HP Lovecraft

Queen-Mise

Are they any HP Lovecraft fans in this place?

Seriously thinking about doing a thesis on him, next year and doing a lot of reading around it at the moment.

Does anyone have any interest in him?

cheers

Q-M

Sarky

Lovecraft.

Honestly, I think he was a poor writer, but the stories he had to tell were gold. Call of Cthulhu and The Case of Charles Dexter Ward are among my favourites.

Crumble Froo

Herbert West is also all sorts of awesome. i'd agree on the poor writer thing, but man, he had some sweet ideas.

bigeasyeah

queen-mise wrote: »

Are they any HP Lovecraft fans in this place?

Seriously thinking about doing a thesis on him, next year and doing a lot of reading around it at the moment.

Does anyone have any interest in him?

cheers

Q-M

I have interest in him.

Shryke

I've read some of his stuff and it's already been said, I think he was a poor writer. I like some of what I've read but I was reading Poe at the same time and Poe was a terrific writer who did mystery and dread to a much better degree.

nyarlothothep

I think he was an incredible writer, a master of prose. Prefer him over Poe as imo his cumulative horror is more engaging. Some of his stories are hit and miss, for example I'm not too fond of At the Mountains of Madness, but I thoroughly enjoyed The Madness of Dexter Ward and Dreamquest of Unknown Kaddath. He had some pretty interesting ideas, imo a kind of Tolkien in his own right. Thats a very cool idea for a thesis, wish I had thought of that.

mcgovern

Reading The Necromonicon atm, not overly impressed.

Kernel

He was one of the greats. His stories drip with athmosphere when read on a dark autumn or winter's night. I also thought his prose was archaic and he tended to overuse certain adjectives. But I stuck with him, and boy am I glad. Great imagination - something that's lacking today tbh.

Queen-Mise

I really enjoy his stories, I am fascinated by WW1and the origins of the war. I am really looking forward to seeing how much of an impact it had on him. The horrors of The Mountains of Madness come from WW1.
And some of his ideas are very similar to Coleridge - so am going to be looking very closely at Rime of the Ancient Mariner and his other poetry.

Am reading Edgar Allen Poe at the moment, really enjoying it.

Am also looking forward to looking into how much the philosophy of the 19th century affected also.

nyarlothothep

Kernel wrote: »

He was one of the greats. His stories drip with athmosphere when read on a dark autumn or winter's night. I also thought his prose was archaic and he tended to overuse certain adjectives. But I stuck with him, and boy am I glad. Great imagination - something that's lacking today tbh.

That's the thing I like most about his work, the use of antiquated language, it adds to the arcane theme which informs most of hist stories, also learning new words like ichor.

Sarky

By the end of the first Omnibus I was sick of hearing about gambrel roofs.

It's quite amazing how much today's much-lauded writers have "borrowed" from Lovecraft. I'm not saying they're hacks, not by a long shot, but the scope of Lovecraft's influence is massive. There's hardly a writer out there that hasn't been shaped at least a bit by the man.

Tony EH

I've liked his mythos stuff for many years, but find his writing style tiresome now. His overwrought prose is way over the top sometimes, even for the standards of his day and in the end it takes from the overall effect in my opinion. He can also be very long winded and quite stingy with the pay-off at the end.

He has some great stories though, no doubt and with a knowledge of the Outer Gods, Elder beings, Great Old Ones and other races, his stories have a bigger impact.

I think many people approaching the likes of 'Call of Cthulhu', or 'At the Mountains of Madness' without being armed with some sort of hint at the greater forces at work will be left in the dark...as it were.

Of course, 'Herbert West - Reanimator' and its like can be read without the above knowledge. But those stories are just not as good as the stories he wrote within the sphere of his created universe.

When you read 'Call of Cthulhu', with the impression that Cthulhu is just a minor figure in Lovecraft's mythos, it helps you understand his approach much clearer.

But this is perhaps the greatest failing of Lovecraft. Any reader hoping to get the full understanding of his mythos world from simply reading the stories will be left wanting, as Lovecraft's stories rarely (if ever) give too much away. 'The Shadow Over Innsmouth', or 'At the Mountains of Madness' are perhaps the best examples of Lovecraft coming close to explaining what's actually happening in the story and its relation to his mythos. But most of his stories simply have the protagonist finding some sliver of info that leads him on a journey to going insane with incomprehensible facts that are uncovered.

Lovecraft's mythos, of course, was carried on and expanded after his death by writers like Frank Belknapp Long and Ramsey Campbell and in some respects those stories were more satisfying. But there has been some bad interference with Lovecraft's mythos too, though, mainly by August Derleth, who tried to turn the mythos into some sort of Good/Evil universal struggle. Lovecraft's own take on his universe was that it was a Godless sphere (in a Christian sense) and that the true "God's" were the likes of Azatoth and his messenger Nyarlatotep. Derleth's "Christian" view was in contrast to Lovecraft's more depressing nilhistic take on things where gods were mindless and operated on whims rather than conforming to any particular plan...and that mankind was reduced to a meaningless and insignificant nothingness in the greater scheme of things.

Tony EH

Lovecraft Mythos Timeline


1,000,000,000 B.C.
The Great Race of Yith arrives on Earth and forcefully occupies the bodies of the cone creatures in what is now Western Australia. (The Shadow Out of Time, H.P. Lovecraft)


c. 300,000,000 B.C.
The Flying Polyps, beings of indescribable shape, rear towers that reach to the sky and delve into the very secrets of nature. (The Shadow Out of Time H.P. Lovecraft)


c. 150,000,000 B.C.
Nathaniel Wingate Peaslee is abducted and his mind transferred with a Yithian for study purposes. Peaslee learns the past and future of the Yithians. (The Shadow Out of Time H.P. Lovecraft)


50,000,000 B.C.
The Great Race of Yith disappear from the earth en masse into the future, occupying the race of beetle creatures who inherit the world from the human race. (The Shadow Out of Time H.P. Lovecraft)


50,000 B.C.
Great, brown-headed people dominate and hold South Africa. (The Shadow Out of Time, H.P. Lovecraft)


c. 15,000 B.C.
Crom-Ya, a Cimmerian chieftain, is subject to the mind transfer effect of the Great Race of Yith. (The Shadow Out of Time, H.P. Lovecraft)


738
Abdul Alhazred is literally torn to pieces by unseen demons in a market place in Damascus after completing Al Azif (The Necronomicon).


1000
Month Unknown

The Exham Priory is mentioned in a chronicle as being a substantial stone priory housing a strange and powerful monastic order. (The Rats in the Walls, H.P. Lovecraft)


1261
Month Unknown

Henry the Third grants the Exham Priory to Gilbert de la Poer, First Baron Exham. (The Rats in the Walls, H.P. Lovecraft)


1305
Month Unknown

An Anchester chronicle mentions a de la Poer as cursed of God. (The Rats in the Walls, H.P. Lovecraft)



1643
Month Unknown

Innsmouth, Massachusetts is founded. (The Shadow Over Innsmouth, H.P. Lovecraft)


1692
Month Unknown

Keziah Mason is arrested and tried as a witch. Under pressure from the interrogators, she reveals the correlation between angles and curves and the ability to travel between dimensions. Mason escapes from her cell using the same concepts and disappears. (The Dreams in the Witch-House, H.P. Lovecraft)


1747
Month Unknown

Reverend Abijah Hoadley preaches a sermon to the Congregational Church at Dunwich Village on the close presence of Satan and his imps. Reverend Hoadley disappears from existence soon afterward. (The Shadow Over Innsmouth, H.P. Lovecraft)


1750-1765
Year Uncertain

Sir Wade Jermyn discovers the lost gray city of the Congo and marries the white ape-princess. After birthing a son, the three left the city for Jermyn House in England. Sir Wade and his wife returns to the lost city, where the ape-princess dies and is mummified. Sir Wade returns to England alone. (Arthur Jermyn, H.P. Lovecraft)


1765
Month Unknown

Sir Wade Jermyn, one of the earliest explorers of the Congo region of Africa, is committed to the madhouse in Huntingdon. (Arthur Jermyn, H.P. Lovecraft)


1768
Month Unknown

Sir Wade Jermyn dies while committed in Huntingdon. (Arthur Jermyn, H.P. Lovecraft)


1780
Month Unknown

Sir Phillip Jermyn marries the daughter of his gamekeeper. (Arthur Jermyn, H.P. Lovecraft)


1783-1784
Month Unknown

Sir Phillip Jermyn becomes a merchant sailor and disappears off the shore of the Congo. (Arthur Jermyn, H.P. Lovecraft)


1815
Month Unknown

Sir Robert Jermyn marries the daughter of the Seventh Viscount Brightholme and is subsequently blessed with three children (the oldes and youngest both suffer a deformity which prevents them from ever being seen in public). (Arthur Jermyn, H.P. Lovecraft)


1832
Month Unknown

Nahum Gardner is born. (The Colour Out of Space, H.P. Lovecraft)


1838
Month Unknown

The group of villagers found by Captain Obed Marsh in the South Seas is decimated by other local villagers when it is discovered they worship, sacrifice to, and interbreed with the Deep Ones. The Sign of the Old Ones is scattered across the village and the small volcanic islet where the sacrifices are made to repel the Deep Ones. (The Shadow Over Innsmouth, H.P. Lovecraft)


1842
Month Unknown

Ammi Pierce is born. (The Colour Out of Space, H.P. Lovecraft)


1844
May

Professor Enoch Bowen returns from his journey in Egypt to Providence, Rhode Island. (The Haunter of the Dark, H.P. Lovecraft)

July

Professor Enoch Bowen purchases the Free-Will Church atop Federal Hill. Begins the Starry Wisdom cult. (The Haunter of the Dark, H.P. Lovecraft)

December

29 - Doctor Drowne of the 4th Baptist Church in Providence, Rhode Island, warns against the Starry Wisdom cult in a sermon. (The Haunter of the Dark, H.P. Lovecraft)


1845
Month Unknown

Locals of Innsmouth, Massachusetts, stumble upon devil-worshipping and sacrifices near the wharves of the town. (The Shadow Over Innsmouth, H.P. Lovecraft)

By the end of the year, the Starry Wisdom cult of Providence has grown to 97 members. (The Haunter of the Dark, H.P. Lovecraft)


1846
Month Unknown

Captain Obed Marsh and thirty-two other members of the Esoteric Order Of Dagon are arrested on Devil’s Reef. No official charges are made, but Captain Marsh is held for a couple of weeks in jail. The Deep Ones, upset at the lack of human sacrifices, attacks Innsmouth and kills or carries off over half the population. The losses are attributed to epidimic. The human population of Innsmouth and the Deep Ones begin to interbreed. (The Shadow Over Innsmouth, H.P. Lovecraft)

The seaboard between Newburyport and Innsmouth undergoes drastic changes from lush vegetation to dead stumps and crumbling sea walls above drifting sands. Locals attribute the change to devil worship. (The Shadow Over Innsmouth, H.P. Lovecraft)

Captain Obed Marsh takes a second wife, Pth’thya-l’yi, one of the Deep Ones. He has three children by her. (The Shadow Over Innsmouth, H.P. Lovecraft)

Three disappearances occur in Providence, Rhode Island, all attributed to the Starry Wisdom cult. The first public mention of the Shining Trapezohedron is made. (The Haunter of the Dark, H.P. Lovecraft)


1848
Month Unknown

Seven disappearances occur in Providence, Rhode Island, all attributed to the Starry Wisdom cult. Stories of blood sacrifices within the Free-Will Church begin. (The Haunter of the Dark, H.P. Lovecraft)


1849
Month Unknown

Sir Robert Jermyn's second son, Nevil, runs away and marries a vulgar dancer. (Arthur Jermyn, H.P. Lovecraft)

Francis X. Feeney joins the Starry Wisdom cult in Providence, Rhode Island. Later confesses some of the secrets of the cult to Father O'Malley on his deathbed. (The Haunter of the Dark, H.P. Lovecraft)


1850
Month Unknown

Nevil Jermyn returns to the family and is pardoned of his disgrace. He returns a widower and father of a son named Alfred. (Arthur JermynI, H.P. Lovecraft)


1852
October

19 - Sir Robert Jermyn is visited by Samuel Seaton. Samuel carries with him documented legends of the Onga tribes, some of which contain information about the lost gray city. The information drives Robert insane. Before he is subdued, he kills Samuel Seaton and all three of his children. Nevil dies in the successful defense of his son, Alfred. (Arthur Jermyn, H.P. Lovecraft)


1853
Month Unknown

An investigation is mounted against the Starry Wisdom cult in Providence, Rhode Island and its involvement in numerous disappearances, but comes to nothing. (The Haunter of the Dark, H.P. Lovecraft)


1854
Month Unknown

Sir Robert Jermyn dies of apoplexy while in confinement. Alfred Jermyn becomes a baronet. (Arthur Jermyn, H.P. Lovecraft)


1857
Month Unknown

Orrin B. Eddy tells of how members of the Starry Wisdom cult summon the Haunter of the Dark by gazing into the depths of the Shining Trapezohedron. (The Haunter of the Dark, H.P. Lovecraft)


1860
Month Unknown

Professor William C. Webb tours Iceland and Greenland in search of Runic inscriptions. Discovers, instead, a degenerated tribe of Eskimos who practice an obscure form of devil worship.


1863
Month Unknown

The government draft opens in Innsmouth, Massachusetts, though no males are found able to meet the minimum standards. (The Shadow Over Innsmouth, H.P. Lovecraft)

By the end of the year, the Starry Wisdom cult has over 200 people in its congregation. (The Haunter of the Dark, H.P. Lovecraft)


c. 1865
Month Unknown

Benjamin Orne of Arkham, Massachusetts, is tricked into marrying the half-breed daughter of Captain Obed Marsh and Pth’thya-l’yi, a Deep One. (The Shadow Over Innsmouth, H.P. Lovecraft)


1867
Month Unknown

Eliza Orne is born in Arkham, Massachusetts. Eliza’s mother is daughter of Captain Obed marsh and Pth’thya-l’yi, a Deep One. (The Shadow Over Innsmouth, H.P. Lovecraft)


1869
Month Unknown

Irish boys mob the Free-Will Church in Providence, Rhode Island after Patrick Regan disappears. (The Haunter of the Dark, H.P. Lovecraft)


1870
Month Unknown

Sir Alfred Jermyn joins a band of music-hall performers. (Arthur Jermyn, H.P. Lovecraft)


1872
March

14 - A veiled article about the Starry Wisdom cult appears in a Providence newspaper referred to as J. (Journal ?). (The Haunter of the Dark, H.P. Lovecraft)


1873
Month Unknown

Tiara of Dagon is pawned in Newburyport by an Innsmouth man. The man is soon after killed in a brawl. The Tiara is purchased directly from the pawnbroker by the Newburyport Historical Society and is put on display. (The Shadow Over Innsmouth, H.P. Lovecraft)


1876
Month Unknown

Six more disappearances occur in Providence, Rhode Island, directly linked with the Starry Wisdom cult. Mayor Doyle is called upon by a secret committee to do something about the cult. (The Haunter of the Dark, H.P. Lovecraft)


1877
February

Action against the Starry Wisdom cult is promised by city council. (The Haunter of the Dark, H.P. Lovecraft)

April

The Free-Will Church is closed. (The Haunter of the Dark, H.P. Lovecraft)

May

A gang of Federal Hill boys threaten a doctor of some prominence and the vestrymen of the Free-Will Church. (The Haunter of the Dark, H.P. Lovecraft)

End of Year

The standing congregation of 181 people in the Starry Wisdom cult leave Providence, Rhode Island. (The Haunter of the Dark, H.P. Lovecraft)


1878
Month Unknown

Captain Obed Marsh dies. (The Shadow Over Innsmouth, H.P. Lovecraft)


1880
Month Unknown

Ghost stories about the Free-Will Church atop Federal Hill in Providence, Rhode Island, begin. (The Haunter of the Dark, H.P. Lovecraft)


1881
April

12 - George Birch, undertaker of Peck Valley, begins the task of burying the winter's dead as the ground becomes soft enough to dig in. Only buries one body, that of Darius Peck. (In the Vault, H.P. Lovecraft)

15 - George Birch becomes trapped in the internment tomb when a wind blows the door shut and the latch breaks. Takes most of the evening to dig a way out. (In the Vault, H.P. Lovecraft)

16 - Upon trying to scramble out of the vault in which he was trapped, George Birch's feet fall through the lid of a casket and the spirit of Asaph Sawyer shreds his legs and ankles, this done in revenge for Birch cutting Sawyer's feet off at the ankles to fit him in a casket. (In the Vault, H.P. Lovecraft)


1882
June

A meteor falls on Nahum Gardner's property next to his well. Three professors from Miskatonic University investigate, finding the composition of the stone unidentifiable. (The Colour Out of Space, H.P. Lovecraft)

September-October

Nahum Gardner experiences a bountiful harvest near the impact area of the meteorite. Unfortunately, the fruit of his labor is ruined, tasteless and unsellable. (The Colour Out of Space, H.P. Lovecraft)


1883
February

The McGregor boys from Meadow Hill discover the strange effects of the Gardner meteorite on the local wildlife. (The Colour Out of Space, H.P. Lovecraft)

March

The trees at the Gardner farm begin to bud early. Nahum’s second son, Thaddeus, swears the branches sway without the wind. (The Colour Out of Space, H.P. Lovecraft)

April

The country-folk begin disuse of the road that goes by the Gardner farm because of the strange vegetation. (The Colour Out of Space, H.P. Lovecraft)

May

Insects overrun the Gardner farm. The other members of the Gardner family now notice the strange swaying of the trees. People begin to see the strange nocturnal glow that infests the farm after dark. (The Colour Out of Space, H.P. Lovecraft)

June

Nabby Gardner goes insane. (The Colour Out of Space, H.P. Lovecraft)

July

Nabby Gardner ceases to speak and Nahum notices a glow about her. Something spooks Nahum’s horses in the barn and they stampede. All have to be shot. Vegetation around the well turns gray and brittle. (The Colour Out of Space, H.P. Lovecraft)

September

Thaddeus Gardner goes mad after visiting the well, tittering and whispering about "the moving colours down there." The mortality among Gardner livestock rises sharply. (The Colour Out of Space, H.P. Lovecraft)

October

19 - Thaddeus Gardner dies, victim of the gray brittle death of the Colour Out of Space. (The Colour Out of Space, H.P. Lovecraft)

22 - Merwin Gardner is killed by the Colour Out Of Space in the well. (The Colour Out of Space, H.P. Lovecraft)

November

Ammi Pierce visits the Gardner farm after not hearing from Nahum for over two weeks. Ammi finds Nahum barely alive, although the rest of his family is dead. Something kills Nahum while Ammi is in the house. Ammi contacts the police, who return to the farm the same day to investigate. While there, they empty the well and disturb the Colour Out Of Space, sending it back into the heavens. (The Colour Out of Space, H.P. Lovecraft)


1886
Month Unknown

Sir Alfred Jermyn deserts his wife and child and joins the circus. Alfred meets his death at the hands of one of the circus gorillas when he suddenly attacks it. The beast is momentarily bested, but attacks back and kills Alfred. (Arthur Jermyn, H.P. Lovecraft)


1895
Month Unknown

Nathaniel Wingate Peaslee becomes an instructor of political economy at Miskatonic University. (The Shadow Out of Time, H.P. Lovecraft)


1896
Month Unknown

Nathaniel Peaslee marries Alice Keezar of Haverhill. (The Shadow Out of Time, H.P. Lovecraft)


1898
Month Unknown

Robert Peaslee is born of Nathaniel and Alice Peaslee. (The Shadow Out of Time, H.P. Lovecraft)


1900
Month Unknown

Wingate Peaslee is born of Nathaniel and Alice Peaslee. (The Shadow Out of Time, H.P. Lovecraft)


1903
Month Unknown

Hannah Peaslee is born of Nathaniel and Alice Peaslee. (The Shadow Out of Time, H.P. Lovecraft)


1904
Month Unknown

Herbert West attempts his first experiment at the reanimation of a human corpse. The experiment is successful, but the corpse escapes. (Herbert West: Reanimator, H.P. Lovecraft)


1905
Month Unknown

Drs. Torres and Munoz’ experimentation with preserving life after death meets with some success. Dr. Munoz dies a first time, but is revived. Dr. Torres dies of shock from the process. (Cool Air, H.P. Lovecraft)

Summer

Arkham, Massachusetts is overcome with a typhoid plague. The peak of the plague occurs in August. (Herbert West: Reanimator, H.P. Lovecraft)

August

14 - Dr. Allan Halsey dies while fighting the typhoid plague in Arkham, Massachusetts. (Herbert West: Reanimator, H.P. Lovecraft)

15 - Dr. Allan Halsey is buried. (Herbert West: Reanimator, H.P. Lovecraft)

16 - Early morning (2 a.m.). Herbert West reanimates Dr. Halsey's corpse. The corpse escapes. (Herbert West: Reanimator, H.P. Lovecraft)

16-17 - A series of gruesome murders plagues Arkham. (Herbert West: Reanimator, H.P. Lovecraft)

17-18 - Dr. Halsey's corpse is trapped and interred at Sefton Asylum. (Herbert West: Reanimator, H.P. Lovecraft)


1906
March

Herbert West reanimates the corpse of Buck Robinson, a black boxer killed in an illegal boxing match in Bolton, Massachusetts. Thinking the initial experiment a failure, West buries Robinson's body in the fields behind his house. The next evening, Robinson's corpse shows up covered with mud and eating the dismembered arm of a child. West shoots Robinson six times. (Herbert West: Reanimator, H.P. Lovecraft)


1907
October

31 - An unknown terror visits a group of squatters in the swamps south of New Orleans. Some women and children disappear and hideous screams are heard from the depths of the swamps. (The Call of Cthulhu, H.P. Lovecraft)

November

1 - Squatters summon the New Orleans police to the swamps. Police discover the Cthulhu Cult. Forty-seven worshippers are arrested, five are killed, and two are severely wounded. Police estimate a total of near one hundred worshippers are originally in the area. The Statue of Cthulhu is discovered and confiscated by police. (The Call of Cthulhu, H.P. Lovecraft)


1908
Month Unknown

The American Archaeological Society holds it annual convention in St. Louis, Missouri. Inspector John Legrasse of the New Orleans police department brings the Statue of Cthulhu for investigation. (The Call of Cthulhu, H.P. Lovecraft)

May

14 - A queer amnesia overcomes Nathaniel Peaslee quite suddenly at approximately 10:20 a.m. This amnesia would last until 1913. (The Shadow Out of Time, H.P. Lovecraft)

15 - At 3 a.m., Nathaniel Peaslee opens his eyes and begins to speak, though in an expression and language that frightens his family. (The Shadow Out of Time, H.P. Lovecraft)


1909
Month Unknown

Nathaniel Peaslee spends a month in the Himalayas. (The Shadow Out of Time, H.P. Lovecraft)


1910
Month Unknown

Alice Peaslee receives a legal divorce from Nathaniel Peaslee. (The Shadow Out of Time, H.P. Lovecraft)

July

Herbert West turns to murder in order to procure fresh corpses for his experiments. (Herbert West: Animator, H.P. Lovecraft)

18 - Herbert West's colleague and assistant discovers West's method of procurement. (Herbert West: Animator, H.P. Lovecraft)


1911
Month Unknown

After the death of his mother, Sir Arthur Jermyn begins exploring the Congo region of Africa to continue the work of his ancestors. There he meets Mwanu, an ancient tribal chief, who confirms the existence of the lost gray city. (Arthur Jermyn, H.P. Lovecraft)

Nathaniel Peaslee takes a camel trip into the unknown deserts of Arabia. (The Shadow Out of Time, H.P. Lovecraft)


1912
Month Unknown

Sir Arthur Jermyn discovers the lost gray city described by his ancestor, Sir Wade Jermyn. He finds out about the mummified ape-princess, and hires M. Verhaeren, a Belgian agent at a trading post, to acquire the artifact for him. (Arthur Jermyn, H.P. Lovecraft)

Summer

Nathaniel Peaslee charters a ship and sails in the Arctic, north of Spitzbergen. (The Shadow Out of Time, H.P. Lovecraft)


1913
February

2 - Wilbur Whateley and his twin brother are born at 5 a.m. in Dunwich, Massachusetts. (The Dunwich Horror, H.P. Lovecraft)

June

M. Verhaeren sends a letter to Sir Arthur Jermyn, telling him that he has purchased the mummified remains of the ape-princess. Verhaeren sends the mummy and promises it to be in Arthur's possession within a month. (Arthur Jermyn, H.P. Lovecraft)

Summer

Nathaniel Peaslee's interest in strange things and places begins to wane. (The Shadow Out of Time, H.P. Lovecraft)

August

Nathanial Peaslee returns to Arkham and reopens the long-closed house in Crane Street. Once there, he begins to set up a strange mechanical device, a queer mixture of rods, wheels, and mirrors, about two feet tall, one foot wide, and one foot thick. (The Shadow Out of Time, H.P. Lovecraft)

3 - Sir Arthur Jermyn receives the boxed mummy of the ape-princess from the Congo. Opening it in solitude, he discovers the strong family resemblance between the mummy and himself. His fears are further confirmed when he discovers a necklace bearing the Jermyn Coat of Arms. Arthur douses himself with oil and burns himself to death. (Arthur Jermyn, H.P. Lovecraft)

September

26 - Nathaniel Peaslee dismisses his housekeeper and maid until noon the next day. The lights in the house burn till late, and a lean, dark, curiously foreign looking man called in an automobile. (The Shadow Out of Time, H.P. Lovecraft)

27 - At about 1 a.m., the lights in Nathaniel Peaslee's house go out. At 2:15 a.m., a policeman observes Nathaniel Peaslee's house with all light out, but with the stranger's auto still at the curb. 4:00 a.m., the stranger's auto outside Nathaniel Peaslee's house is gone. 6:00 a.m., Dr. Wilson receives an anonymous phone call from the North Station in Boston to go to Nathaniel Peaslee's house and revive him from a faint. Upon arriving there, Dr. Wilson finds Nathaniel unconscious in his sitting room. At 11:15 a.m., Nathaniel stood up vigorously and began to show signs of recovery. The expression on his face reminded Dr. Wilson of Peaslee's old self prior to 1908. At 12:00 a.m., Nathaniel resumed in his lecture which was so abruptly interrupted by his amnesia on May 14, 1908. (The Shadow Out of Time, H.P. Lovecraft)

October

31 - Wilbur Whateley is spotted running up the slope of Sentinel Hill with his mother by Silas Bishop. (The Dunwich Horror, H.P. Lovecraft)


1914
Month Unknown

Unnamed sailor is taken prisoner by a German warship in the Pacific. He escapes and discovers a vast, uncharted island of mud, presumably risen from the sea. After traversing the expanse for over three days, he spies a column marked with strange glyphs and the creature Dagon retrieving it. (The Temple, H.P. Lovecraft)

January

Wilbur Whateley begins to talk. (The Dunwich Horror, H.P. Lovecraft)

February

Nathaniel Peaslee begins to work again. He is haunted by vague dreams and queer ideas. Over the next few years and up till 1935, these dreams and ideas take on visual and auditory substance. (The Shadow Out of Time, H.P. Lovecraft)

Autumn

Nathaniel Peaslee begins to have infrequent dreams of strange floatings over the city of his dreams. (The Shadow Out of Time, H.P. Lovecraft)

September

Wilbur Whateley grows to the size of a child of four. (The Dunwich Horror, H.P. Lovecraft)


1915
Month Unknown

Herbert West and his colleague go to Flanders as members of the Canadian Medical Corps during World War I. (Herbert West: Reanimator, H.P. Lovecraft)

The dreams and visions Nathaniel Peaslee experience become so intense that he is forced to quit work. (The Shadow Out of Time, H.P. Lovecraft)

March

Herbert West reanimates the decapitated corpse of Major Sir Eric Moreland Clapman-Lee. An intensive German artillery barrage keeps West from destroying the corpse. (Herbert West: Reanimator, H.P. Lovecraft)

May

Nathaniel Peaslee sees the first of the Great Race of Yith in his dreams. (The Shadow Out of Time, H.P. Lovecraft)

1 - Recording of mysterious religious rites between Mi-Go and a human counterpart (later identified as Mr. Noyes) is recorded by Henry Akeley at Lee’s Swamp. (The Whisperer in Darkness, H.P. Lovecraft)

1 - Tremors rattle Dunwich, Massachusetts, and are felt as far away as Aylesburg, Massachusetts. (The Dunwich Horror, H.P. Lovecraft)

October

31 - Underground rumblings shake Dunwich, Massa. Townsfolk attribute the disturbance to them witch Whateley’s doin’s. (The Dunwich Horror, H.P. Lovecraft)


1917
Month Unknown

Alfred Delapores is sent to England as an aviation officer during World War I. While there, he learns of the legends surrounding Exham Priory and arranges for his father to purchase the place. (The Rats in the Walls, H.P. Lovecraft)

Nathaniel Peaslee enrolls in special course in psychology at Miskatonic University in order to better decipher his dreams. (The Shadow Out of Time, H.P. Lovecraft)

June

18 - The German submarine U-29 sinks the British Freighter Victory and kills all hands on board. Surbmerges and resurfaces at dusk. Crew finds the corpse of a sailor from the Victory clinging to the rails. In the corpse's pocket, crew finds an ivory head. Throws corpse overboard. (The Temple, H.P. Lovecraft)

19 - Boatswain Müller is put into irons after babbling on about seeing the corpse swimming by the portholes of the submarine in the lead of other corpses. Seamen Schmidt and Bohm become violently ill. (The Temple, H.P. Lovecraft)

20 - Seaman Schmidt and Bohm are executed by Lt. Cdr. Heinrich when they become violently insane. (The Temple, H.P. Lovecraft)

29 - An explosion in the boiler room of U-29 cripples the ship. It still has the ability to submerge and rise, but it cannot propel itself. The submarine is left to the mercy of the current. (The Temple, H.P. Lovecraft)

July

2 - An American ship is spotted by the crew of U-29. Seaman Traub tries to lead the crew to surrender, but Lt. Cdr. Heinrich shoots him. (The Temple, H.P. Lovecraft)

3 - The U-29 is force to submerge due to bad weather. When it tries to rise to the surface, it finds itself unable to do so. (The Temple, H.P. Lovecraft)

4 - General mutiny breaks out on U-29. Lt Cdr Heinrich quells the mutiny and shoots the mutineers. (The Temple, H.P. Lovecraft)

August

12 - Lt. Klenze, first mate of U-29, goes completely mad. He commits suicide by exiting the crippled submarine and drowning. (The Temple, H.P. Lovecraft)

13 - Lt. Cdr Heinrich discovers lost Atlantis as his submarine settles to the bottom of the ocean. Over the next few days, he conducts minor underwater explorations from the crippled U-29. (The Temple, H.P. Lovecraft)

20 - Lt. Cdr. Heinrich leaves his submarine for the last time to follow the lights he sees in a sunken temple. He releases his manuscript in a bottle, which is found later on the coast of Yucatan. (The Temple, H.P. Lovecraft)


1918
Month Unknown

The Exham Priory is purchased by the Delapores family. Delapores delays restoration to care for his son, Alfred, who is injured during the war. (The Rats in the Walls, H.P. Lovecraft)


1920
Month Unknown

Nathaniel Peaslee begins to feel more comfortable with his strange dreams after extensive and satisfying research into the subject. (The Shadow Out of Time, H.P. Lovecraft)


1921
Month Unknown

Dr. Allan Halsey escapes from the Sefton Asylum with the aid of a group of silent men led by a menacing military figure. (Herbert West: Reanimator, H.P. Lovecraft)

Herbert West is brutally murdered (?) by a silent tomb legion of undead led by Sir Eric Clapman-Lee. (Herbert West: Reanimator, H.P. Lovecraft)

December

Delapores visits Edward Norrys in Anchester, England, and sees, for the first time, Exham Priory. (The Rats in the Walls, H.P. Lovecraft)


1922
Month Unknown

Nathaniel Peaslee is finally at ease enough with his dreams that his can continue with a normal life. (The Shadow Out of Time, H.P. Lovecraft)


1923
Month Unknown

Old Whateley begins building on to and remodeling his house, especially in the attic area. (The Dunwich Horror, H.P. Lovecraft)

July

16 - After two years of restoration, Delapore moves into Exham Priory and retakes the original name of de la Poer. (The Rats in the Walls, H.P. Lovecraft)

October

The gasoline pumps which sustain life and prevent the decay of Dr. Torres limbs through an ammonia heat absorption unit fails. Dr. Torres dies a second death. (Cool Air, H.P. Lovecraft)


1924
August

1 - (Lammas Day) Old Whateley dies. (The Dunwich Horror, H.P. Lovecraft)


1925
February

28 - Earthquake hits New England. Henry Wilcox dreams of Cyclopean cities and hears the dreaded phrase "Cthulhu fhtagn." (The Call of Cthulhu, H.P. Lovecraft)

28 - Artists and poets report various degrees of horrific dream states, the intensity of which were stronger during Henry Wilcox’s delirium. The affect lasts until April 2nd. (The Call of Cthulhu, H.P. Lovecraft)

March

1 - Henry Wilcox visits Professor Angell with the bas-relief he created from a dream the night before. Professor Angell insists that Wilcox report any more such dreams to him immediately. (The Call of Cthulhu, H.P. Lovecraft)

1 - (February 28 EST) The Alert sets sail from Dunedin rather hastily after strange storms and earth tremors. (The Call of Cthulhu, H.P. Lovecraft)

2-22 - Henry Wilcox reports new and terrible dreams of Cyclopean, dripping backgrounds and unnamed horrors to Professor Angell daily. The two sounds most frequently identified during this period is Cthulhu and R’lyeh. (The Call of Cthulhu, H.P. Lovecraft)

22-23 - New York policemen are mobbed by hysterical Levantines. (The Call of Cthulhu, H.P. Lovecraft)

22-23 - The Emma encounters the Alert and a battle ensues. All hands on the Alert, as well as three of the crewmembers of the Emma, are killed. Gustaf Johansen and seven shipmates commandeer the Alert. Johansen discovers R’lyeh and accidentally releases Cthulhu from his tomb. Johansen escapes aboard the Alert with only one other crewmember who dies soon afterward. (The Call of Cthulhu, H.P. Lovecraft)

23 - Henry Wilcox is stricken with fever and is taken to his family home on Waterman Street. Wilcox’s dreams intensify and are now infested with a gigantic thing miles high. (The Call of Cthulhu, H.P. Lovecraft)

23 - Scattered cases of uneasy but formless nocturnal impressions are reported. Reports continue until April 2nd. (The Call of Cthulhu, H.P. Lovecraft)

25 - The Vigilant sets sail from Valparaiso. (The Call of Cthulhu, H.P. Lovecraft)

April

2 - All traces of Henry Wilcox’s strange malady completely disappear at about 3 p.m.. All memories of what had occured since March 22 are gone as well. (The Call of Cthulhu, H.P. Lovecraft)

2 - Exceptionally heavy storms drive the Vigilant south off course. R’lyeh sinks beneath the ocean. (The Call of Cthulhu, H.P. Lovecraft)

12 - Gustaf Johansen aboard the derelict Alert is spotted and rescued by the crew of the Vigilant. (The Call of Cthulhu, H.P. Lovecraft)

18 - Article describing the rescue of Gustaf Johansen adrift in the Alert appears in the Sydney Bulletin. (The Call of Cthulhu, H.P. Lovecraft)


1926
Month Unknown

Lavinia Whateley expresses a deep fear of Wilbur Whateley to Mamie Bishop. (The Dunwich Horror, H.P. Lovecraft)

October

31 - Lavinia Whateley disappears. (The Dunwich Horror, H.P. Lovecraft)


1927
Month Unknown

Surveyors investigate the area west of Arkham, Massachusetts, to begin groundwork for a new reservoir. The surveyor meets Ammi Pierce and learns of Blasted Heath. (The Colour Out of Space, H.P. Lovecraft)

Summer

Wilbur Whateley repairs two sheds in the farmyard and moves his books and effects to one of them. (The Dunwich Horror, H.P. Lovecraft)

July

16 - Narrator of The Shadow Over Innsmouth travels by bus from Newburyport, Massachusetts to Innsmouth on his way to Arkham. Encounters the bleak history of Innsmouth as told by Zadok Allen. He is chased through the dark streets of Innsmouth from his room at the Gilman House. (The Shadow Over Innsmouth, H.P. Lovecraft)

November

3 - Vermont floods, shortly after which local folk report strange, bloated bodies of unknown creatures floating in swollen streams and rivers. (The Whisperer in Darkness, H.P. Lovecraft)

Winter

Wilbur Whateley visits Miskatonic University to study the library’s copy of the Necronomicon. Asks Dr. Armitage to allow him to borrow the copy, but was quickly refused. Subsequent trips to Cambridge and Widener Libaries to borrow their copies were fruitless. (The Dunwich Horror, H.P. Lovecraft)


1928
Month Unknown

The Journal of the American Psychological Society publishes a series of articles written by Nathaniel Peaslee about his dreams. They gain little attention. (The Shadow Out of Time, H.P. Lovecraft)

February

Walter Gilman begins to experience strange dreams of alternate dimensions. The dreams are accompanied by a strange, lingering fever. (The Dreams in the Witch-House, H.P. Lovecraft)

U.S. Government forces conduct a vast series of raids in Innsmouth, Massachusetts, followed by the deliberate burning and dynamiting of an enormous number of houses along the waterfront. A submarine fires torpedoes into the abyss at the base of Devil’s Reef, partially destroying the Deep Ones’ city of Y’ha-nthlei. (The Shadow Over Innsmouth, H.P. Lovecraft)

March

Keziah Mason begins to appear along side Brown Jenkins in Walter Gilman’s dreams. Toward the end of March, Gilman begins showing an uncanny knack for solving Riemannian equations. (The Dreams in the Witch-House, H.P. Lovecraft)

April

Joe Mazurewicz begins to pray in earnest to keep Keziah Mason at bay as May Eve approaches. (The Dreams in the Witch-House, H.P. Lovecraft)

1 - Walter Gilman worries considerably because his slow fever has not abated. Reports of his recent sleepwalking adds to his worries. (The Dreams in the Witch-House, H.P. Lovecraft)

16 - Walter Gilman goes to the doctor’s office and is surprised to find his fever is not as bad as he feared. The doctor refers him to a nerve specialist. (The Dreams in the Witch-House, H.P. Lovecraft)

19 - Walter Gilman experiences full interdimensional travel for the first time, travelling to an alternate world of excessive gravity. (The Dreams in the Witch-House, H.P. Lovecraft)

20 - Walter Gilman travels to a world of horrific beauty and brings back an artifact that turns out to raise quite a furor at the university because of its strangeness. (The Dreams in the Witch-House, H.P. Lovecraft)

21 - Keziah Mason takes Walter Gilman to stand before Nyarlathotep. Nyarlathotep shows Gilman the book he must sign since he now knows how to travel between dimensions. Gilman refuses to sign and is bit on the left wrist by Brown Jenkin. (The Dreams in the Witch-House, H.P. Lovecraft)

22 - Walter Gilman takes the spiky image to Frank Elwood’s room and explains everything that has happened to him so far. Elwood invites Gilman to stay in his room for a short while. While there the first few nights, Gilman enjoys uninterrupted sleep. (The Dreams in the Witch-House, H.P. Lovecraft)

23 - Summary on local and mythological folklore by A. Wilmarth is printed in the Brattleboro Reformer. (The Whisperer in Darkness, H.P. Lovecraft)

27 - A fresh rat hole appears in Frank Elwood’s room. (The Dreams in the Witch-House, H.P. Lovecraft)

28 - Walter Gilman begins to dream again. He accompanies Keziah Mason, Brown Jenkin, and Nyarlathotep when they kidnap Anastasia Wolejko, a two-year-old child of a laundry worker. (The Dreams in the Witch-House, H.P. Lovecraft)

29 - Walter Gilman awakes to find his feet and pajamas covered with mud. (The Dreams in the Witch-House, H.P. Lovecraft)

30 - Walter Gilman witness Keziah Mason preparing to sacrifice the Wolejko child. He stops her and kills her. Brown Jenkin kills the child. (The Dreams in the Witch-House, H.P. Lovecraft)

May

1 - Brown Jenkin kills Walter Gilman by burrowing through his body and devouring his heart. (The Dreams in the Witch-House, H.P. Lovecraft)

25 - Henry Akeley sends first letter to Albert Wilmarth, explaining he has conclusive proof that creatures sighted floating in Vermont rivers and streams do, indeed, exist. (The Whisperer in Darkness, H.P. Lovecraft)

July

Narrator of The Shadow Over Innsmouth learns the truth of his heritage and plans to return to the city of the Deep Ones with his cousin. (The Shadow Over Innsmouth, H.P. Lovecraft)

18 - Telegram received by Albert Wilmarth from Henry Akeley notifying him that Akeley was expressing the Black Stone he spoke of in his letters to Wilmarth by train. The stone never arrives. (The Whisperer in Darkness, H.P. Lovecraft)

August

3 - Wilbur Whateley attempts to steal the Miskatonic University’s copy of the Necronomicon. Whateley is killed by the university’s watch dog and is discovered by Dr. Armitage and two colleagues for what he really is. The body disappears into a pool of white, sticky material. (The Dunwich Horror, H.P. Lovecraft)

12 - Henry Akeley’s farmhouse comes under gunfire and three of Akeley’s twelve dogs are found dead in the morning. (The Whisperer in Darkness, H.P. Lovecraft)

15 - Albert Wilmarth receives a frantic letter from Henry Akeley explaining the attack on August 12-13, 1928. (The Whisperer in Darkness, H.P. Lovecraft)

28 - Albert Wilmarth receives a letter from Henry Akeley stating he is ready to give up and leave, moving to California with his son. (The Whisperer in Darkness, H.P. Lovecraft)

September

2 - Dr. Armitage finally deciphers the journals of Wilbur Whateley. (The Dunwich Horror, H.P. Lovecraft)

2 - During the night, unknown assailants attack and kill five of Henry Akeley's dogs. A Mi-Go lands on Akeley's roof. (The Whisperer in Darkness, H.P. Lovecraft)

3 - Henry Akeley sends a letter to Albert Wilmarth telling him of the night's horrors. (The Whisperer in Darkness, H.P. Lovecraft)

4 - Professor Rice and Dr. Morgan visits a besieged Dr. Armitage and walk away from the meeting ashen faced and trembling. (The Dunwich Horror, H.P. Lovecraft)

5 - Letter from Henry Akeley arrives at Albert Wilmarth’s, telling of more gunfire and of his dogs attacking something which landed on his roof. Five more dogs are found dead from gunshots. Letter is dated September 3. (The Whisperer in Darkness, H.P. Lovecraft)

6 - A second letter arrives at Albert Wilmarth’s from Henry Akeley, informing Wilmarth that the Mi-Go are now talking directly to Akeley from outside his house. (The Whisperer in Darkness, H.P. Lovecraft)

6 - The Mi-Go finally win against Henry Akeley. Akeley writes a letter to Albert Wilmarth at the behest of the Mi-Go, bidding him to come and visit the farm, bringing all artifacts and notes made and sent previously, this an attempt to erase any records of the Mi-Go's existence. Akeley's mind is removed from his body some time later and is put into a silver cylinder. (The Whisperer in Darkness, H.P. Lovecraft)

7 - A third letter arrives at Albert Wilmarth’s from Henry Akeley. Akeley relays he has actually touched a dead Mi-Go, one his dogs apparently killed. Akeley also divulges that you can’t actually photograph a Mi-Go for some unknown reason. (The Whisperer in Darkness, H.P. Lovecraft)

8 - Albert Wilmarth receives a letter from Henry Akeley dated September 6. The letter shows a 180 degree turn around in Akeley’s attitude toward the Mi-Go. Akeley admits a truce and alliance with the creatures and bids Wilmarth visit his farm. (The Whisperer in Darkness, H.P. Lovecraft)

9 - Albert Wilmarth telegrams Henry Akeley, telling him he will visit Akeley’s farm on September 12. Wilmarth receives a confirmation telegram that night. (The Whisperer in Darkness, H.P. Lovecraft)

9 - The horror of Dunwich breaks loose. (The Dunwich Horror, H.P. Lovecraft)

10 - Luther Brown reports the horror rampaging through the countryside. (The Dunwich Horror, H.P. Lovecraft)

10 - The horror of Dunwich attacks the Frye farm, killing or devouring all the livestock in the barn. Only a quarter of the livestock can be found, either dead or in such a state that they had to be killed. (The Dunwich Horror, H.P. Lovecraft)

12 - Dr. Armitage discovers the horror of Dunwich is loose in an obscure article in the Arkham Advertiser about a creature imagined by bootleg whiskey drunk townsfolk in Dunwich. (The Dunwich Horror, H.P. Lovecraft)

12 - Albert Wilmarth goes to Brattleboro station and is met there by Mr. Noyes. He is driven to Akeley’s farmhouse where a Mi-Go disguised as Akeley explains the history of the Mi-Go to him. Later that evening, Wilmarth overhears the Mi-Go and their human allies talking. After discovering the ruse, Wilmarth flees the Akeley farm in Akeley’s Ford. (The Whisperer in Darkness, H.P. Lovecraft)

13 - Albert Wilmarth returns to Henry Akeley’s farm with the Townshend sheriff in tow. Discovers Akeley has disappeared from the face of the earth. (The Whisperer in Darkness, H.P. Lovecraft)

13 - The horror of Dunwich attacks the Frye farm again, destroying the house. No trace of any thing living or dead was found. The Frye family disappears. (The Dunwich Horror, H.P. Lovecraft)

14 - Dr. Armitage, Dr. Morgan, and Professor Rice set out for Dunwich. (The Dunwich Horror, H.P. Lovecraft)

15 - Dr. Armitage and his colleagues face and defeat the Dunwich horror. (The Dunwich Horror, H.P. Lovecraft)


1930
September

2 - The Miskatonic University Expedition sets sail aboard the brig Arkham and the barque Miskatonic from Boston to the Antarctic. (At the Mountains of Madness, H.P. Lovecraft)

October

20 - The Miskatonic University Expedition crosses the Antarctic Circle and encounters considerable field ice. (At the Mountains of Madness, H.P. Lovecraft)

26 - The Miskatonic University Expedition sights their first glimpse of the Antarctic (Admiralty Range). (At the Mountains of Madness, H.P. Lovecraft)

November

7 - The Miskatonic University Expedition passes Franklin Island. (At the Mountains of Madness, H.P. Lovecraft)

8 - The Miskatonic University Expedition sights Mt. Erebus and Mt. Terror on Ross Island. (At the Mountains of Madness, H.P. Lovecraft)

9 - The Miskatonic University Expedition lands on Ross Island and begins its exploration of Antarctica. (At the Mountains of Madness, H.P. Lovecraft)

December

13-15 - Professor Pabodie, along with two graduate students—Gedney and Carroll—make their arduous and triumphant ascent of Mt. Nansen. (At the Mountains of Madness, H.P. Lovecraft)


1931
January

6 - Members of the Miskatonic University Expedition fly over the South Pole on one of many observation flights. (At the Mountains of Madness, H.P. Lovecraft)

22 - Professor Lake of the Miskatonic University Expedition leads a sub expedition from the main camp northwest in hopes of finding new fossils and samples. (At the Mountains of Madness, H.P. Lovecraft)

23 - Professor Lake's sub expedition discovers a cave in the foothills of the Mountains of Madness. The cave yields extensive fossils, along with 14 frozen bodies of the Old Ones. Lake has the specimens taken to camp. The dogs become vicious and must be separated from the specimens. Lake attempts to dissect one of the damaged Old Ones. (At the Mountains of Madness, H.P. Lovecraft)

24 - All contact between the base camp, McMurdo Sound, and Lake's sub expedition is lost. A storm of unbelievable strength pours from the west, destroying what is left of the subcamp. Of the specimens collected, the 8 Old Ones still in good condition thaw from hibernation and are awaken by the dogs attacking them. The Old Ones kill everyone in the camp and leave to return to the Plateau of Leng. With them they bring two specimens for further study of their own, a human and a dog. (At the Mountains of Madness, H.P. Lovecraft)

25 - A single plan makes for the Lake camp. Everyone is found dead. The camp is in utter ruins. Dyer believes Gedney went insane and killed everyone, accounting for his missing corpse. (At the Mountains of Madness, H.P. Lovecraft)

26 - Dyer and Dansforth fly over the Mountains of Madness. There they discover the Plateau of Leng and the City of Leng. They barely escape with their lives from a Shoggoth. (At the Mountains of Madness, H.P. Lovecraft)

27 - Dyer and Dansforth return to the base camp, but swear prior to their arrival never to tell a single soul what they've discovered. Dansforth goes mad. (At the Mountains of Madness, H.P. Lovecraft)

28 - All planes and material still available return to McMurdo Sound. (At the Mountains of Madness, H.P. Lovecraft)

February

2 - The Miskatonic and the Arkham, with all hands on board, set sail for Boston, cutting the Miskatonic University Expedition drastically short. (At the Mountains of Madness, H.P. Lovecraft)

March

A gale wrecks the roof and great chimney of the Witch-House. (The Dreams in the Witch-House, H.P. Lovecraft)

December

Workman and police discovered bones and other artifacts amongst the rubble of the upper rooms in the Witch-House. Children's bones, along with bones of other animals, or things, were found in abundance. A silver bowl and sacrificial dagger were found, as was the bones of a rat-like creature with hands and feet like a human. (The Dreams in the Witch-House, H.P. Lovecraft)


1934
May

18 - Robert Mackenzie writes a letter to Nathaniel Peaslee, telling him about the strange blocks of stone he discovered in Western Australia and how they correspond with those of his dreams. (The Shadow Out of Time, H.P. Lovecraft)

July

10 - Nathaniel Peaslee receives the letter from Robert Mackenzie, which was originally sent to the American Psychological Society and forwarded to him. After discussion with his son and others from Miskatonic University, Peaslee prepares to go on an expedition into Australia to study the stones. (The Shadow Out of Time, H.P. Lovecraft)

Winter (month unknown)

Robert Blake returns to Providence, Rhode Island from Milwaukee, Wisconsin and takes up residence on College Street. Through the winter into early 1935, Blake produces five of his best short stories and paints seven canvases. (The Haunter of the Dark, H.P. Lovecraft)


1935
First Part of Year

Robert Mackenzie comes to Arkham to assist Nathaniel Peaslee in preparing for his expedition. (The Shadow Out of Time, H.P. Lovecraft)

March

28 - Aboard the Lexington, the Peaslee Expedition sets sail to Australia via the Mediterranean. (The Shadow Out of Time, H.P. Lovecraft)

April

Robert Blake makes his way across Providence, Rhode Island to visit Free-Will Church atop Federal Hill. While there, he discovers the skeletal remains of Edwin Lillibridge and the Shining Trapezohedron. Blake accidentally summons the Haunter of the Dark by staring into the depths of the stone. (The Haunter of the Dark, H.P. Lovecraft)

May

31 - The Peaslee Expedition fords a branch of the De Grey and enters a region of "utter desolation." (The Shadow Out of Time, H.P. Lovecraft)

June

Robert Blake finally unlocks the secret of the cryptogram in a notebook he found in the Free-Will Church. The text, in Aklo, describes the Shining Trapezohedron, and how it is used to summon the Haunter of the Dark. (The Haunter of the Dark, H.P. Lovecraft)

3 - The Peaslee Expedition discovers the first of the half buried blocks. Nathaniel recognizes the block and the hieroglyphics that adorn it from those in his dreams. A month’s worth of digging yields a total of 1250 blocks. (The Shadow Out of Time, H.P. Lovecraft)

July

During the first week of the month, Nathaniel Peaslee develops an unaccountable mixed feeling of the area to his northeast. He takes the habit of going on long walks toward that area at night. (The Shadow Out of Time, H.P. Lovecraft)

Citizens of Providence, Rhode Island who live near the Free-Will Church begin to whisper of the stirrings, bumpings, and scrapings inside the church ever since Blake violated it. (The Haunter of the Dark, H.P. Lovecraft)

11 - Nathaniel Peaslee discovers a block belonging to the dark masonry of the Flying Polyps during one of his nocturnal walks. (The Shadow Out of Time, H.P. Lovecraft)

12 - Peaslee takes Dyer, Freeborn, Boyle, and his son out to find the dark basalt block he discovered the night before with no luck. (The Shadow Out of Time, H.P. Lovecraft)

16-17 - A thunderstorm hits Providence, Rhode Island and put's the city's lights out for an entire hour. Those living near the Free-Will Church describe vicious flopping and bumping in the main building of the church during this absence of light. (The Haunter of the Dark, H.P. Lovecraft)

17 - The Journal carries the story of the noises in the Free-Will Church. Reporters of the Bulletin enter the Free-Will church to investigate, and find the area in shambles, a terrible odor everywhere, and bits of yellow stain and charring. They do not find the skeleton or the Shining Trapezohedron in the tower. (The Haunter of the Dark, H.P. Lovecraft)

18 - Nathaniel Peaslee discovers the absolute truth of what happened to him during his spell of amnesia. He finds access to the city of his dreams and discovers the library where his own recollections of earth’s history has been stored for over 150,000,000 years. On his way out, he is chased by a Flying Polyp and barely escapes with his life. (The Shadow Out of Time, H.P. Lovecraft)

30 - Robert Blake sleepwalks and awakes to find himself opening the trapdoor that leads into the upper tower of the Free-Will Church. In the following week, Blake takes his food by telephone and ties cords around his legs in knots tight enough to waken him if he tries to sleepwalk again. (The Haunter of the Dark, H.P. Lovecraft)

August

8 - A great thunderstorm breaks around Providence, Rhode Island. (The Haunter of the Dark, H.P. Lovecraft)

9 - At just prior to 1 a.m., Robert Blake attempts to telephone the power company, but the lines are dead. At 2:12 a.m., the lights go out all over Providence. Watchers around the Free-Will Church stand vigil with candles under umbrellas, but great gusts of winds blow the candles out. At 2:35 a.m, the Haunter of the Dark bursts from its confines in the church and rushes to Blake. A great blast of lightning banishes the beast, but not before Blake is killed. (The Haunter of the Dark, H.P. Lovecraft)

Doctor Dexter investigates the church and finds the Shining Trapezohedron, along with numerous forbidden tomes. He tosses the stone into the deepest channel of the Narragansett Bay and keeps the volumes in his own library. (The Haunter of the Dark, H.P. Lovecraft)


2518
Month Unknown

Australian physicist Nevel Kingston-Brown dies.


5000
Month Unknown

The Tsan-Chan empire dominates earth. (The Shadow Out of Time, H.P. Lovecraft)


16,000
Month Unknown

Nug-Soth, a magician of the dark conquerors of earth, lives.

Chris Lowe

Sarky wrote: »

By the end of the first Omnibus I was sick of hearing about gambrel roofs.

It's quite amazing how much today's much-lauded writers have "borrowed" from Lovecraft. I'm not saying they're hacks, not by a long shot, but the scope of Lovecraft's influence is massive. There's hardly a writer out there that hasn't been shaped at least a bit by the man.

You should read A Cthulhu Mythos Bibliography and Concordance by Chris Jarocha-Ernst, it lists 2631 works of prose and poetry using the Cthulhu Mythos (including 9 by Stephen King) and it excludes cross-overs (like this one http://www.fanfiction.net/s/1545737/1/). Actually, his influence may not be limited to fiction writers: http://jcolavito.tripod.com/lostcivilizations/id18.html
http://jcolavito.tripod.com/lostcivilizations/id1.html
http://jcolavito.tripod.com/lostcivilizations/id26.html

My personal favorite Lovecraft influenced writer is Robert Bloch.

regards
Chris.

CiDeRmAn

I have to say, reading quite a few of the mans stories, I really like them, a nice combination of horror and science fiction.
So good was he and are his tales that his legacy can be seen in the mythos of Hellboy, The Thing and other Hollywood features.
Sadly the one thing that turns my stomach about his fiction is the blatant racism present, the presentation of people of colours other than white being presented as suspicious or bestial, not good, and not necessarily typical of the time.

That said, I have enjoyed the three omnibuses of his stories, loved in particular The Moon-Bog, obviously due to the Irish connection.
But my absolute favourite is At the Mountains of Madness, probably one of the truely great science fiction stories, and in desperate need of a faithful movie adaptation, I believe Guillermo Del Toro is going to direct it, fingers crossed.
Also, The Call of Cthulhu, naturally.

I am lucky enough to own a copy of the graphic novel illustrated by John Coulthart that's quite brilliant, and very disturbing.
http://www.amazon.com/Haunter-Dark-Other-Grotesque-Visions/dp/1902197232/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1248989375&sr=8-1

nyarlothothep

CiDeRmAn wrote: »

I have to say, reading quite a few of the mans stories, I really like them, a nice combination of horror and science fiction.
So good was he and are his tales that his legacy can be seen in the mythos of Hellboy, The Thing and other Hollywood features.
Sadly the one thing that turns my stomach about his fiction is the blatant racism present, the presentation of people of colours other than white being presented as suspicious or bestial, not good, and not necessarily typical of the time.

That said, I have enjoyed the three omnibuses of his stories, loved in particular The Moon-Bog, obviously due to the Irish connection.
But my absolute favourite is At the Mountains of Madness, probably one of the truely great science fiction stories, and in desperate need of a faithful movie adaptation, I believe Guillermo Del Toro is going to direct it, fingers crossed.
Also, The Call of Cthulhu, naturally.

I am lucky enough to own a copy of the graphic novel illustrated by John Coulthart that's quite brilliant, and very disturbing.
http://www.amazon.com/Haunter-Dark-Other-Grotesque-Visions/dp/1902197232/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1248989375&sr=8-1

Yes the racism aspect is a curious one alright, I'd like to imagine he was more tolerant, he did get married to a jewish woman, ok so thats not the same as not hating blacks or whatever, but in the Waspish America of the early 20th century it may indicate that the racism in his stories might just be to appease his audiences. I dunno though he could very well have been racist and you're right that not all americans were like this, for example General Monty Meigs of the Union during the american civil war doesn't come across as racist though someone could correct me on this?

apsalar

Just wanted to say that the Dunwhich Horror and the Moon-Bog are my favourite stories of his.