From what I've read HPL exclusively published (or at least submitted) his works to periodicals and magazines. Were any of his works primarily published, primarily as a book?
asked Apr 2, 2012 at 21:13
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How long do you mean fo a novel? Some of his stories are over 100 pages in length.– TangoApr 2, 2012 at 22:39
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It's not the length but the form of publishing. To my knowledge the longer stories of his were published in chapters in periodicals such as Weird Tales.– AncientSwordRage ♦Apr 2, 2012 at 22:50
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@Pureferret, it is important to understand that at this time in literary history fantasy and science fiction were considered low-brow kids-stuff, but never-the-less consumed by adults too. They were a lot like comic books were until recently. The old pulps were often the only way to get the stuff published at all, regardless of quality.– DampeS8NApr 3, 2012 at 3:30
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@DampeS8N I'm quite aware of that, and in fact some/most of his tales from what I've read were rejected several times before being published in the pulps (correct term?). This is why I'm so curious about this particular part of his publishing history.– AncientSwordRage ♦Apr 3, 2012 at 7:57
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2The usual break point for "novel" is 60,000 words. At least to the publishing industry. Charles Dexter Ward is a "short novel" by word count -- very long for a novella (which typically run 10,000 to 30,000 words), but under the magic 60,000. Length affects ability to publish, too, because too short will seem too "thin" for buyers to be willing to pay novel price, and without novel price, it's hard to make a profit on the work. Ace Doubles were often "short novels" and publishable by putting two in a single cover.– Zeiss IkonMar 18, 2021 at 18:55
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1 Answer
According to his bibliography on Wikipedia, The Case of Charles Dexter Ward and The Inevitable Conflict¹ are the closest you'll find.
It was first published after his death in the Weird Tales periodical, but has since been republished as a novel.
Here's two of the covers it's had:
¹I can't seem to find much information on The Inevitable Conflict, but it appears to also have been first published in another periodical. One site claims it may not have even been written by Lovecraft.
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This cover is confusing. Wiki lists it as a novella, but I thought it was worth pointing out. Jan 20, 2014 at 18:41
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@MeatTrademark I know little about "novel", "novella", etc, but Wikipedia indicates that the Italian word "novella" is the source of the English word "novel"– IzkataJan 20, 2014 at 19:15
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@Izkata - In English the distinction is just length - a novella is short compared to a novel but longer than a short story. It might take several issues in an SF magazine to appear, but still be too short to bind alone into a book as a stand-alone novel. The CD Ward novel is very short.– OldcatJul 23, 2014 at 0:10
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