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 recognised 'classic', a not infrequent destiny for writers whose genius only becomes apparent after their death...