Errata for the B&N volume

[Ningauble]

Thanks for starting this thread, Ningauble. I just picked up this volume, and wondered if the text is error-free. I'm glad to find this commentary.

You're welcome.

Would it be appropriate here to also include problems in the S. T. Joshi notes?

No problem -- that's what I do, except I don't set those errors apart from those of the story.

The Case of Charles Dexter Ward
Joshi 490.9: It first appeared in Beyond the Wall of Sleep (1943). ] Weird Tales, where it was serialized (in abridged form) in the May and July 1941 issues. The first complete publication appeared in Beyond the Wall of Sleep (1943).

Since the WT appearance was abridged, I don't think STJ counts it. He's certainly aware of it.

 

[Ningauble]

The Shadow out of Time
948.14: I am willing to vouch] I am unwilling to vouch
953.6: about 1 a.m. that the] about 1 A.M. that the [the style sheet for this book calls for small caps for “a.m.”.]
960.33-34: could have bought pictures] could have brought pictures
**971.7: as much as to the] as muchto the [I am not sure of the grammar here.]
*975.22: Sir—A recent] Sir:—¶A recent
*976.5: perhaps 3 x 2 x 2 feet in] perhaps 3 × 2 × 2 feet in [“×” looks better.]
976.39: prepared to co”perate in] prepared to coöperate in
**989.9-10: As I wiggled over the] As I wriggled over the [I know that “wiggled” is, technically speaking, correct, but in all other instances in this text, Lovecraft uses “wriggling” and “wriggled”. On 994.38, he writes “wriggling through again” (my emphasis), which to me suggests that 989.9-10 might be “wriggled” as well.]

This story was unexpectedly well proofed.

 

[j d worthington]

**989.9-10: As I wiggled over the] As I wriggled over the [I know that “wiggled” is, technically speaking, correct, but in all other instances in this text, Lovecraft uses “wriggling” and “wriggled”. On 994.38, he writes “wriggling through again” (my emphasis), which to me suggests that 989.9-10 might be “wriggled” as well.]

I think I'd have to disagree with you on "wiggled" being correct; after all, "wriggled" would convey much more clearly the image of someone writhing , squirming, twisting, etc. their way over the ruins; it also has the emotional resonance of those rather grim associations, whereas "wiggled" simply means to turn from side to side, etc., and is more often used of something joyful or anticipatory (a child wiggling with anticipation about Santa's visit, puppies wiggling about, etc.). Given Lovecraft's sensitiveness to such nuances, I agree, however, that "wriggled" was his choice, as it does carry such connotations....

 

[Ningauble]

I think I'd have to disagree with you on "wiggled" being correct; after all, "wriggled" would convey much more clearly the image of someone writhing , squirming, twisting, etc. their way over the ruins; it also has the emotional resonance of those rather grim associations, whereas "wiggled" simply means to turn from side to side, etc., and is more often used of something joyful or anticipatory (a child wiggling with anticipation about Santa's visit, puppies wiggling about, etc.). Given Lovecraft's sensitiveness to such nuances, I agree, however, that "wriggled" was his choice, as it does carry such connotations....

Good points! I've been betrayed by my background as a non-native speaker. I'll certainly correct this in the list I send to Joshi.

 

[Ningauble]

The Haunter of the Dark
1000.10: those things actually were.] those things originally were.
1000.34: slopes. Against there, some] slopes. Against these, some
1002.13: time, Blake make his] time, Blake made his
1005.35: d’Erlette, the Unassprechlichen Kulten] d’Erlette, the Unaussprechlichen Kulten
1008.2: Trapezohedron”] Trapezohedron.”
1008.19: threaten Dr.——and] threaten Dr. —— and
1010.12: twitterings which filed to] twitterings which failed to
1010.36: new fear has been] new fear had been
*1011.6-7: the hideous spire.] the hideous jutting spire.
1011.8: fascination, an admits a] fascination, and admits a
**1011.34-35: with pits of rotted cushions] with bits of rotted cushions [I know that “pits of rotted cushions” is the reading of all publications of the story, but Steve Walker, in The Limbonaut , plausibly argues that “pits” is a typo for “bits”, since there does not appear to be any meaning of “pits” that would fit into the context.]
1014.15: around 1 a.m., though] around 1 A.M., though [the style sheet for this book calls for small caps for “a.m.”.]
*1014.26: at 2:12 a.m., according] at 2:12 a.m. according
*1014.31: sorts common in southern Italy.] sorts common to southern Italy.
1014.35: Merluzzo of Sprito Santo] Merluzzo of Spirito Santo
*1015.20: louver-boarding of the tower’s] louver-boarding of that tower’s
*1016.28-29: qualities from books, paintings,] qualities from the books, paintings,
*1017.7: through it… Rain and] through it.… Rain and
*1017.10: Dark… The lightning] Dark.… The lightning [Only in The Call of Cthulhu and Other Weird Stories]

 

[Ningauble]

The Little Glass Bottle
1018.19: Heave to, there’s] “Heave to, there’s
1018.25: bottle “Nothing but] bottle “Nothing but
1018.30: this letter my ship] this letter my ship
1018.31: on board I am] on board I am
1019.3: “read this” Towers did] “read this” Towers did
1019.4: Capt. Jones “do you”?] Capt. Jones “do you”?
1019.5: captain “All right”] captain “All right”
1019.6: said Towers so they] said Towers so they
*1019.6-7: lines of the chart] lines of they chart
1019.7: chart in 4 weeks] chart in 4 weeks
1019.8: iron bottle they found] iron bottle they found
1019.11: Dear Searcher excuse me] Dear Searcher excuse me
1019.13: Capt Jones “go on”] Capt Jones “go on”
1019.15: bottle I think] bottle I think
1019.16: box I know] box I know
1019.17: second bottle hoping the] second bottle hoping the
1019.19: Capt Jones “Here diver] Capt Jones “Here diver
1019.20: iron box inside it] iron box inside it
1019.20: found $25.0.00 It] found $25.0.00 It


All the potential typos in this story, except for 1018.19 and 1019.6-7, concern spacing. In Miscellaneous Writings, there is an extra space between the words that I have marked here, but the forum software here edits that into one space. There are two more instances of this in the text, but as they occur right at line breaks I haven't listed them.

 

[Ningauble]

The Secret Cave
*1020.2: John Lees Adventure] John Lees adventure
*1020.4: Mr. & Mrs Lee were] Mr. & Mrs. Lee were
1020.5: yrs old “Yes” replied] yrs old “Yes” replied
1020.8: the rubbish little alice] the rubbish little alice
1020.10: crumbled away he rushed] crumbled away he rushed
1020.11: screaming loudly as soon] screaming loudly as soon
1020.12: a passage he said] a passage he said
1020.13: this is” “Yes” she] this is” “Yes” she
1020.13: she said the entered] she said the entered
1020.13: the place they could] the place they could
1020.13: up it the] up it the
1020.14: see they John went] see they John went
1020.16: more entered there was] more entered there was
1020.17: & floor nothing was] & floor nothing was
1020.17: a box this was] a box this was
1020.18: contain nothing they walked] contain nothing the walked [NB! Two potential typos here]
1020.19: a cave Little alice] a cave Little alice
1020.19-20: at first but soon they] at first but at her brothers assurance that it was “all right” she allayed her fears. soon they
1020.20: carried within pretty soon] carried within pretty soon
1020.21: a boat in it] a boat in it
1020.21: two oars he dragged] two oars he dragged
1020.22: him soon they] him soon they
1020.22: abrupt stop he pulled] abrupt stop he pulled
1020.23: in torrents John was] in torrents John was
*1020.24: long breathed he had] long breathede he had [NB! Two potential typos here]
1020.25: quite impossible then he] quite impossible then he
1020.25: boat rising he] boat rising he
*1020.26: grasped it….] grasped it – – – – – –
1020.28: mysterious box he could] mysterious box he could
1020.29: them if the water] them if the water
1020.29: the top suddenly a] the top suddenly a
1020.30: the water he speedily] the water he speedily
*1020.31: he himself climbed in] he himself climed in
*1020.31-32: the passage it was very gruesome] the passage it was gruesome [NB! Two potential typos here]
1020.33: lying near he did] lying near he did
*1020.33-34: his life when he] his life when he [This is right at a line break so it does not show, but I had better point it out anyway.]
1020.34: own cellar he quickly] own cellar he quickly
1020.35: come home He told] come home He told
*1021.3: chunk worth $10,000] chunk worth about $10,000
[FONT=&quot]*1021.3-4: $10,000 enough to] $10,000 enough to [This is right at a line break so it does not show, but I had better point it out anyway.][/FONT]

Most potential errors in this text concern spacing (see "The Little Glass Bottle" above for an explanation). 1020.19-20 is one of the worst errors I have encountered in the entire book.

 

[Ningauble]

The Mystery of the Grave-yard
*1022.8: strange orders: “Before] strange orders:—“Before
*1022.10: The People greatly] The people greatly
*1022.12: So saying he descended] So saying, he descended
1022.12-13: into the the tomb.] into thetomb.
*1023.6: dissapearance!” a womans] dissapearance”! a womans
1023.19: The Grave] The grave
*1023.24-25: and then Disappeared.” “I wish] and then Dissapeared”. “I wish [NB! Placement of quotation mark]
1024.3: mansion again—king john] mansion again:—king john
*1024.21-22: Harbour, & The Kent] Harbour, & the Kent
*1024.22: Mainville R.R. In the] Mainville R. R. In the
*1024.24: and the carriage is] and the carraige is
*1024.25: sails tonighte.”] sails to-nighte”.
*1025.18: Mr Dobson?” queried the] Mr Dobson”? queried the
*1025.18: judge, “Here!” said] judge, “Here”! said
*1026.5: Why did the] “Why did the
*1026.5: (at “a”)] (at “a”?)
*1026.6: get me in trouble”] get me into trouble”
*1026.8: me.” “Seize Francis] me.” “Sieze Francis
*1026.13-14: as aidors, and abettors] as aidors and abettors

 

[Ningauble]

The Mysterious Ship
*1027.1: The Mysterious Ship] The Mysteriovs Ship
*1028.1: the Florida keys.] the Florida Keys.
1029.7: Gregg was royally] Griggs was royally

 

[Ningauble]

The Mysterious Ship [long version]
Since this is its first appearance, I have nothing to compare against. If I have to guess, I’d say that 1031.4 (“John” for “Johns”) and 1033.4 (“Gregg” for “Griggs”) might be potential typos.

 

[Ningauble]

Discarded Draft of "The Shadow over Innsmouth"
1034.3: [pp. 1—6:]] [pp. 1–6:]
*1035.20: “Old man Marsh, who] Old Man Marsh, who
*1035.32: about old Captain Marsh] about old Capt. Marsh
*1036.9: that old Captain Marsh] that old Capt. Marsh
1036.12-13: you take that bus.] you take his bus.
*1036.22: Arkham at 8 o’clock.] Arkham at eight o’clock.
*1037.3-4: the queerest kind of glass] the queerest sort of glass
*1037.17: had against Captain Marsh] had against Capt. Marsh
1037.19: dealings with demons. That] dealings with daemons. That
*1037.29: wish to go, but I] wish to go; but I
1037.34-35: get started that the ticket] get started than the ticket
1038.5: though the signfiicance of] though the significance of
1038.36: of the marsh retail] of the Marsh retail
1038.36: open, and i walked] open, and I walked
*1039.15-16: many elaborate examples was] many elaborate samples was
1039.24: furtive Innsmouth. he, like] furtive Innsmouth. He, like
1039.28: rose to hsi feet] rose to his feet
1039.35: we had brought a quart] we had bought a quart

 

[Ningauble]

Supernatural Horror in Literature
Supernatural Horror in Literature
1052.31: Maturin (1782—1824), an] Maturin (1782–1824), an
1061.21: waterfall-spirit Khleborn; a] waterfall-spirit Kühleborn; a
1065.35-36] those powerful feeling, and] those powerful feelings and [Both Collected Essays 2 and The Annotated Supernatural Horror in Literature have this error; for “feelings” (no comma) I had to consult Dagon and Other Macabre Tales.]
1067.26-27: together by hyp notism for] together by hypnotism for
1078.29: novel is malevo lently potent,] novel is malevolently potent,
1079.29: in the World’ “,] in the World’ ”, [NB! The closing quotation mark.]
1082.37-38: are The Red Lodge with] are “The Red Lodge” with [NB! Two errors here.]
1083.5: the ‘Pole-Star’ “, a tale] the ‘Pole-Star’ ”, a tale [NB! The closing quotation mark.]
1084.1-2: reproduce eighteenthcentury prose] reproduce eighteenth-century prose
1085.14: whose “ ’Childe Roland] whose “ ‘Childe Roland [NB! Single quotation mark tilted the wrong way.]
1085.15: Tower Came’ “ is instinct] Tower Came’ ” is instinct [NB! The closing quotation mark.]
*1085.14-15: [Collected Essays 2 has “Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came”, without any single quotation marks, whereas The Annotated Supernatural Horror in Literature has “‘Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came’”, with single quotation marks.]
1085.37: and absolute naivet,, there is] and absolute naiveté, there is
1087.3: of the ‘nineties and] of the ’nineties and [NB! Single quotation mark tilted the wrong way.]
1091.21-22: [An empty line needs to be inserted between these two lines, to harmonise with the divisions between the sections on Blackwood and Dunsany, and Dunsany and James.]
1092.23-24: hills to secret and] hills to se-cret and [There is no hyphen at the line break.]
1093.28: as “Argimenes,” “Bethmoora,”] as “Argimēnēs,” “Bethmoora,”
1098.7-8: [An empty line needs to be inserted between these two lines.]

 

[Ningauble]

And that concludes my work on this book. Joshi has looked at my list -- and said that the overwhelming majority of my finds are indeed errors. He has provided me with an official errata -- up to "The Mysterious Ship"; he hasn't seen the last two yet -- and I'll probably post that here or in some other thread.

Of course, I can't make any guarantees -- I can simply hope that I caught most of them. At best, I've made it difficult to follow in my footsteps!

 

[rkukan]

You've done a wonderful job--thank you again!

 

[Quintus]

Thank you for your wonderful work, Ningauble! I eagerly hope that this book goes to a second printing using your corrections.

I hope you don't mind, but I've been sending people, who are looking for their first Lovecraft collection, to your wonderful topic so they can decide on their own if there's too much errata in this collection for them to handle.

 

[Ningauble]

Thank you for your wonderful work, Ningauble! I eagerly hope that this book goes to a second printing using your corrections.

It will -- it'll go back to the printers in March or April for a re-release in the fall season.

I hope you don't mind, but I've been sending people, who are looking for their first Lovecraft collection, to your wonderful topic so they can decide on their own if there's too much errata in this collection for them to handle.

Of course I don't mind. But it should be pointed out that even with all these misprints, this book is an extremely good buy. It contains lots of rare stuff that you can only find in one other book these days (Miscellaneous Writings), it's got ALL of HPL's own stories in chronological order (for the first time), and it's got a nice cover.

Besides, it can be tricky locating this book by now, since it has sold out everywhere except in some stores (it can no longer be ordered online from B&N). Those who missed it will most likely have to sit tight until fall.

 

[Quintus]

It will -- it'll go back to the printers in March or April for a re-release in the fall season.

That's great news.

Of course I don't mind. But it should be pointed out that even with all these misprints, this book is an extremely good buy. It contains lots of rare stuff that you can only find in one other book these days (Miscellaneous Writings), it's got ALL of HPL's own stories in chronological order (for the first time), and it's got a nice cover.

I agree with you. Even with them, it's still a great collection. I'm just a bit uneasy about blindly recommending it to people who are just starting out with Lovecraft, and may not be aware that the misprints are from, as you've taught me, encrustation, and not from Lovecraft.

 

[j d worthington]

I wish to add my thanks for all your work here. Excellent job, and you are to be commended for the time and effort.....

 

[Ningauble]

I wish to add my thanks for all your work here. Excellent job, and you are to be commended for the time and effort.....

*bowing deeply* I simply did my duty, Sir...

 

[fishtail1]

Hi Ningauble,
Thanks for taking the time to compile this list! I have bought the Barnes and Noble volume and was disappointed to read of it's many errors. Having discovered your list though, I've printed it out and I'm now reading through the stories with it next to me!
I hope you don't mind me using it in this way. It has certainly enhanced my enjoyment and decreased frustration!
One possible, additional error I noticed is in 'Beyond the Wall of Sleep' 43.21, 'dulness' instead of 'dullness'.
I think reading the Barnes and Noble volume with your notes is probably the best version available!