This single-volume edition features a pair of H. P. Lovecraft's best and most popular tales of horror and fantasy: "The Call of Cthulhu," praised by Conan the Barbarian creator Robert E. Howard as "a masterpiece, which I am sure will live as one of the highest achievements of literature," and "At the Mountains of Madness," hailed as "first-water, true-blue science fiction" by author Theodore Sturgeon.
Originally published by Weird Tales magazine in 1928, "The Call of Cthulhu" recounts the discovery of a mysterious box among the personal effects of a recently deceased archaeologist. The box's contents — a disturbing bas-relief sculpture and manuscripts hinting at forbidden knowledge — offer sinister clues about a secret cult and its attempts to resurrect an ancient monster that will envelop the planet in chaos. "At the Mountains of Madness," serialized in 1936 in Astounding Stories magazine, traces a disastrous expedition to the Antarctic that uncovers an abandoned city haunted by an unnamed evil. Both stories contributed to the formation of the Cthulhu Mythos, the framework for a shared universe that has inspired countless writers, musicians, readers, and visual artists. These enormously influential tales are must-reads for all fans of speculative fiction.