H.P. Lovecraft & the Black Magickal Tradition

A Lovecraft scholar presents a penetrating study of the author's life, work, and connections to modern occultism. Many practicing occultists have speculated that H. P. Lovecraft possessed in-depth knowledge of black magick. Yet literary scholars maintain the renowned horror writer was simply a master of his craft, and that the enduring power of his work is purely the result of his rich imagination. In H.P. Lovecraft & the Black Magical Tradition, John L. Steadman examines the considerable overlap between the author's fictions and true occultism—and consider whether Lovecraft was a practitioner of the dark arts himself. Weaving Lovecraft's biography together with literary criticism and modern magickal systems, Steadman demonstrates that Lovecraft's works—specifically his Cthulhu Mythos and his creation of the Necronomicon—represent the basis for a legitimate magickal system.