Where does one start with Lovecraft?

[adamgurri]

I think "From Beyond" is a great place to start if you want to get the flavor of Lovecraft. Of his longer works, <i>The Case of Charles Dexter Ward</i> was a really fun read for me, at least.

[Tcho-Tcho Gourmand]

"Cool air" is excellent, and not mythos-related; "The Colour out of Space", as so many people has recommended in this thread. And, finally, "Herbert West, Reanimator"; I think this story has a strange sense of humour which is something Lovecraft usually lacks. I really enjoy the loyalty of West's sideckick, the narrator, always ready to do something incredibly dangerous or illegal at his master's command, even if West is such a sick son of a bitch...

[Bob Lovecraft]

I first started with "Rats in the Walls", "The Duwich Horror", and "The Thing on the Doorstep". So I personally think one of those is a good one to start with. Of the three, I would recomend "The Thing on the Doorstep" as it is classic HPL, and tosses out some great hints to the overall mythos with some of the things Edward Derby talks about. Plus it eludes to Innsmouth, which is what lead me to both "Dagon" and "The Shadow Over Innsmouth".

Bob

[vortexgods]

When I was starting with Lovecraft, I bought a book called "The Dunwich Horror and Others" from Arkham House publishing,

http://64.227.162.73/miva/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=arkhamhouse&Product_Code=0-87054-037-8&Category_Code=005

I don't think it was as expensive when I bought it, but those were 1980's dollars, and it had a different picture on the cover.  I still own it, but it has some water damage now from an overflowing washing machine.

[Bob Lovecraft]

When I was starting with Lovecraft, I bought a book called "The Dunwich Horror and Others" from Arkham House publishing,

http://64.227.162.73/miva/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=arkhamhouse&Product_Code=0-87054-037-8&Category_Code=005

I don't think it was as expensive when I bought it, but those were 1980's dollars, and it had a different picture on the cover.  I still own it, but it has some water damage now from an overflowing washing machine.

No, you have a copy that was damaged by the unspeakable ichor from one of the many mouths of the shoggoth sent to retrieve your copy of the book. How you defeated it is too horrible to tell, so you can only hint about it and say, "the plastic tips of shoelaces are called aglets, and their true purpose is sinister..."

Sheesh, Vortexgods, bet it straight.

Bob

[vortexgods]

When I was starting with Lovecraft, I bought a book called "The Dunwich Horror and Others" from Arkham House publishing,

http://64.227.162.73/miva/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=arkhamhouse&Product_Code=0-87054-037-8&Category_Code=005

I don't think it was as expensive when I bought it, but those were 1980's dollars, and it had a different picture on the cover.  I still own it, but it has some water damage now from an overflowing washing machine.

No, you have a copy that was damaged by the unspeakable ichor from one of the many mouths of the shoggoth sent to retrieve your copy of the book. How you defeated it is too horrible to tell, so you can only hint about it and say, "the plastic tips of shoelaces are called aglets, and their true purpose is sinister..."

Sheesh, Vortexgods, bet it straight.

Bob

Shoggoth's, grr, my one weakness!

[Ruth - CthulhuChick]

I first started with "Rats in the Walls", "The Duwich Horror", and "The Thing on the Doorstep". So I personally think one of those is a good one to start with. Of the three, I would recomend "The Thing on the Doorstep" as it is classic HPL, and tosses out some great hints to the overall mythos with some of the things Edward Derby talks about. Plus it eludes to Innsmouth, which is what lead me to both "Dagon" and "The Shadow Over Innsmouth".

Bob

Although I'd do Shadow before Doorstep, just because it came first & it gives more setup for what's hinted at re: Innsmouth. But they do make a good pairing either way.

[sickboy]

I read Doorstep before Shadow, simply because they were in that order in the book I read.

Anyway, a good book to start with:

http://www.play.com/Books/Books/4-/300498/-/Product.html?opFR=true

It's got Rats in the Walls, Call of Cthulhu, The Dunwich Horror, Thing on the Doorstep, Shadow over Innsmouth, The Outsider and (I think) The Colour out of Space. It's by far the best selection I've read.

[Ruth - CthulhuChick]

I read Doorstep before Shadow, simply because they were in that order in the book I read.

Anyway, a good book to start with:

http://www.play.com/Books/Books/4-/300498/-/Product.html?opFR=true

It's got Rats in the Walls, Call of Cthulhu, The Dunwich Horror, Thing on the Doorstep, Shadow over Innsmouth, The Outsider and (I think) The Colour out of Space. It's by far the best selection I've read.

That's an excellent starter collection as far as stories go, some of the best, but I'm a bit disappointed that the editor didn't switch the order of those two because of publication date/material.

Incidentally, I wrote up a post on my recommendations: http://cthulhuchick.com/308/lovecraft-recommended-reading-list/

[old book]

I'd say:

1. Evil Clergyman (or one of the fragments)
2. Beyond the Wall of Sleep
3. Strange High House in the Mist

If someone can't get through these, or finds them pointless, they probably won't ever find anything worthwhile in any other Lovecraft story, so they can just skip him with minor time invested.

If you want to convince someone he's good, really, honest, I promise, I'd say:

1. Shadow over Innsmouth
2. Shadow out of Time
3. Haunter of the Dark
4. Colour
5. He
6. Horror at Red Hook

If you want to convince someone he's not good, I'd recommend:

1. Dunwich
2. Cool Air
3. Diary
4. Electric Executioner

If they persist in thinking he's not bad, make them read:

1. Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath
2. Herbert West

(I like all of the above, incidentally)