Where Imagination Ends: Essays on Speculative Fiction

August Derleth spent nearly his entire career studying the genres of horror, fantasy, and science fiction. From so early a work as “The Weird Tale in English Since 1890” (1930), written as a thesis at the University of Wisconsin, to essays that appeared a year before his death, Derleth discussed the nature and parameters of these genres, with incisive discussions of such writers as Arthur Machen, John W. Campbell, Jr., and Ray Bradbury. He devoted much attention to the life and work of his early friend and mentor, H. P. Lovecraft, establishing the small press Arkham House to issue Lovecraft’s work in book form. In the 1950s he compiled numerous anthologies of horror and science fiction, helping to establish a canon of the best work in these fields. Throughout his writings Derleth takes a practical and writerly approach to genre fiction, underscoring the need to connect with human issues and emphasizing the benefits of carefully worked-out plots and detailed character portrayal. His essays, reviews, and other writings on this subject are gathered here for the first time. Read more