copies were printed, of which about 200 were bound, the remainder destroyed at a later date. Binding and typography were dreadful and a handful of the earliest copies had corrections in Lovecraft’s hand. This copy has a dozen or so corrections by Lovecraft, including a line of missing text handwritten on page 72.
