Letters to Alfred Galpin

Alfred Galpin (1901-1983) was among H. P. Lovecraft’s most brilliant and stimulating a youthful prodigy, he had already become so knowledgeable in literature and philosophy that by 1921 Lovecraft “He is intellectually exactly like me save in degree. In degree he is immensely my superior—-he is what I should like to be but have not brains enough to be.” In this volume, Lovecraft’s fascinating letters to his friend are collected for the first time, with footnotes and detailed commentary by the editors. Also included are the surviving letters to the Gallomo, a round-robin correspondence cycle including Galpin, Lovecraft, and Maurice W. Moe. In these letters we find fascinating accounts of Lovecraft’s dreams, remarks on the inspirations for his early horror tales, and further details on amateur journalism controversies. Lengthy letters written jointly to Galpin and Frank Belknap Long relate his travels along the eastern seaboard. As an appendix, a substantial amount of Galpin’s own writings—-some never-before published—-are included, shedding further light on the Lovecraft-Galpin relationship.