Robert Weinberg’s ‘Lost Fantasies’

I have previously posted on Robert Weinberg and his excellent pulp reprint series Pulp Classics, which mainly focused on the hero pulps, and the shorter lived series Weird Menace, which focused on that genre. Another series he launched around the same time is Lost Fantasies. The aim was to reprint overlooked fantasy works from the pulp era.

The series consists of:

• The Bride of Osiris and Other Weird Tales (1975)
• Loot of the Vampire (1975)
• The Gargoyle: A Tale of Devil Worship (1975)
• Lost Fantasies 4 (1976)
• Lost Fantasies 5 (1977)
• Lost Fantasies 6 (1977)
• Dreadful Sleep (1977)
• The Lake of Life (1978)
• The Sin Eaters (1979)

The first issue, The Bride of Osiris, is a collection of stories by Otis Adelbert Kline. Kline is probably best know for his Burroughesque stories set on Mars and Venus. This volume, in addition to the title story, also includes “The Bird-People” and “The Cup of Blood” by Kline. All under a Frank Hamilton cover.

Loot of the Vampire by Thorpe McClusky was next, this time with cover and interior artwork by Herb Arnold. The volume had three additional stories by McClusky: “The Woman in Room 307,” “The Thing on the Floor,” and “Slaves of the Gray Mold.” All originally appeared in Weird Tales. To my knowledge, these are only reprints of this author’s work.

The Gargoyle has two works by Greye La Spina: the title work along with “The Devil’s Pool,” both from Weird Tales. Fanny Greye La Spina wrote over 100 works, but almost none of her works are in print, other than Invaders from the Dark, which would be reprinted by Arkham House and more recently Ramble House.

The fourth issue, Lost Fantasies 4, brought about a change in the series. Previously the focus was on lesser known (or reprinted) authors. But this affected sales. So this one and the following issues would include works by several authors, and with this issue the cover would be in color. The focus of issue 4 is the first of a three-part reprint of “Ten Tales of the Werewolf Clan” by H. Walter Munn, which has been reprinted recently by Altus Press (along with the two prior works in this larger series). This serialized story originally appeared in Weird Tales, and told the story from the perspective of the werewolf.

Rounding out the issue were four additional works: “No Eye-Witness” by Henry Whitehead, who did several macabre tales in WT and only recently has been rediscovered. Not sure if this one has been reprinted. G.G. Pendarves was a popular female author of stories in Weird Tales, who is largely forgotten, though some of her work have been reprinted of late. “Abd Dhulma, Lord of Fire” is considered one of her best, and further works were reprinted in this series. “The Dwellers Under the Tomb” is a Robert E. Howard, which had not previously been published. Again, no idea if this has been reprinted since. And from Frank Belknap Long, we get “Johnny on the Spot,” originally from Unknown.

Lost Fantasies 5 focused on “The Comrades of Time” by Edmund Hamilton. A science-fiction author, he is probably best known for Captain Future, The Star Kings and Starwolf series, and others. Haffner Press is reprinting his works in hardback. Rounding out the issue were several other works: “The Dead Wagon” by Greye La Spina, “The Footprint” by G.G. Pendarves, “Leonora” by Everil Worrell, a couple of poems, and the second part of “Tales of the Werewolf Clan.”

Lost Fantasies 6 focused on “The Wand of Doom” by Jack Williamson. Better known as a science-fiction author, his best known work is the Legion of Space series. Rounding out the issue were: “Armies from the Past” by Hamilton, “The Grave at Goonhilly” by Pendarves, and the third and final part of “Tales of the Werewolf Clan.”

Dreadful Sleep by Williamson is issue 7. Unlike the previous volumes, no other works were included.

The Lake of Life by Hamilton is issue 8. Also in this volume were “The Hunch” by Gene Lyle III, and “The Inn” by Rex Ernest.

The Sin Eaters is issue 9, sadly the last one. The issue includes the title story, “The Sin Eater” by Pendarves, as well as her “The Withered Heart.” The other stories are “Living Buddhess” and “Satan’s Palimpsest” a pair of Jules de Grandin stories by Seabury Quinn, and “Dread Summons” by Paul Ernst. The cover is by Steve Fabian and shows de Grandin. This issue has been reprinted by Wildside Press. I wish they’d reprint the rest, as many of the works in those have never been reprinted since.

So another excellent, if overlooked, pulp reprint series from the ’70s.  In looking into the series, I learned that at the beginning there was plans for a volume devoted to G.G. Pendarves, to be entitled The Withered Heart.  Unclear on the contents, but we did get 3 stories from her in the series, including that one.