'The House on the Borderland' by William Hope Hodgson is my favourite piece of 'weird' fiction. I read it before I read, or indeed had heard of, Lovecraft. I discovered an old second hand copy in a used book store nearly forty years ago and still have it to this day. It actually had a Lovecraft quote on the cover and that was my introduction to him as well. I have read it many times and love it. The Carnacki stories are pretty good as well.
In my own personal pantheon of books of sheer imagination towers; The House On The Borderland and The Nightland by William Hope Hodgson, The Purple Cloud by M. P. Shiel and A Voyage To Arcturus by David Lindsay. A case could be made for the flawed result of each book but the vision and originality of each overpowers and makes all the flaws mere trifles. Thank You Mr. Vaughan for the mention of a truly unappreciated artist.
My husband spent many years as a merchant seaman, and loved to read aboard ship..So Hodgson's stories, even though they are set in the "Queen's Naiii--vee.." are the perfect evening's enjoyment. And years ago I worked for the Library of Congress as a reader on tape for blind people. It was rewarding and really opened me to many writers I did not know about...Hubby spent some time sick in bed, and I would often read to him, which was the best medicine...
He seems to have been sort of the British version of Robert E. Howard. My favorite of his works is "The Night Land", which I suspect was an inspiration for Arthur C. Clarke's "The City and the Stars".
Thank you for posting this Michael well he's one of my personal favourites I discovered his 'house on the borderland'in a charity shop in the UK years ago for 20 pence UK money!! 😊 and it blew me away so I sought everything out by him I could find 'carnacki the ghost finders stories are amazing now I have his complete works in multiple volumes great stuff happy Easter Monday from the UK
One of my favorite writers! I've read many of his works, with my favorites being "The House on the Borderland", "The Sargasso Stories", and some short stories. "The House on the Borderland" is a novella like no other in literature, with its temporal fluctuations and extra-terrestrial visions. I'm yet to read "The Night Land", which I'm planning to read soon.
Hi Michael. Hodgson has been a big favourite of mine since I picked up the paperbacks of his works in the early 80s. They were put out by Sphere (at least here in the UK). I replaced my old paperbacks with the 5 Night Shade volumes in paperback back in 2018. I didn't know they had been originally released in hardcover otherwise I would have got them in that format - doubt they are still available. Anyway great to see some love being put Hodgson's way - thank you... Peter
Great job! I can’t get enough of his Carnacki stories. The Horse of the Invisible is a favourite. The House on the Borderlands was weird in the best sense of the word.
The House on the Borderland is a classic. Love that book; so darkly imaginative, and it was actually pretty unnerving. Definitely a tentpole work of cosmic horror, for sure.
Ive been hearing wonders about this author,.whom i didnt know existed. I heard his work is available to download so i will read everything he wrote. Congratulations for your channel and for having such fine tomes in your library
Excellent overview and biography of Hodgson, Michael. It was very hard to find his works in the early 1970 - there'd be the odd short story in obscure anthologies, which is how I first read him (thank goodness for school libraries which never threw anything out). But here in Australia we imported UK paperbacks in large numbers at that time and Sphere Publishing released "The Night Land" with fantastic Peter Jones cover art, "The House On The Borderland" and an anthology called "Ghost Pirates" in the second half of the 1970s and I read and re-read them, I couldn't get enough Hodgson. "The House On The Borderland" is definitely unusual but so worth reading. Vertigo/DC adapted it in 2000 with art by Richard Corben, and if ever there was an artist ideally suited to a specific book, it's Corben on this novel. Highly recommended. Reading "The Night Land" can be an exercise in perseverance due Hodgson's deliberate language choice but I agree that it's well worth making the effort. There are also several collections of short stories by a range of authors in a hybrid Night Land/House On The Borderland universe but I haven't read any of these stories. Still, it confirms the continued allure of Hodgson's work. Let's hope he becomes better known, he certainly deserves to be read more widely.
I find it amazing that Hodgson wasn't available in the states until this century. My (still unfinished) version of Night Land was purchased in the mid 90s. My other Hodgson would be even older. There was a television series in the 70s (early in the UK and mid in Australia) where Carnacki was portrayed by Donald Pleasance, so he's well known and availabe in the rest of the English speaking world. You could do a whole series on Hodgson. His influence is everywhere. There's the great "reverse chronology" theory, which is a giant rabbit hole. His actual life is fascinating. Thanks again for bringing him to the forefront. He's not spoken about or read anywhere near enough.
That was the TV adaptation of 'The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes', which was adapted from an anthology of the same name, which went on to become a short series of books. Most of the characters covered only got the one episode, which sadly included Carnacki. While it was great to have a Carnacki adaptation, I have to say that they didn't quite capture the tone of the stories for me. I still hold out hope for a series dedicated to the Ghost Finder one day.
@Dave Brzeski Pleasance played Carnacki as a bit of a fop. I always saw him as an analog for Hodgson and, therefore, a man of action. Like you, I live in hope.
I was attending school in England when I discovered The House on the Borderland in 1976. I was excited and enthralled by its visionary quality. In 1983, I found both volumes of The Night-Land and was immediately transported to its dark world, though the ornate, antiquarian writing style was an unnecessary hurdle. Three years later, I read Carnacki, which was less to my taste but still interesting. Hodgson truly had a unique imagination, and I find him to be the most cosmic of the "cosmic-horror" writers. Thank you for the good overview of his work. I enjoy your videos and your good nature. This is the first time I've commented, though.
Learned of the name WHH through the praise of HPL. I heard some audiobooks and ordered the complete volumes last week. Can't wait to read them all. I even have a graphic novel of The House on the Borderland, illustrated by the late Richard Corben. Glad to see someone on RU-vid is making sure that WHH is not lost in this era.
One of my favorite authors. Thank you for talking about him. He's nearly forgotten which is sad, he was terrific. I have the Night Shade collection but in paperback.
How did I miss this? It was wonderful! You kept my wife's interest w/o showing the Goblin Monkee! She wants to know about "Night Land " now. Really great coverage. Thank you!
I've been a fan of his work for a while and was revisiting some of his stories for some inspiration to start writing my own, I was interested more about his life so searched for a video detailing his life, excellent video I learnt a lot, thanks for sharing!
I never got around to reading much of Hodgson. Back in the day, which was before your day, he, like Lovecraft, Blackwood, and M.R. James were simply unavailable even in University libraries. I eventually came across some of the Carnacki stories and read one, which I didn't find very interesting. It seemed like a Police Procedural story applied to occult. As I recall they were trying to isolate the scene where the ghost or whatever appeared, taping closed windows and doors. Much ado about nothing. So, I never pursued him. At the time I was interested in another writer, Ernest Bramah who wrote about a blind detective (Max Carrados)and also had an interest in imaginative Chinese stories featuring Kai Lung. I highly recommend Bramah. There was also a Swedish detective story writer Frank Heller who wrote books like The Grand Duke's Finances which were marvelously sardonic. Thanks for going into so much detail on W.H.H. I trust your judgment in evaluating him, and maybe I'll try some of his stuff if I can find it here in Mexcio.
Another great video! I think read the House on the Borderland while I was in 7th or 8th grade. I'm 69 now and I still haven't fully recovered. I got the Glen Carrig and Ghost Pirates in the Adult Fantasy series that Lin Carter edited. They were very different but still special. Thanks, Michael!
As an interesting addendum to this discussion, we've recently agreed to re-publish the first ever collection of new Carnacki stories. 'No. 472 Cheyne Walk: Carnacki: The Untold Stories' was a chapbook, published by The Ghost Story Society in 1992. It contained 4 new Carnacki stories, two by A.F. (now better known as Chico) Kidd, one by Rick Kennett, and one that they co-wrote. This was expanded into a limited edition (500 copies) hardcover from Ash-Tree Press in 2002. This version had twelve stories, three by Kennett, eight by Kidd, plus the one they co-wrote. We're looking at putting together a new edition, with illustrations, and perhaps a new story from Chico.
Excellent video, Michael. I first heard of Hodgson from reading Iain Sinclair's London psychogeographical books. But I have yet to read Hodgson. Can't wait do so.
Sounds like a good pick for future Roger's Cheap Old Book Club! I had never heard of this author but will definitely look at his Gutenberg books! Thanks for the video! PS I like the dopey new channel format.
I am currently reading House on the Borderland, and so I thought it right to finally click on this one. Amazing information presented, as always! What a truly compelling figure in the horror genre.
Just to add that Hodgson is translated and published in Serbia in 2018. Good translation , hard cover with some illustrations. The same publisher had released most of the books you mentioned before. Mostly cosmic horror. This book contains his short stories.
A very nice overview of one of my favourite authors. I was so pleased that you avoided the common mistake of claiming WHH was a major influence on HPL. We know from Lovecraft's letters that he discovered Hodgson's work well after he'd already written the bulk of his most important stories. Let's face it, the fact that Lovecraft didn't like the Carnacki stories is hardly the only opinion of his we have to take issue with. 😉
The poorly-titled ATTACK OF THE MUSHROOM PEOPLE (US title of Japanese film) is a pretty effective adaptation of that story. A tv version was produced in the mid-50's, but the only surviving copy I've seen of it is pretty harsh to look at (Barbara Rush is one of the actors in it).
I love this author, so I add my 2 cents. My first sample of his work was "A Voice in the Night" which appeared in a1968 Whitman Anthology entitled "More Tales to Tremble By," which I picked up at the local five and dime when I was barely 11. For an anthology intended for kids, it was pretty intense all around and I highly recommend it. Great cover art as well. This great short story was filmed as an Episode of Alfred Hitchcock's SUSPENSE. James Coburn played the voice of The Second Mate which was, I believe, his first film appearance. I watched it on RU-vid a few years ago. One of the main ships Hodgson voyaged on was named The Euterpe. The name was later changed to The Star of India. It is docked at the waterfront in San Diego and they have guided tours. I hope to check it out one day, and I am curious if Hodgson's name is even mentioned during the tour. There are three Donald M. Grant published volumes of Hodgson's short stories that include introductions by Sam Moskowitz, which comprise an excellent biography of the man. If you collect these, you must also look for the Arkham House volume Deep Waters, which is fantastic. Redbeard provides an excellent video biography of Hodgson as well. I think a film biography of Hodgson, maybe interspersed with scenes from his stories, would make a killer movie. Speaking of films, I have always felt that The Pirates of the Caribbean was heavily influenced by The Ghost Pirates as well as, of course, Lovecraft.
I found a copy of that "more tales to tremble by" not too long ago - though I've yet to read from it, there's a pretty nice illustration for each story. "A Voice from the Night" will probably be my first Hodgson too, cause it's the only one I have by him. The PotC films main inspiration, other then the ride was Tim Power's "On Stranger Tides" and the Monkey Island games (which were also influenced by Tim/the ride), but I suppose Tim didn't invent the concept of ghost pirates (& definitely not ghost ships), I'm not aware of his influences, but it's cool to learn WHH has a Ghost Pirate story! I also felt there was something Lovecraftian about their take on Davy Jones, at least aesthetically.
@@MagusMarquillin MTTTB opens with The Red Lodge by H R Wakefield - maybe my favorite horror/ghost story. Other great stories are Thurnley Abbey, The Book, Sredni Vashtar, etc. It's predecessor, Tales to Tremble By, is, I think, not so good. I hope you enjoy the stories.
@@MagusMarquillin Thank you for commenting. My favorite story in MTTTB is The Red Lodge, which I've read maybe 30 times. A Voice in the Night is also unforgettable.
I have read the House on the Borderland, and the Ghost Pirates of his. I liked the siege part of House quite a lot! Im actually very interested in the Night Land, even if it's a difficult read.
The Collected Works of William Hope Hodgson is a lovely set. I'm envious. As with you, I was directed toward his work by HPL, along with the Ballantine Adult Fantasy series. Wonderful stuff, nascent Weird Fiction, definitely worth exploring.
Thanks for this. Hodgson has been something of a favorite for me for, oh, 25 years or more. I'm pretty sure the first thing I read was The House on the Borderland, something that compares to very few other works besides (maybe) David Lindsay's Voyage to Arcturus, a similarly unclassifiable book that took years to find an audience (what do you think of Lindsay?). Anyway I went on something of a feverish hunt for more Hodgson, and Lindsay, and other early weird/sf British writers for a while - I was already an HG Wells guy - and eventually I found the UK Sphere paperback of The Night Land, read it and had much the same reaction you did. Not long before I left Chicago, where I lived until 2000, I went to a book fair and shelled out the most I'd ever spent (and still the most I've spent) for a single book, gettng a near-pristine copy of the Arkham House House on the Borderland and Other Novels collection, one of the prides and joys of my collection. I've also gotten the Ballantine Adult Fantasy editions, and several others, though I haven't kept up with my reading and have only ventured into a few short stories in the last couple of decades. Maybe this video will help give me the push to get back to WHH sooner rather than later. Time's a wasting.
!---I just made a very similar observation/comment. ARCTURUS is very "Borderlandian", to coin a term, and it's vice versa too between those two books. Have you ever read Colin Wilson's published essay about Lindsay, THE HAUNTED MAN? I've long hoped to come across and purchase an original first edition copy of ARCTURUS, though I think they are worth well over 1K. I believe only some 500-ish copies were ever printed.
@@RSEFX Yes to both your comments about Wilson, and 1st eds of Arcturus - I've had an ABEBooks search active for Arcturus for, jeez, 10 years? 20 years? About once a year a new listing comes up but they are always over 1,000, usually 3-4k or more. Well, I'll settle for the various cheaper paperback editions I have. As to Wilson, yeah, I love that little book, which I unfortunately seem to have lost - I used to look at it quite frequently, I liked his comparisons of Lindsay to other writers. Oh well that book is not terribly expensive to replace. I've also read The Haunted Woman and The Sphinx, both of which I liked though they aren't remotely in the same league as Arcturus. And I have his later works, which I'll get around to... someday.
@@beermarshal2070 Ha! With only the smallest variation this could be my own comment, word for word! I'm trying to think of the popular lead actor who was in SIDEWAYS and a LOT of other films who spoke about ARCTURUS excitedly on one of the late-night talk shows a few years ago. First I'd ever heard this old, pretty obscure book being brought to the attention of a huge modern audience. Thought that was great. Finally wider recognition!
I believe my copy of the Arkham edition of The House on the Borderland was also the most I've ever spent on a single book, albeit it's worth over 7 times the price I paid now. Some may consider my copy to be somewhat marred by the 'Ex Libris Brian Lumley' label on the title page, as that's who I bought it from in the late 80s.
@@davebrzeski Mmm I don't think a Brian Lumley association would hurt it. Most people who would be shelling out hundreds on a book by WHH would know who Lumley is. But that's just a guess. I'm not a signature or "from the library of so-and-so" guy myself and I don't think I've ever consciously bought something because it had some kind of provenance, but I have had a few over the years without trying. One I have now is a copy of the Arkham edition of Seabury Quinn's "Roads" signed by him to some friend who it turns out was an influential early member of fandom - so that's cool. One I wish I had was a copy of the magazine that Harlan Ellison had his first story in, signed by Ellison - I sold that on eBay 20 years ago or so. It's probably worth a bit more now than it was then and I'd just like to still have it.
Excellent video, thank you! For all "Night Land's" stylistic flaws, I've always been haunted by the sheer scope of imagination that took Hodgson into the unimaginably distant future by way of the 18th Century. It feels like something whispered in the ear by voices far removed from our own. For whatever reason, "House on the Borderland" didn't leave as strong an impression.
I was just reading thru the comments and was surprised at the number of people who have actually read and enjoyed Hodgson! I became acquainted with him while reading some of his sea stories which I enjoyed a great deal. I did try reading House on the Borderland years ago but couldn't get thru it. I think it may have been the writing style that put me off. Perhaps I'll try it again someday as tastes do change over the years.
WH Hodgson, A Blackwood, Dunsany, ER Edison, they are some of the bigger holy grails I hope to find in the used book stores - I got nothing but one King of Elflands Daughter so far - I scanned through my anthologies during your video and all I found by WHH was "the Voice in the Night", do you know that one?
Really enjoyed Hodgson's short story The Derelict when I found it in a collection of weird horror stories. They're at sea and they discover a derelict ship that has been taken over by a fungal (?) lifeform. Written in 1912, it feels like it could have been written in the last decade. Fungal horror seems to be having a little resurgence thanks to The Last Of Us...
There was a comic strip adaption of House On The Borderland published by DC/Vertigo with artwork by the amazing Richard Corben. It was disappointing as there was a new framing sequence for it with an epilogue set in the modern day which changed the ending and, in my opinion, made it poorer. It also left out one of the best bits of the novel, the sequence of the trippy, 2001-esque out of body experience where the narrator journeys beyond the solar system and witnesses it's end. The artwork is great, the script less so.
There is a theory that Hodgson's novels were actually written in reverse publication order (i.e. Night Land was written first, then Ghost Pirates, House on the Borderland and finally Glen Carrig). I personally don't think it makes a lot of sense (it would've required him to have written all four books by about the end of 1906 or start of 1907, and I can't see why he would've sat on those books for so long given how penurious his writing career was; also Hodgson himself called Ghost Pirates the end of an informal trilogy, not the start of one), but am curious to your thoughts on it.
He sounds like an interesting chap. The Captain Gault stories piqued my interest. I'm a few pages in (My Lady's Jewels) and it's quite funny. Style seems ok. I think I'm hooked. But I have to stop so I can get back to the New Arabian Snooze...I mean Nights. 🤭🤭
HOUSE ON THE BORDERLAND is probably second only to A VOYAGE TO ARCTURUS in terms of pure, almost raw weirdness, both as if written by minds from a slightly different dimension. WHH's story, DERELICT is truly memorable encounter with..with...with what, exactly? A terribly imaginative author.
