Weird Words: A Lovecraftian Lexicon Paperback – October 31, 2009

This is a great book. Perhaps not 100% comprehensive, and lacking some cross-referencing entries and an index. But there's lots to like here. Basically, it defines and gives examples of many of the "weird words" or olde time spellings of current words that were used by Lovecraft in his "weird fiction." It doesn't, however, act as a Mythos encyclopedia. So, you WON'T find lists of major and minor characters, Lovecraft's various invented creatures, Gods and eldritch things. Though it WILL define and give examples of what eldritch means (weird, spooky, unusual, odd, strange), or cyclopean, or one of my favorites: horripilation (basically, the feeling or action of your hairs standing on end, getting goose bumps, etc.).So, if you're reading or plan to read Lovecraft and some of his peers, you may want to get this lexicon in case you come across some eldritch words you're unfamiliar with and wish to look them up. Likewise, if you're a writer of weird fiction and enjoy the style of Lovecraft, this lexicon can serve as a self-help book for sprucing up your weird vocabulary. Already, I've learned some new words that have helped to turn my prose a bit more tenebrous and horripilating, if a bit more erudite and esoteric, bordering on arcanic.Seriously though, this is a good read. But the lack of an index or table of contents does make it a tiny bit harder to find things. Heck, a thesaurus-ish type section might be nice, in case people want to take the words they KNOW and find the eldritch words they're searching for.That aside, it does at least list the first and last words on the the open, facing pages up at the top, which makes paging through looking for a specific word a bit easier.As noted before, there seem to be lacking some cross-referencing entries. There are a few cases where the adjective form of some God or another's name is used, and the text refers to something as being "like unto" that God, but there's no entry on that God or description in the prose of the adjective entry, so one find oneself slightly under-informed as to what exactly the adjective means. Sometimes other "weird words" are used in the definition prose, but those weird words are nowhere defined in other parts of the book. It seems like it goes across purpose to define weird words by way of other weird words NOT defined. Why not define weird words exclusively by way of common ones? Or if using a "weird word" in the description of another, make sure it is in fact defined somewhere else.Minor issues aside, I love this book. Love it, love it, love it. Great reference! The winged, tentacled and amorphous ones would be pleased and minutely less inclined to destroy the mind of the author for it...

I was overjoy'd when the remarkable Dan Clore, one of our wonderfully weird authors in this beloved genre, gave me a copy of this superb book two years ago at the H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival. The book is so good, and so original, and it has been my pleasure to buy additional copies here to give as presents to my fellow weird tale writers. As a writer of spectral fiction that is inspir'd by H. P. Lovecraft and Clark Ashton Smith, this book is especially proficient. It comes from a fellow who has written some of the most discerning essays on H. P. Lovecraft that I have ever read, in magazines such as LOVECRAFT STUDIES and anthologies edited by the magnificent S. T. Joshi. Dan Clore is himself one of the most disturbing and delightful writers, as may be attested by his hypnotic collection, THE UNSPEAKABLE AND OTHERS (available here at Amazon).WEIRD WORDS--and I am saving up to order more copies to give to chums--is a gathering of words for which weird fictionists have a fondness, and this is illustrated by the numerous excellent quotations culled from classic weird literature, and classic literature of all generations.Alternate words and spellings are offer'd:ghoul, goul, goule, ghool, ghole, gowl, n. {<Ar ghul < a root meaning "to seize] In Arabian folklore, a creature that robs graves and devours human corpses.This is followed by quotations from Samuel Henley, Edward William Lane, Thomas Carlyle, G. W. M. Reynolds, James Joyce (from ULYSSES), H. P. Lovecraft, Robert Bloch, William Shakespeare, Charlotte Smith, Sir Walter Scott, Lewis Carroll, William Morris, Marie Corelli, Arthur Machen, Robert E. Howard, William S. Burroughs, Thomas Pynchon, Robert Anton Wilson, Roger Zelanzy, Mearl Prout, Clark Ashton Smith and pages and pages of others -- an in-depth and fascinating entry that shews Dan Clore's amazing knowledge of Literature and his especial genre.This outstanding Lexicon is the work of a genius, and it will provide hours of enticing edification and enthralling entertainment for all who have the intelligence to appreciate it. For those of us who are full-time professional writers of weird fiction, it is an amazing source of language, imagery and the history of our fantastic realm. I return to it again and again, to drink its fount of scholarship and to revel in its sense of eldritch play.Outstanding! And now to return to THE UNSPEAKABLE AND OTHERS, and enjoy Dan Clore as he puts into practice his genius as an author of the fiction of which WEIRD WORDS is a celebration.

I was looking to improve my writing by going for some more obscure and textured language and this was perfect. I've gone through online resources (which are cool as well) but this is much better.

Phenomenal!

Disappointing.The book has two flaws.First, the entries for weird words in the first half of the alphabet (A-M: 395 pages) are much longer and more verbose than those inthe second half (N-Z; 175 pages). This suggests to me the author ran over-length in the early part of the manuscript, realized this, and skimmed through the latter.Second, much of the book is padded out with examples of usage of words that are not very weird, despite some association with the supernatural tale: Horrible; blasphemous; conclave, etc.Third, the definitions - especially in the first half of the book - go on and on, even for many words that aren't especially weird. There are EIGHT PAGES devoted to quotes featuring blasphemous (or variations thereof). Again, this shows how unbalanced the book is - that entry is longer than the entire chapter on words beginning with U at the end of the book!The book has a decent collection of quotations from Lovecraft, Smith, and other weird tale writers, but the poor front-loaded organization and its over-inclusion of mundane words rather than interesting ones make me feel I wasted my money.Worst of all: the book lacks any index of words.