Clark Ashton Smith: A Critical Guide To The Man And His Work
Clark Ashton Smith
has long been my favorite of the Weird Tales triumvirate. So it’s refreshing to
see him finally emerge from out of Lovecraft and Howard’s shadow with so much
of his work being reissued and thoughtfully discussed. There’s a lot to like in
Behrends’ Clark Ashton Smith: A Critical Guide To The Man And His Work. The
book hits everything it should: Smith’s life, his poetry, the different story
cycles, his stand-alone works, and his reoccurring themes. It’s a very
thoughtful and well-researched nonfiction work. Without a doubt, Behrends knows
his Smith
However, I had
some issues with it. First, the Amazon synopsis describes it as “a substantial
examination of his life and work”. However, the opening chapter on Smith’s life
is a mere 25 pages of a 220 page book, less actually if you only look at the
biographical facts contained in those 25 pages. The supplementary essays would
have been better served worked into the book itself rather than tacked on to
the end where they seem more an afterthought to raise page count. Furthermore,
the “virgin” essay was pointless and unnecessary without a greater discussion
of Smith’s love life for appropriate context. And this book certainly was not
the place to include a story of Smith’s that Behrends completed.
But the worst
offense, I think, is for a second edition of a nonfiction book released by an
actual publisher to contain a single typo. And this book has several, which
absolutely undercut any claim of critical authority for me.
