By now you should have figured out that book collectors are insane. If not, what I paid for the following item should convince you:
Lovecraft, H. P. Envelope Addressed to Robert Barlow, with Lovecraft’s return address on the back, in Lovecraft’s own handwriting. Postmarked December 4, 1931.
Barlow was a longtime correspondent of Lovecraft’s. The envelope itself bears the return address for another Lovecraft associate, bookseller George W. Kirk, a fellow member of the “Kalem Club,” a group of close friends from the time he lived in New York City from 1924-1927.
Bought for $328 off eBay.
Pretty much all books Lovecraft signed in his lifetime, as well as letters, postcards, etc., have commas in the price. This struck me as a way I could afford a Lovecraft signature.
Now I just need those James Tiptree, Jr. and Thomas Pynchon signatures…
Tags: Books, Cthulhu, H. P. Lovecraft, Horror, R. H. Barlow, signatures
Dear Lawrence,
I am fairly sure I have an envelope from Pynchon to Tiptree that I could sell you for $500.00 (not postmarked). The letter inside reads,
“Hey James, Let’s go TP Salinger’s house again. Thomas “Boom Boom” Pynchon
I’m thinking I would need some provenance on that…
So YOU’RE the one who bought that! I thought about it quite a bit, and only poverty stopped me.
You were a worthy eBay adversary as I was after that too!
Hi, you posted a Slowdive cover my band recorded some time ago. I came across it and saw this link. This is awesome. I adore HP Lovecraft. JEALOUS.
I am actively looking for a handwritten Lovecraft letter. – James Powell
Good luck. 30 to 40 years ago, there was an active market on Lovecraft letters, and I think Lovecraft postcards could be had for less than $500. There were many multi-page letters listed in The Undead for less than a grand.
All that stuff is gone, and only occasionally shows up in big auctions. L. W. Currey and Stuart David Schiff (if he’s still dealing) would be your best bets.