The Appendix N Podcast - Episode 36 - “The Return of Hastur,” “Ithaqua,” and “Beyond the Threshold” by August Derleth

Summary: <div class="">August Derleth is a controversial figure in the world of the Cthulhu Mythos. He was the first to push for publication of Lovecraft’s work after his death, but his own writing didn’t quite live up to that of the Master. What do Great Old Ones have in common with Elemental Evil? Find out as we discuss three noteworthy stories.</div> <br> <div class=""> </div> <br> <div class=""> <br> <div class=""><a class="" title="This external link will open in a new window" href="http://www.nobleknight.com/" target="_blank">www.nobleknight.com</a></div> <br> <div class=""> </div> <br> <div class=""> <br> <div class=""> <br> <div class=""> <br> <div class=""> <br> <div class=""> <br> <div class=""> <br> <div class=""> <br> <div class="">August William Derleth</div> <br> <div class="">born February 24, 1909 in Sauk City, WI; died July 4, 1971</div> <br> <div class="">Best remembered as the first book publisher of the writings of H. P. Lovecraft; contributed to the Cthulhu Mythos; founded Arkham House in 1939 with his friend Donald Wandrei, which did much to bring supernatural fiction into print in the US that had only been readily available in the UK</div> <br> <div class="">1938 Guggenheim Fellow</div> <br> <div class="">Derleth considered his most serious work to be the <em class="">Sac Prairie Saga</em>, about life in Wisconsin as he knew it</div> <br> <div class="">He was a pioneering naturalist and conservationist</div> <br> <div class=""> </div> <br> <div class="">Derleth had been a correspondent and friend of Lovecraft since his teenage years</div> <br> <div class="">after Lovecraft’s death, Derleth founded Arkham House to publish Lovecraft’s work</div> <br> <div class="">first book was <em class="">The Outsider and Others</em>, 1939</div> <br> <div class="">Derleth invented the term “Cthulhu Mythos” (Lovecraft preferred “Yog-Sothery”)</div> <br> <div class="">wrote a number of stories based on fragments in which he was a “posthumous collaborator”</div> <br> <div class="">depicted Lovecraft’s universe as more hopeful, reflecting his Christian views</div> <br> <div class="">treated Old Ones as elemental forces</div> <br> <div class=""> </div> <br> <div class="">“The Return of Hastur”</div> <br> <div class="">first appeared in <em class="">Weird Tales,</em> March 1939</div> <br> <div class=""> </div> <br> <div class="">“Ithaqua”</div> <br> <div class="">first appeared in <em class="">Strange Stories</em>, February 1941</div> <br> <div class=""> </div> <br> <div class="">“Beyond the Threshold”</div> <br> <div class="">first appeared in <em class="">Weird Tales</em>, September 1941</div> <br> </div> <br> <div class=""> </div> <br> </div> <br> </div> <br> </div> <br> <div class="">My guest:</div> <br> </div> <br> </div> <br> <div class=""> <br> <div class="">Louis Brenton</div> <br> <div class=""> <br> <div class="">twitter - @revlouisbrenton</div> <br> <div class="">website - <a class="" title="This external link will open in a new window" href="http://louisbrenton.com/" target="_blank">louisbrenton.com</a> </div> <br> </div> <br> <div class=""> </div> <br> </div> <br> <div class="">Co-hosts:</div> <br> <div class="">Jeffrey Wikstrom</div> <br> <div class=""><span class="">website - <a class="" title="This external link will open in a new window" href="http://jeffwik.com/" target="_blank">jeffwik.com</a></span></div> <br> <div class=""><span class="">email - <a class="" title="This external link will open in a new window" href="https://box367.bluehost.com:2096/cpsess352909371/3rdparty/squirrelmail/src/compose.php?send_to=jeffwik@gmail.com" target="_blank">jeffwik@gmail.com</a></span></div> <br> <div class=""> </div> <br> <div class="">Geoffrey Winn</div> <br> </div> </div>