H. P. Lovecraft was the King of Epistles, so it is fitting that, even after his passing, he inspired his friends with whom he corresponded to write to one another.  Klarkash-ton and Monstro Ligriv (Gerry de la Ree, 1974) is a testament to the depth of influence of Howard Phillips in that it prompted a handful of letters between two with whom he himself corresponded: Clark Ashton Smith and Virgil Finlay.

Prior to Lovecraft’s passing in 1937 (which had followed rather shortly on the heels of the passing of Robert E. Howard in 1936, another loss leaving a void in the heart of Clark Ashton Smith) HPL had urged Smith to write to Finlay and vice versa; and it was Finlay who first did so, writing to Smith at the prompting of his friend and correspondent, Ec'h-pi-el. 

One doesn’t have to guess or imagine what passed through the mind of Clark Ashton after yet another of his friends in the field of the outré and the fantastique passed because he states his feelings plainly in the first of three letters to pass between himself and Monstro Ligriv—HPL’s pet name for Virgil Finlay.

“Lovecraft’s death leaves an abysmal void for the survivors.  One feels too that it should have been unnecessary – that more appreciation and a proper financial recompense for his writings would have served to lengthen his life.”

If that isn’t a strong enough condemnation for you, Smith goes even further in his accusation of how he felt authors and artists were treated commercially:

“It is damnable to reflect that America has either killed her finest artists or has driven them into exile.”

This last was in reference authors such as Poe, Bierce, etc.   

Naturally, these two great artists could not reflect forever on the dreary topic of Lovecraft’s passing no matter how much it might loom on their minds.  Both men must still earn a living, after all, and so the conversation soon turns to Virgil’s illustrations for Smith’s stories and Smith’s desire to find hardback and “smooth paper magazines” for his writings.

Here Smith admits that Farnsworth Wright had sent him a few originals of Finlay illustrations that had adorned Smith’s tales in Weird Tales. In his letter to Monstro, Clark Ashton states:

“The originals of your drawings for Aforgomon, The Black Abbot, and Necromancy in Naat, which Wright was so kind as to give me, are among my prized possessions.”

These two had much in common relative to art so it is no little wonder that, besides some deeply personal revelations relative to Smith’s parents and the passing of Finlay’s father, they dive into detailed discussions relative to sculpting materials, inks and the like. 

Smith, although first a poet and second a writer of fantasy, was also an artist and sculptor himself.  Gerry de la Ree covered a few of Smith’s sketches in his Grotesques and Fantastiques: A selection of Previously Unpublished Drawings and Poems in 1973 and we are treated to another of his sketches in Monstro, together with a few previously unpublished poems. 

As to Finlay, de le Ree shares a handful of previously unpublished sketches and rare poems which are a real treat.  But as to the sketches, de le Ree admits:

“They are work that the artist himself would possibly prefer not be shown since during his peak years Finlay turned out so many polished pieces of fantasy.”

That’s true.  These are not the level of quality of work we are accustomed to see out of Finlay.  But every artist has early works that are not exemplary of the master he or she may be destined to become, just as many authors have pieces that are not a shining example of their prowess.  As to his excuse for sharing these, de la Ree sums it up:

“But to allow these drawings to remain buried in a file drawer, rarely seen by those who admire and respect the artist’s memory and his work, seems unfair.”

I think I agree with that.  Fans of Robert E. Howard certainly wanted to read every scrap ever written by Two-Gun Bob; collections such as The Last Celt, The Last of the Trunk, The Howard Collector, etc. are testament of this.  I’m certainly grateful to have the opportunity to view pieces by any of my favorite writers or artists, even those that may not be to the same caliber of accomplishment that drew me to them to begin with. 

Without further ado and with little further interruption by me, let’s take a tour of what else is in this collection of items from de la Ree’s files.

I just have to insert here that there are certainly some rare gems in this little pamphlet.  The photo of Finlay standing beside the easel upon which sets his first ever attempt at a Weird Tales cover in 1936 (which then went unused until 1973) is good stuff.  I recall having seen this photo before but never knew the backstory on it.  In the text, de la Ree describes how he later purchased this from Mrs. Finlay.

When it came to depicting women, Monstro wins hands down.  But when it comes to grotesques, well, I think Clark Ashton wins.  His isolation perhaps lent him an edge because his creatures and entities are extremely bizarre, in my opinion.

Friends, I hope you enjoyed this tour of a semi-rare publication by Gerry de la Ree, and thanks to Deuce Richardson for pointing it out to me.  I only have two other de la Rees – Grotesques and Fantastiques, and Ec'h-pi-el Speaks.  If you liked the format of this pictorial tour, let me know in the comments and perhaps we can entertain doing something similar with one (or both) of those, depending on DMR, naturally.

Zothique map courtesy of Land of Scrolls on Etsy.  90s era Raven Fantasy Fighter courtesy of Gil Hibbin (it made for a great holder-downer).

Chris L Adams spent years playing guitar in various bands and during that time was more of a voracious reader than writer. After that last band collapsed, he turned from writing songs to writing stories, eventually turning out a Barsoom series as a tribute to Edgar Rice Burroughs which is currently under contract with ERB Inc.

In addition, he has also written a host of short stories and poems. Together with writing stories and the odd poem, Chris also dabbles in painting. As a matter of fact, the cover for his novel The Hunter and the Sorcerer is one of his.

More information about Chris and his works can be found on his site where one will find links, information on available stories, and other things of interest.

Chris resides in southern WV with his wife and two children.

ChrisLAdamsBizarreTales.com