A high priest and prophet greatly learned in the lore of the gods of earth attempts to scale the mountain of Hatheg-Kla in order to look upon their faces, accompanied by his young disciple. But the gods of the earth are not there alone.

"The Very Old Folk" is a short story by American horror fiction writer H. P. Lovecraft. It is reportedly a recording of a dream, where the main protagonist is a Roman military official in Hispania. The countryside is, every year, ravaged by terrible hill people who kidnap citizens and perform cruel rituals at a Sabath. The narrator wishes to lead a military expedition to crush these hill folk, as a feeling of approaching evil has enveloped the countryside, due to a riot between the citizens and the hill people. These hill folk came to trade, yet some of these are killed and later, no disappearances occur before the time of the Sabath. The incursion is guided by a local-born son of Roman parents. As the Romans approach the seat of the Sabath rituals, something terrible attacks them and in an instant, horrible things come to

"He had killed himself when the horses screamed... He, who had been born and lived all his life in that region, and knew what men whispered about the hills. All the torches now began to dim, and the cries of frightened legionaries mingled with the unceasing screams of the tethered horses. The air grew perceptibly colder, more suddenly so than is usual at November's brink, and seemed stirred by terrible undulations which I could not help connecting with the beating of huge wings."

The story ends with the narrator waking up, offering one final word of

"Of the fate of that cohort no record exists, but the town at least was saved - for encyclop?dias tell of the survival of Pompelo to this day, under the modern Spanish name of Pompelona..." .

a selection from the beginning of the story:

The horrible conclusion which had been gradually intruding itself upon my confused and reluctant mind was now an awful certainty. I was lost, completely, hopelessly lost in the vast and labyrinthine recess of the Mammoth Cave. Turn as I might, in no direction could my straining vision seize on any object capable of serving as a guidepost to set me on the outward path. That nevermore should I behold the blessed light of day, or scan the pleasant hills and dales of the beautiful world outside, my reason could no longer entertain the slightest unbelief. Hope had departed. Yet, indoctrinated as I was by a life of philosophical study, I derived no small measure of satisfaction from my unimpassioned demeanour; for although I had frequently read of the wild frenzies into which were thrown the victims of similar situations, I experienced none of these, but stood quiet as soon as I clearly realised the loss of my bearings.
Nor did the thought that I had probably wandered beyond the utmost limits of an ordinary search cause me to abandon my composure even for a moment. If I must die, I reflected, then was this terrible yet majestic cavern as welcome a sepulchre as that which any churchyard might afford, a conception which carried with it more of tranquillity than of despair.
Starving would prove my ultimate fate; of this I was certain. Some, I knew, had gone mad under circumstances such as these, but I felt that this end would not be mine. My disaster was the result of no fault save my own, since unknown to the guide I had separated myself from the regular party of sightseers; and, wandering for over an hour in forbidden avenues of the cave, had found myself unable to retrace the devious windings which I had pursued since forsaking my companions.
Already my torch had begun to expire; soon I would be enveloped by the total and almost palpable blackness of the bowels of the earth. As I stood in the waning, unsteady light, I idly wondered over the exact circumstances of my coming end. I remembered the accounts which I had heard of the colony of consumptives, who, taking their residence in this gigantic grotto to find health from the apparently salubrious air of the underground world, with its steady, uniform temperature, pure air, and peaceful quiet, had found, instead, death in strange and ghastly form. I had seen the sad remains of their ill-made cottages as I passed them by with the party, and had wondered what unnatural influence a long sojourn in this immense and silent cavern would exert upon one as healthy and vigorous as I. Now, I grimly told myself, my opportunity for settling this point had arrived, provided that want of food should not bring me too speedy a departure from this life.

"The Lurking Fear" is a horror short story by American writer H. P. Lovecraft. Written in November 1922, it was first published in the January through April 1923 issues of Home Brew .

The story is narrated by an unnamed seeker of strange horrors who is investigating the massacre of a community of some six dozen backwoods degenerates in an obscure region of the Catskills, a massacre which occurred during a particularly violent electrical storm and seems to have been perpetrated by an unidentified clawed beast. The narrator soon discovers that the most sinister legends of the region center around the abandoned Martense mansion, and he decides together with two companionsto spend the night in the big old house...

A lone traveler seeks shelter from an approaching storm in an apparently abandoned house, only to find that it is occupied by a "loathsome old, white-bearded, and ragged man."

The Nameless City of the story's title is an ancient ruin located somewhere in the deserts of the Arabian Peninsula, and is older than any human civilization. In ancient times, the Nameless City was built and inhabited by an unnamed race of reptiles with a body shaped like a cross between a crocodile and a seal with a strange head common to neither, involving a protruding forehead, horns, lack of a nose, and an alligator-like jaw. These beings moved by crawling; thus, the architecture of the city has very low ceilings and some places are too low for a human being to stand upright. Their city was originally coastal, but, when the seas receded, it was left in the depths of a desert. This resulted in the decline and eventual ruin of the city.

In relating the circumstances which have led to my confinement within this refuge for the demented, I am aware that my present position will create a natural doubt of the authenticity of my narrative. It is an unfortunate fact that the bulk of humanity is too limited in its mental vision to weigh with patience and intelligence those isolated phenomena, seen and felt only by a psychologically sensitive few, which lie outside its common experience. Men of broader intellect know that there is no sharp distinction betwixt the real and the unreal; that all things appear as they do only by virtue of the delicate individual physical and mental media through which we are made conscious of them; but the prosaic materialism of the majority condemns as madness the flashes of supersight which penetrate the common veil of obvious empricism.

Howard Phillips (H.P.) Lovecraft (1890-1937) was an influential author best known for his science fiction, horror and fantasy stories, and among those stories his best known ones are those that combine elements of all three. Through that mixture, Lovecraft became the most celebrated author of a genre known as “weird fiction”, especially with his works on the the monster Cthulhu , which has continued to be the subject of other writers’ works. Today, an entire mythos centers around Cthulhu, bringing together all of the different stories from all of the different writers.

"Herbert West: Reanimator" is a short story by American horror fiction writer H. P. Lovecraft. It was written between October 1921 and June 1922. It was first serialized in February through July 1922 in the amateur publication Home Brew. The story was the basis of the 1985 horror film Re-Animator and its sequels, in addition to numerous other adaptations in various media.

The story is the first to mention Lovecraft's fictional Miskatonic University. It is also notable as one of the first depictions of zombies, as corpses arising, through scientific means, as animalistic, and uncontrollably violent creatures.

interpreted dreams, and the gods have laughed. One man with Oriental eyes has said that all time and space are relative, and men have laughed. But even that man with Oriental eyes has done no more than suspect. I had wished and tried to do more than suspect, and my friend had tried and partly succeeded. Then we both tried together, and with exotic drugs courted terrible and forbidden dreams in the tower studio chamber of the old manor-house in hoary Kent.

Among the agonies of these after days is that chief of torments- inarticulateness. What I learned and saw in those hours of impious exploration can never be told- for want of symbols or suggestions in any language. I say this because from first to last our discoveries partook only of the nature of sensations; sensations correlated with no impression which the nervous system of normal humanity is capable of receiving. They were sensations, yet within them lay unbelievable elements of time and space- things which at bottom possess no distinct and definite existence. Human utterance can best convey the general character of our experiences by calling them plungings or soarings; for in every period of revelation some part of our minds broke boldly away from all that is real and present, rushing aerially along shocking, unlighted, and fear-haunted abysses,

"The Hound" is a short story written by H. P. Lovecraft in September 1922 and published in the February 1924 issue of Weird Tales. It contains the first mention of Lovecraft's fictional text the Necronomicon,
The story focuses around the narrator and his friend St. John, who have a deranged interest in robbing graves. They constantly defile crypts and often keep souvenirs of their nocturnal expeditions. Since they reside in the same house, they have the opportunity to set up a sort of morbid museum in their basement. Using the objects they collect from the various graves they have robbed, they organize the private exhibition. The collection consists of headstones, preserved bodies, skulls, and several heads in different phases of decomposition. It also included statues, frightful paintings, and a locked portfolio bound in tanned human-skin.

When he died in 1937, destitute and emotionally and physically ruined, H. P. Lovecraft had no idea that he would come to be regarded as the godfather of the modern horror genre, nor that his work would influence an entire generation of writers, including Stephen King and Anne Rice. Now, at last, the most important tales of this distinctive American genius are gathered in one volume by National Book Award-winning author Joyce Carol Oates, whose perceptive and penetrating introduction explains how Lovecraft's singular talents fused the supernatural and the mundane into a frightening, complex, exquisitely realized vision. Finally, after decades of neglect, H. P. Lovecraft's extraordinary work will enjoy the recognition it deserves.

★克蘇魯神話是在上世紀20年代開始，以洛夫克拉夫特一系列作品為開端，經由洛夫克拉夫特的友人加以整理後成為一個重要的恐怖小說創作世界觀。
其中的創作核心「無以名狀的恐怖」、「未知的恐懼」、「來自外太空的邪神」等等，成為日後恐怖創作的重要靈感來源，散見於東西方各種電影、小說、遊戲、漫畫。
不管是西方的尼爾‧蓋曼、史蒂芬‧金，或是東方的小林泰三，全都受其影響，而有許多以此世界觀創作的精彩作品。
★20世紀的洛夫克拉夫特作品，在現代已經較難符合當代讀者的閱讀習慣。
田邊剛的改編為讀者帶來了理解洛夫克拉夫特作品的全新角度。
他以電影手法寫實改編洛夫克拉夫特重要代表作，媲美好萊塢億萬製作的紙上電影。
★手塚治蟲文化獎、艾斯納獎、安古蘭國際漫畫節等等，日美法權威漫畫獎項肯定，
第一位獲得世界級好評的改編洛夫克拉夫特作品的日本漫畫家！

“H.P. Lovecraft has yet to be surpassed as the twentieth century’s greatest practitioner of the classic horror tale.”—Stephen King

“The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown.”—H.P. Lovecraft

This is the collection that true fans of horror fiction must have: sixteen of H.P. Lovecraft’s most horrifying visions, including:

The Call of Cthulu: The first story in the infamous Cthulhu mythos—a creature spawned in the stars brings a menace of unimaginable evil to threaten all mankind.

The Dunwich Horror: An evil man’s desire to perform an unspeakable ritual leads him in search of the fabled text of The Necronomicon.

The Colour Out of Space: A horror from the skies—far worse than any nuclear fallout—transforms a man into a monster.

The Shadow Over Innsmouth: Rising from the depths of the sea, an unspeakable horror engulfs a quiet New England town.

Plus twelve more terrifying tales!

《克苏鲁神话》是20世纪伟大且具影响力的恐怖小说体系，作者是H.P·洛夫克拉夫特——或者“爱手艺”。
假设你的脚边有一只蚂蚁在爬，你不会在意有没有踩死它，因为它太渺小了，是死还是活，对你来说没有分毫影响。在“克苏鲁神话”中描述的远古邪神的眼中，人类就是那只蚂蚁。
洛夫克拉夫特所倡导的“宇宙主义”，即人类远非世界的主宰者，在尚未探索的未知宇宙中，隐藏着超乎想象、不可名状的恐怖真相，只是见上一眼就能让人陷入疯狂或者死亡。正如作者本人所述：“人类最古老、最强烈的情感是恐惧；而最古老、最强烈的恐惧，是对未知的恐惧”。
《克苏鲁神话》
收录了“克苏鲁神话”中具代表性的10部中短篇小说，包括《克苏鲁的呼唤》《大衮》《黑暗中的低语》《敦威治恐怖事件》等。
《克苏鲁神话 II》
收录了“克苏鲁神话”中口碑好、呼声高的4部经典中短篇小说，包括《疯狂山脉》《印斯茅斯小镇的阴霾》《墙中之鼠》《超越时间之影》。
《克苏鲁神话 III》
收录了《皮克曼的模特》《潜伏的恐惧》《土丘》等8篇中短篇故事。
“待在疯狂山脉背风的阴影之中，你必须管好自己的想象力。”
繁星已经抵达特定的位置，旧日支配者即将重现人间。 作者
H.P.洛夫克拉夫特
Howard Philips Lovecraft
1890—1937
1890年出生于普罗维登斯安格尔街194号。
3岁时父亲因精神崩溃被送进医院，五年后去世。
14岁时祖父去世，家道中落，他一度打算自杀。
18岁时深受精神崩溃的折磨，未及毕业便退学。
29岁时母亲也精神失常，两年后死于手术。
34岁时结婚，但婚后生活并不幸福。妻子的帽子商店破产，身体健康恶化。他因此陷入痛苦与孤独，五年后离婚。

"The Nameless City" is a horror story written by H. P. Lovecraft in January 1921 and first published in the November 1921 issue of the amateur press journal The Wolverine . It is often considered the first Cthulhu Mythos story.

The Nameless City of the story's title is an ancient ruin located somewhere in the deserts of the Arabian Peninsula and is older than any human civilization.

Por trás do mundo visível há labirintos tenebrosos que escondem horrores desconhecidos. Feitiçarias antigas e rituais dos mais sinistros se misturam num caldeirão que exala o odor pútrido do mal. Esse é o universo de H. P. Lovecraft. Conhecido como o inventor da moderna tradição da literatura de horror, o autor imprimiu sua marca no gênero nas primeiras décadas do século XX, deixando de lado fantasmas e bruxas e imaginando a humanidade se curvando a um universo caótico e sombrio. Desenvolvendo uma mitologia própria, criou histórias nas quais a realidade e o pesadelo são separados por um fio tênue. Este volume reúne “O horror em Red Hook”, “Ele” e “A tumba” – um de seus contos mais famosos –, relatos nos quais a experiência do medo está próxima de uma fascinação temerosa.

A cor que caiu do espaço (1927) marca o primeiro passo decisivo de Lovecraft em direção ao horror cósmico inspirado pela ficção científica. Na história, um vilarejo a oeste de Arkham vê-se ameaçado quando um meteoro cai na propriedade de um fazendeiro local e traz consigo uma estranha aberração cromática que afeta a flora e a fauna da região --- e cria o cinzento e estéril “descampado maldito” onde nada cresce. O volume traz ainda em apêndice os textos “Notas sobre uma não entidade” (1933), o mais longo relato autobiográfico escrito por Lovecraft, “A confissão de um cético” (1922), breve ensaio em que o autor traça a evolução dos próprios interesses religiosos, científicos e filosóficos ao longo da vida, e “Notas sobre ficção interplanetária” (1934), artigo em que defende as possibilidades artísticas da ficção científica e ataca os clichês deste gênero.

O chamado de Cthulhu reúne desde as primeiras produções de Lovecraft, como Dagon até obras escritas logo antes de sua morte, como O assombro das trevas. Traz ainda o clássico O chamado de Cthulhu e A música de Erich Zann. O volume é um passeio pelo universo de um dos mestres do horror.

Howard Phillips Lovecraft has been hailed by literary critics as the inventor of modern horror, and a cultivating force behind such modern writers as Robert Bloch, Wes Craven and Stephen King, just to name a few. "The Dunwich Horror" and "The Call of Cthulhu," perhaps two of his most well-known tales, are narrated for the first time, by Wayne June, bringing to life the horrors from the mind of the Master himself, in the way that only he can. An 1 disc MP3 CD edition.