Lovecraft, H. P. (Howard Phillips Lovecraft), 1890–1937, American writer, b. Providence, R.I. A master of Gothic horror, fantasy, and science fiction of a most rococo variety, he is particularly noted for his many nightmarish short stories. Most of these are set in his native New England and many originally appeared in Weird Tales and other pulp magazines. Some of his best-known tales are part of the Cthulhu Mythos series written c.1925–35, in which he invents an entire mythology of earthly origins, gods, and hideous otherworldly creatures. His stories have been included in a wide variety of collections; among his novels are The Case of Charles Dexter Ward (1928) and At the Mountains of Madness (1931).
See P. Straub, ed., H. P. Lovecraft: Tales (2005); A. Derleth et al., ed., Selected Letters (5 vol., 1968–98); biographies by L. Sprague de Camp (1975), F. B. Long (1975), and S. T. Joshi (1982, repr. 2004).
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