Question Re Clark Ashton Smith

[Fried Egg]

I have read the "Out of Space and Time" volumes 1 & 2 (Panther edition). But I'm wondering if there is much other weird fiction he has written that I should be looking out for? Given that I've read these, are there other collections worth reading?

 

[j d worthington]

I have read the "Out of Space and Time" volumes 1 & 2 (Panther edition). But I'm wondering if there is much other weird fiction he has written that I should be looking out for? Given that I've read these, are there other collections worth reading?

Oh, my, yes... If you enjoyed Out of Space and Time (which was originally put out by Arkham House in 1942, later re-released by Neville Spearman in 1971, as I recall), then you'd enjoy quite a bit of Smith's other work. Here's the Wiki entry on Smith, which also provides titles of many of his other works, as well as a link to the CAS website, The Eldritch Dark:

Clark Ashton Smith - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Clark Ashton Smith - The Eldritch Dark

(Incidentally, the Wiki entry for Arkham House includes the cover art of a majority, if not all, of their books, for those curious to see what these look like -- as many of them are rather difficult to come by save in reprint form, this may be the best way to get a gander at some of the artwork....)

Glad to hear you enjoyed your dip into CAS, Fried Egg; it's always good to see someone rediscovering such treasures....

 

[Fried Egg]

Yes, I very much enjoyed it. Thanks very much.

No particular collection you would single out as a priority then?

 

[j d worthington]

I suppose, if I were to pick a particular one, it would be more for general purposes and thematically... Lost Worlds, in this case. I'd suggest the 5-volume set Night Shade is coming out with, but they only have the first two, and as the stories are arranged in chronological order, it's somewhat uneven now and again; whereas Lost Worlds brings together many stories from his best cycles and includes some of his best material.

You might also look up the old Ballantine Adult Fantasy series volumes, if you can find them, especially Hyperborea, Zothique, and Poseidonis, which arranged the stories series-chronologically (more or less) and included a few odd things like prose-poems and such connected with each series....

I'm curious... what were your favorite stories from Out of Space and Time?

 

[Fried Egg]

Erm...well, bear in mind that I read the first volume about two years ago and the second volume about six months ago. I can't really recall, without looking through the stories, what they were about. With one notable exception: "The City of the Singing Flame". That one really stuck in my mind. A real masterpiece in my opinion. I remember his spectacular powers of description in tacking these worlds of wonder that would defy the power of most other authors to describe.

I'll probably re-read the first volume again soon to freshen my memory!

 

[Fried Egg]

I've started reading the "Lost Worlds" collection of stories and I've just finished "The coming of the white worm". I immediately re-read it and I must say that this story for some reason particularly affected me. What a great story although I find it hard to articulate why it affected me so. Maybe he just seemed particularly on fire in this story with his picture building and atmosphere.

When he's on form, there's nothing like him. The power of his stories lies more in his description than in his narrative. I don't know any author that has brought his vision alive in my head as much as Smith has done.

 

[j d worthington]

I've started reading the "Lost Worlds" collection of stories and I've just finished "The coming of the white worm". I immediately re-read it and I must say that this story for some reason particularly affected me. What a great story although I find it hard to articulate why it affected me so. Maybe he just seemed particularly on fire in this story with his picture building and atmosphere.

When he's on form, there's nothing like him. The power of his stories lies more in his description than in his narrative. I don't know any author that has brought his vision alive in my head as much as Smith has done.

I'd say this is fairly accurate. While by no means applying across the board, one can argue that many of Smith's plots, or the stories (per se) he tells, are not that innovative, fresh, or memorable. What makes them memorable is the way in which they are written, and the feeling of antiquity, strangeness, eeriness, and the weird (often poignant and touching as well as frightening) he evokes through his use of language. This, in turn, is because Smith was a very good poet with a very rich, textured style, and much of his prose borders on (or merges into) poetry itself....

 

[GOLLUM]

Try the VG Masterwork edition Emperor Of Dreams, it has qiute a lot of his work (43 stories plus poetry) including from memory Hyperborea, Zothique, and Aveignone (sp?).

Someone's gone to a lot of trouble to list all of Smith's work....

Bibliography of Clark Ashton Smith

BTW, anyone see the wiki entry for Smith? Very light on, I was a little surprised!

 

[Fried Egg]

I'm not really inclined to get the Masterworks "Emperor of Dreams" now given that there is likely to be a large overlap with stories I have already got. I am wondered where to next once I've completed both "Out of Space & Time" and "Lost Worlds"...

I happened to re-read a story from "Out of Space & Time" the other day called "The Second Interment" and I loved that story too. That's pretty much a horry story and sends a chill down your spine. It reminds me of an Edgar Allen Poe short story I read called "The Premature Burial" that had a similiar theme; someone prone to bouts of catalepsy and so has a fear of being mistaken for dead and then buried alive. Of course, the way these two tales are concluded is entirely different, Smith's being slightly less pleasant...

 

[j d worthington]

I'm not really inclined to get the Masterworks "Emperor of Dreams" now given that there is likely to be a large overlap with stories I have already got. I am wondered where to next once I've completed both "Out of Space & Time" and "Lost Worlds"...

I happened to re-read a story from "Out of Space & Time" the other day called "The Second Interment" and I loved that story too. That's pretty much a horry story and sends a chill down your spine. It reminds me of an Edgar Allen Poe short story I read called "The Premature Burial" that had a similiar theme; someone prone to bouts of catalepsy and so has a fear of being mistaken for dead and then buried alive. Of course, the way these two tales are concluded is entirely different, Smith's being slightly less pleasant...

Yes... Smith's description of his protagonist's syncope is marvelously imaginative and oppressive... one can almost physically feel the sensations he describes, and see and hear the images and sounds. A conte cruel of the first water....

Well, if you're not going for Emperor of Dreams, then you might want to get a copy of Genius Loci and/or The Abominations of Yondo....

 

[Fried Egg]

Ah thanks...

Am I right in saying that the "Genuis Loci" and "The Abominations of Yondo" form the third and fourth parts of a non-overlapping series of story collections (by Arkham House)? "Tales of Science and Sorcery" and "Other Dimensions" concluding the series?

It would seem that these collections are no long in print although Bison Books might well get around to re-printing them eventually seeing that they've done so with "Out of Space and Time" and "Lost Worlds"...

If not I'll have to scour the second hand book stores although I won't hold my breath there...they seem to be hard to find in my area.

 

[j d worthington]

Ah thanks...

Am I right in saying that the "Genuis Loci" and "The Abominations of Yondo" form the third and fourth parts of a non-overlapping series of story collections (by Arkham House)? "Tales of Science and Sorcery" and "Other Dimensions" concluding the series?

It would seem that these collections are no long in print although Bison Books might well get around to re-printing them eventually seeing that they've done so with "Out of Space and Time" and "Lost Worlds"...

If not I'll have to scour the second hand book stores although I won't hold my breath there...they seem to be hard to find in my area.

Yes, these are those collections. They were later reprinted by Neville Spearman, and then Panther Books. The Panther ed. of Genius Loci seems to be a bit more easy to find:

Genius Loci and Other Tales by Smith - Used Books At Biblio

The Abominations of Yondo is apparently quite expensive, while Tales of Science and Sorcery is a bit more reasonable:

Tales of Science and Sorcery by Clark Ashton Smith - Used Books At Biblio

Other Dimensions, on the other hand, also seems to be a bit high....

 

[Pyan]

If not I'll have to scour the second hand book stores although I won't hold my breath there...they seem to be hard to find in my area.

Keep looking, FE...they're out there.

I've now got Yondo and Genius, both first Panther PB editions, both fine to very fine.

Total outlay.......£1.30.

 

[j d worthington]

Keep looking, FE...they're out there.

I've now got Yondo and Genius, both first Panther PB editions, both fine to very fine.

Total outlay.......£1.30.

Nice save there, Pyan....

 

[GOLLUM]

Yeh I'm jealous!!

 

[Lobolover]

Depends on what stories youve read already-I got all from the internet,so I don't know whats in the colections.Offhand,the Colossus of Ylourne,the chain of aforgomon and the treader of the dust are all worth a read.

 

[Nesacat]

The man's work is addictive I tell you. Between him and Ellison I'm going to break some record for not sleeping. It's not possible to put the books down. I keep saying 'just one more story' and then another and another ...

Most of mine are the old Panther paperbacks too and very decent condition to boot.

 

[j d worthington]

Depends on what stories youve read already-I got all from the internet,so I don't know whats in the colections.Offhand,the Colossus of Ylourne,the chain of aforgomon and the treader of the dust are all worth a read.

Here you go:

Out of Space and Time - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Lost Worlds (book) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Genius Loci and Other Tales - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Abominations of Yondo - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Tales of Science and Sorcery - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Other Dimensions - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Black Book of Clark Ashton Smith - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

and for poetry:

The Dark Chateau - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Spells and Philtres - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Poems in Prose - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Selected Poems (C. A. Smith) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

There's also the 5-volume set being put out by Night Shade Books:

Night Shade Books: Search Results

 

[Lobolover]

Okay,I thought I said enough,though..........

 

[Zendexor]

I have read the "Out of Space and Time" volumes 1 & 2 (Panther edition). But I'm wondering if there is much other weird fiction he has written that I should be looking out for? Given that I've read these, are there other collections worth reading?

Panther books brought out all CAS stories in paperback in the late Sixties: Out of Space and Time, Lost Worlds, The Abominations of Yondo, Genius Loci, Other Dimensions and Tales of Space and Time. Each had a great Bruce Pennington cover.