Author | L. Sprague de Camp |
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Cover artist | Frank Utpatel |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Genre | poetry |
Publisher | Arkham House |
Publication date | 1970 |
Media type | Print (Hardback) |
Pages | 72 |
Demons and Dinosaurs is a 1970 collection of poetry by American writer L. Sprague de Camp, published by Arkham House in an edition of 500 copies. [1] It was de Camp's first book published by Arkham House.
In addition to de Camp's poems, the book contains an introductory piece about the author by fellow writer Lin Carter. [1]
Most of the poems in the collection were incorporated into de Camp's later poetry collections, Phantoms and Fancies and Heroes and Hobgoblins , though the arrangement was different in each instance.
The poems "Avebury," "Daydreams," "First Lake at Midnight," "Kaziranga, Assam," "Myself," and "The End of the Lost Race Story" are unique to this collection.
"Acrophobia," "Heroes," "Night," "Time," and "To R.E.H." are shared with Phantoms and Fancies only.
"The Ogre" is shared with Heroes and Hobgoblins only.
The remaining poems appear in all three collections.
The "Bessas the Bactrian" to whom the last seven poems are attributed is a character and occasional poet in de Camp's 1961 historical novel The Dragon of the Ishtar Gate , in which most of them were originally published. The attribution was subsequently dropped from those carried over into de Camp's later poetry collections.
Demons and Dinosaurs contains the following:
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Clark Ashton Smith was an American writer and artist. He achieved early local recognition, largely through the enthusiasm of George Sterling, for traditional verse in the vein of Swinburne. As a poet, Smith is grouped with the West Coast Romantics alongside Joaquin Miller, Sterling, and Nora May French and remembered as "The Last of the Great Romantics" and "The Bard of Auburn". Smith's work was praised by his contemporaries. H. P. Lovecraft stated that "in sheer daemonic strangeness and fertility of conception, Clark Ashton Smith is perhaps unexcelled", and Ray Bradbury said that Smith "filled my mind with incredible worlds, impossibly beautiful cities, and still more fantastic creatures".
Arkham House is an American publishing house specializing in weird fiction. It was founded in Sauk City, Wisconsin, in 1939 by August Derleth and Donald Wandrei to publish hardcover collections of H. P. Lovecraft's best works, which had previously been published only in pulp magazines. The company's name is derived from Lovecraft's fictional New England city, Arkham, Massachusetts. Arkham House editions are noted for the quality of their printing and binding. The colophon for Arkham House was designed by Frank Utpatel.
Scribblings is a 1972 collection of writings by science fiction and fantasy author L. Sprague de Camp to celebrate his appearance as Guest of Honor at Boskone IX, a convention sponsored by the New England Science Fiction Association. The Association served as publisher.
Phantoms and Fancies is a 1972 collection of poetry by science fiction and fantasy author L. Sprague de Camp, illustrated by Tim Kirk. It was published by Mirage Press.
Heroes and Hobgoblins is a 1981 collection of poetry by science fiction and fantasy author L. Sprague de Camp, illustrated by Tim Kirk. First announced to be published in 1977 by Heritage Press, this edition never appeared, and the book was first published by Donald M. Grant, Publisher, Inc. in an edition of 1250 copies signed by both the author and the illustrator.
The Conan Grimoire is a 1972 collection of essays, poetry and fiction edited by L. Sprague de Camp and George H. Scithers, published in hardcover by Mirage Press. The essays were originally published as articles in Scithers' fanzine Amra. The book is a companion to Mirage’s previous two volumes of material from Amra, The Conan Reader (1968) and The Conan Swordbook (1969). Most of the material in the three volumes, together with some additional material, was later reprinted in two de Camp-edited paperback anthologies from Ace Books; The Blade of Conan (1979) and The Spell of Conan (1980).
Lost Worlds is a collection of fantasy, horror and science fiction short stories by the American writer Clark Ashton Smith. It was published in 1944 and was the author's second book published by Arkham House. 2,043 copies were printed.
Night's Black Agents is a collection of fantasy and horror short stories by American writer Fritz Leiber. It was released in 1947 and was the author's first book. The book's title is taken from Macbeth, Act III, scene ii. It was published by Arkham House in an edition of 3,084 copies.
Genius Loci and Other Tales is a collection of fantasy, horror and science fiction short stories by American writer Clark Ashton Smith. It was released in 1948 and was the author's third book published by Arkham House. It was released in an edition of 3,047 copies. The stories were written between 1930 and 1935.
A Hornbook for Witches: Poems of Fantasy is a collection of poems by Leah Bodine Drake. It was released in 1950, and was the author's first book and her only collection published by Arkham House. It was released in an edition of 553 copies, of which 300 were given to the author, making this one of the rarest books published by Arkham House. The jacket was the work of Frank Utpatel. The volume is dedicated to Drake's ancestor Jean Bodin "who also concerned himself with witches."
The Dark Chateau is a collection of poems by American writer Clark Ashton Smith. It was released in 1951 and was the author's fourth book to be published by Arkham House. It was released in an edition of 563 copies. The book was intended to be a stop-gap volume representing Smith's poetry while the more extensive Selected Poems was being prepared, although Selected Poems did not ultimately appear until 1971.
Spells and Philtres is a collection of poems by Clark Ashton Smith. It was released in 1958 and was the author's fifth book and second collection of poetry to be published by Arkham House. It was released in an edition of 519 copies. The book was a second stop-gap volume following The Dark Chateau. It represented Smith's poetry while the more extensive Selected Poems was being prepared which did not ultimately appear until 1971. The collection also includes several translations of French and Spanish poems. Clérigo Herrero, however, is not a real person and the poem is actually a composition of Smith's.
The Abominations of Yondo is a collection of fantasy, horror and science fiction short stories by American writer Clark Ashton Smith. It was released in 1960 and was the author's fourth collection of stories published by Arkham House. It was released in an edition of 2,005 copies. The stories were mostly written between 1930 and 1935.
Dreams and Fancies is a collection of letters and fantasy, horror and science fiction short stories by American author H. P. Lovecraft. It was released in 1962 by Arkham House in an edition of 2,030 copies and was the sixth collection of Lovecraft's work to be released by Arkham House.
Poems in Prose is an illustrated collection of prose poems by Clark Ashton Smith. It was released in 1965 and was published by Arkham House in an edition of 1,016 copies. The book is a nearly complete collection of Smith's prose poetry.
Other Dimensions is a collection of stories by American writer Clark Ashton Smith. It was released in 1970 and was the author's sixth collection of stories published by Arkham House. It was released in an edition of 3,144 copies. The stories were originally published between 1910 and 1953 in Weird Tales and other pulp magazines.
Selected Poems is a collection of poems by American writer Clark Ashton Smith. It was released in 1971 by Arkham House in an edition of 2,118 copies. The collection also includes several translations of French and Spanish poems. Christophe des Laurieres and Clérigo Herrero, however, are not real people, and the poems are actually compositions of Smith's.
From Evil's Pillow is a collection of stories by English writer Basil Copper. It was released in 1973 and was the author's first collection of stories published in the United States. It was published by Arkham House in an edition of 3,468 copies.
Blooded on Arachne is a collection of science fiction stories by American author Michael Bishop. It was published in 1982 by Arkham House in an edition of 4,081 copies. The volume, Bishop's first short fiction collection, contains two novellas as well as two poems.
Bibliography of science fiction, fantasy, historical fiction and nonfiction writer L. Sprague de Camp: