At the time of his death at the age of 46 from intestinal cancer, the horror fiction writer H. P. Lovecraft (1890-1937) was practically unknown. Nearly a century later, he has millions of readers, bestselling authors including Stephen King sing his praises, and fantasy filmmakers such as Guillermo del Toro echo them. Lovecraft is now a recognized ‘classic’, a not infrequent destiny for writers whose genius only becomes apparent after their death.
In this guide, we document the real world places that were inspiration for his fictional towns Arkham, Innsmouth, Dunwich and Kingsport; his own residences and his restless wanderings along the Eastern seaboard. As some of his protagonists do, Lovecraft engaged in a kind of time travel, seeking out the remnants of the pre-Revolutionary War, colonial America that he felt was his true homeland.