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Arkham House

From Alfawiki
Adapted from the English Wikipedia article Arkham House, available under CC BY-SA 4.0Updated 25 July 2025
Arkham House
Company typePrivate
IndustryPublishing
Founded1939 in Sauk City, Wisconsin, United States
FounderAugust Derleth and Donald Wandrei
Headquarters
Sauk City
,
United States
Area served
United States
Key people
April Derleth (President and CEO until 2011), Danielle Jacobs (President), Damon Derleth (Vice President), George Vanderburgh (Editor), Robert Weinberg (Editor until 2016)
ProductsBooks (specializing in weird fiction, horror, fantasy)

Arkham House was a publishing firm based in the United States, established in 1939 in Sauk City, Wisconsin by August Derleth and Donald Wandrei. Its core mission focused on producing hardcover editions of H. P. Lovecraft's literature, which had previously appeared only in pulp periodicals. The company took its name from Lovecraft's imaginary town of Arkham, Massachusetts, and gained a reputation for superior printing and binding standards. The emblem used by the press was created by Frank Utpatel.

Founding

Following Lovecraft’s passing in 1937, Derleth and Wandrei sought to honor his premier weird fiction by compiling it into a hardcover volume. Unable to secure interest from major publishing houses, they founded Arkham House to release Lovecraft’s works independently. Their first publication, The Outsider and Others (1939), was priced at $5.00, with an early order discount of $3.50; only 150 advance orders were received. The print run consisted of 1,268 copies produced by George Banta Co., featuring illustrations by Virgil Finlay.

Although sales began slowly, Derleth supplemented the company’s finances with his own writing income, allowing for gradual expansion. A follow-up Lovecraft collection titled Beyond the Wall of Sleep (1943) marked Arkham House’s growing catalog. By 1944, the publisher had released four titles, including works authored by Donald Wandrei and Clark Ashton Smith.

In 1945, Arkham House broadened its offerings by issuing two unpublished novels: Evangeline Walton’s Witch House and Derleth’s The Lurker at the Threshold, which was based on an outline by Lovecraft. The press also brought out collections from established fantasy writers such as J. Sheridan Le Fanu and Algernon Blackwood, alongside American authors like A.E. Van Vogt. Van Vogt’s novel Slan, with a print run exceeding 4,000 copies, became Arkham’s highest-selling book during the 1940s.

Throughout the 1950s, Arkham House consistently published works in the fantasy and horror genres but encountered financial difficulties due to competition from science fiction publishers. A significant loan from Dr. David H. Keller in 1948 helped avert bankruptcy amid cash flow challenges.

In the late 1960s, a resurgence of interest in Robert E. Howard and Lovecraft led to a notable increase in sales, with Lovecraft’s writings reissued across three omnibus editions that remained continuously available. Arkham House also produced a five-volume set of Lovecraft's Selected Letters, documenting correspondence with influential figures including the company’s founders.

The publisher featured distinguished authors such as Ray Bradbury, Robert E. Howard, Clark Ashton Smith, as well as early works by Ramsey Campbell and Brian Lumley. Despite this impressive lineup, Arkham House faced ongoing financial struggles; Derleth acknowledged that yearly revenues never fully covered costs, necessitating his personal financial support to keep the business afloat.

After Derleth passed away in 1971, Wandrei briefly took on the role of editorial director but did not remain long-term. Before the 1980s, Arkham House seldom reissued its titles; instead, some rights were licensed to other publishers for paperback versions. This practice shifted during the 1980s when multiple printings and variant editions became common for more than twenty titles.

Arkham House's strategy revolved around dominating a specialized niche market within weird fiction publishing, capitalizing on its founders’ reputations and dedication to high-quality production to cultivate a devoted audience despite limited commercial profitability.

Operation

Arkham House was co-owned by August Derleth's offspring, April (Rose) and Walden (Wally) Derleth, with April overseeing the company's day-to-day activities. A 1977 English graduate from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, April became the principal shareholder as well as President and CEO in 1994, maintaining these positions until her passing.

Following Wandrei's tenure, James Turner took over as editorial director and broadened Arkham House’s catalog during the 1970s and 1980s to feature prominent science fiction and fantasy writers such as Michael Bishop, Lucius Shepard, Bruce Sterling, James Tiptree, Jr., Michael Shea, and J. G. Ballard. Turner redirected the company’s emphasis away from weird and horror genres but was dismissed by April Derleth in 1997; subsequently, he established Golden Gryphon Press.

In 1997, Peter Ruber was named consulting editor and succeeded Turner. Under April’s leadership starting in 2002, Arkham House reverted to focusing on traditional weird fiction. Ruber attracted criticism for his provocative author introductions in Arkham's Masters of Horror (2000) and eventually withdrew due to health concerns.

From 2000 through 2006, Arkham House’s output diminished considerably, publishing only nine titles including Barry N. Malzberg’s In the Stone House (2000), E. Hoffmann Price’s memoir anthology Book of the Dead (2001), collections by Nelson Bond, and biographies like Milt Thomas’s Cave of a Thousand Tales (2004).

The press was honored with the World Fantasy Award for Small Press Achievements in 2005.

In 2009, editorial responsibilities were assumed by George Vanderburgh of Battered Silicon Dispatch Box along with Robert Weinberg. That year marked a collaboration between Battered Silicon Dispatch Box and Arkham House resulting in four volumes of August Derleth stories—their only joint releases since 2006.

A limited edition two-volume facsimile reprint of The Arkham Sampler (1948–49) was co-published in 2010 with the August Derleth Society, restricted to 250 sets. Additionally, Jon Lellenberg’s novel Baker Street Irregular was issued under the Mycroft and Moran imprint that same year.

Status

According to George Vanderburgh’s blog at Battered Silicon Dispatch Box, several Arkham House titles were planned for release in 2011 and beyond (with Evermore as the last announced), though none had appeared by January 2017 due to April Derleth’s death on March 21, 2011. Following her passing in April 2011, ownership passed to her children; Danielle Jacobs was appointed president while Damon Derleth became vice president—both remain current proprietors. Vanderburgh continued as house editor alongside Robert Weinberg until Weinberg’s death in 2016.

Throughout the 2020s, no new publications have been issued under the Arkham House imprint; instead, the focus has been on reissuing earlier works. Historically, new titles were released almost annually from 1939 until 2010, barring a few intermittent pauses.

By June 2023, Arkham House’s official website had been offline for several months without any formal updates from the company. The August Derleth/Arkham House Facebook page stated that Arkham House is no longer operational and has not responded to inquiries. Nevertheless, a fresh trademark application was submitted by Arkham House LLC based in Minnesota to the USPTO in March 2024.

Additional Imprints

Throughout its history, Arkham House managed two other publishing imprints.

The Mycroft & Moran imprint was established in 1945 to focus on publishing mystery and detective fiction with a supernatural twist, notably featuring Derleth's Solar Pons series. The imprint’s title pays homage to characters from the Sherlock Holmes canon: Mycroft Holmes and Colonel Sebastian Moran. Since 1993, certain Mycroft & Moran publications have also been released by Battered Silicon Dispatch Box.

Also inaugurated in 1945, Arkham House launched Stanton & Lee Publishers, initially dedicated to showcasing cartoons by Clare Victor Dwiggins. This imprint later broadened its scope to include poetry and regional literature authored by August Derleth.

Additionally, August Derleth arranged for some Arkham House titles to be published through external firms such as Pellegrini & Cudahy in New York and Villiers Publications in England.

2010s

2000s

1990s

1980s

1970s

This decade marked a deliberate broadening of the company's catalog, prioritizing prominent authors and curated compilations to enhance their position within speculative fiction markets. The emphasis on letters, anthologies, and reprints contributed to ongoing commercial success and industry stature.

1960s

  • Collection titled The Folsom Flint and Other Curious Tales, authored by David H. Keller in 1969
  • Anthology named Tales of the Cthulhu Mythos, featuring works from H.P. Lovecraft and others, released in 1969
  • Issues one through five of The Arkham Collector, spanning years 1967 to 1969
  • Book entitled Nightmares and Daydreams, written by Nelson S. Bond in 1968
  • Volume II of Selected Letters from H.P. Lovecraft covering 1925–1929 issued in 1968
  • Work titled The Green Round, penned by Arthur Machen in 1968
  • Collection named Strange Gateways, authored by E. Hoffmann Price in 1967
  • Volume titled Three Tales of Horror, composed by H.P. Lovecraft in 1967
  • Novel called The Mind Parasites, written by Colin Wilson in 1967
  • Edited anthology named Travellers by Night, curated by August Derleth in 1967
  • Collection titled Deep Waters, authored by William Hope Hodgson in 1967
  • Work called Black Medicine, penned by Arthur J. Burks in 1966
  • Book named Colonel Markesan and Less Pleasant People, co-authored by August Derleth and Mark Schorer in 1966
  • Compilation titled The Dark Brotherhood and Other Pieces, featuring H.P. Lovecraft among others, released in 1966
  • Volume called Strange Harvest, authored by Donald Wandrei in 1965
  • Collection named Something Breathing, written by Stanley McNail in 1965
  • Anthology titled The Quick and the Dead, composed by Vincent Starrett in 1965
  • Compilation named Dagon and Other Macabre Tales, authored solely by H.P. Lovecraft in 1965
  • Volume called Poems in Prose, penned by Clark Ashton Smith in 1965
  • First volume of Selected Letters from H.P. Lovecraft covering years 1911–1924 issued in 1965
  • Collection titled ‘’Tales of Science and Sorcery’’, composed by Clark Ashton Smith in 1964
  • Anthology named ‘’Nightmare Need’’, compiled from works of Joseph Payne Brennan in 1964
  • Book entitled ‘’Portraits in Moonlight’’, authored by Carl Richard Jacobi in 1964
  • Volume called ‘’At the Mountains of Madness and Other Novels’’, featuring works from H.P. Lovecraft issued in 1964
  • Edited collection ‘’Over the Edge’’, curated under August Derleth’s supervision in 1964
  • Compilation ‘’Poems for Midnight’’, composed by Donald Wandrei released in 1964
  • Work titled ‘’The Inhabitant of the Lake and Less Welcome Tenants’’, penned by J. Ramsey Campbell published in 1964
  • Collection ‘’The Dark Man and Others’’, written by Robert E. Howard released in 1963
  • Book ‘’Mr. George and Other Odd Persons’’, attributed to Stephen Grendon aka August Derleth published in 1963
  • Volume entitled ‘’Who Fears the Devil?’’, authored by Manly Wade Wellman issued in 1963
  • Annotated autobiography ‘’Some Notes on a Nonentity’’ written originally by H.P. Lovecraft with annotations from August Derleth published in 1963
  • Compilation ‘’The Dunwich Horror and Others’’, featuring writings from H.P. Lovecraft issued also in 1963
  • Collected poetry volume ‘’Collected Poems’’ attributed to H.P. Lovecraft released that year as well

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1950s

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1940s

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1939

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External links

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