First edition, first printing, the publisher's copy inscribed to him by Derleth with no less than four autograph poems, each signed, and additionally inscribed twice by a "Helene" designating this a Christmas gift - in keeping, the poems selected by Derleth are all silence and snow. The inscriptions appear on the front free endpaper (recto and verso), the half title, and the dedication page. There is also a smiley face drawn on the copyright page. The recipient of this extraordinary copy was the publisher at Ritten House, William J. McElwee. The author August Derleth (1909-1971) was a hugely prolific writer and friend of H. P. Lovecraft. This book, his third collection of poems, was published the year after Derleth founded Arkham House for the purposes of publishing works of the Cthulu Mythos (a term Derleth himself coined).
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