DERLETH, August (1909-1971). Someone in the Dark. Sauk City, Wisconsin: Arkham House, 1941. 8vo. 355, [1] pp. Publisher's black cloth with spine lettered in gilt in original unclipped ("$2.00") illustrated dust jacket. EXCELLENT FIRST EDITION OF THE FIRST WEIRD FICTION COLLECTION BY THE FOUNDER OF ARKHAM HOUSE.

In addition to founding Arkham House with Wandrei in 1939, Derleth was a prolific author across numerous genres, including historical fiction, poetry, detective fiction, science fiction, and supernatural fiction, of which several examples are collected in this volume. Arkham House did much to popularize Lovecraft and "weird fiction" in the US, and Derleth's Someone in the Dark was the press' second publication. The year before, he had been awarded a Guggenheim fellowship for his Sac Prairie Saga, a regional masterpiece fictionalizing his Wisconsin hometown and the future headquarters of Arkham House: Sauk City, WI. In this vein, E. F. Bleiler notes that "the local, regionalistic American stories [in Someone in the Dark] are best, while those in imitation of Lovecraft are weakest." 

General light rubbing and toning to wrapper, slight darkening at spine. Boards lightly rubbed. Minor tanning and foxing to endpapers, bookplate of Harold Bertram to ffep. Else near fine.