Contribution
August Derleth’s contributions fall into the areas of detective fiction and horror. Although he is considered a minor American author, his writings are diverse and voluminous—and include poetry, regional history, and science fiction as well as mystery and detective fiction. His major contribution to detective fiction is his series of Sherlock Homes pastiches (the Solar Pons series), which kept alive the spirit and style of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s work after Doyle had ceased writing new adventures. Derleth also created the Judge Peck series of murder mysteries, complete with clues for the reader to solve the crime; all the Peck works are set in the Sauk City region of Wisconsin, which Derleth knew so well. In the related genre of horror fiction, Derleth, as editor and publisher, is credited with preserving and bringing to the reading public the macabre tales of the important American writer H. P. Lovecraft.
Other Literary Forms
A tremendously prolific writer, August Derleth produced an amazing number of novels, poems, and essays, in addition to short fiction. Included among these are mystery and horror tales, children’s books, and histories. He wrote a series of novels, nonfiction, and poetry called the Sac Prairie Saga, five books in his Wisconsin Saga, ten novels in the Judge Peck mystery series (1934-1953), biographies of Henry David Thoreau, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Zona Gale, and H. P. Lovecraft, and a memoir of Sinclair Lewis, Sherwood Anderson, and Edgar Lee Masters. In addition, he wrote about and collected comic books, edited many anthologies of science fiction, and made several studies of homicide.
Achievements
Although Derleth was certainly one of the most versatile and prolific American writers of the twentieth century, he is also relatively unknown, and little has been written about him and his work. He became a professional writer while in his teens and received a John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowship in 1938. Among the honors he received are the Award of Merit given by the State Historical Society (for children’s books based on Wisconsin’s history) in 1954, the Scholastic Award in 1958, the Midland Authors Award (for poetry) in 1965, the Ann Radcliffe Award in 1967, and the Best Nonfiction Award from the Council for Wisconsin Writers for Return to Walden West (1970) in 1971. His greatest literary achievement may well be his Sac Prairie Saga.
In the area of short fiction, his contributions are most notable in mystery-detective fiction and horror stories. As editor and publisher, he is credited with preserving and bringing to the reading public the tales of the major horror fiction writer H. P. Lovecraft. His major contribution to mystery-detective fiction is his Solar Pons series (1945-1973), which kept alive the spirit and style of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s work after he had ceased writing new adventures.
Bibliography
Bishop, Zealia. “A Wisconsin Balzac: A Profile of August Derleth.” In The Curse of Yig. Sauk City, Wis.: Arkham House, 1953. One of the few articles of any length on the life and career of August Derleth.
Blei, Norbert. “August Derleth: Storyteller of Sac Prairie.” Chicago Tribune Magazine, August 15, 1971. A very informative and interesting article based on an interview with Derleth. Derleth’s opinions and point of view are presented in a sympathetic manner. A good quality short study on Derleth and his work.
Grant, Kenneth B. “August (William) Derleth.” In The Authors. Vol. 1 in Dictionary of Midwestern Literature. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2001. A brief biographical and critical overview.
Grobe Litersky, Dorothy M. Derleth: Hawk . . . and Dove . Aurora, Colo.: National Writers Press, 1997. The first major, book-length, comprehensive critical study of Derleth’s...
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life and works.
Haining, Peter. The Classic Era of American Pulp Magazines. Chicago: Chicago Review Press, 2000. Looks at Derleth’s contribution to the pulps and the relationship of pulp fiction to its more respectable literary cousins.
Liebow, Ely M., ed. August Harvest. New York: Magico Magazine, 1994. Essays dealing with Derleth’s work in all genres.
Muckian, Michael, and Dan Benson. “One of the State’s Great Writers Is Nearly Forgotten.” Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Magazine, August 13, 1995, p. 8. A biographical sketch, accompanied by an account of efforts by Derleth’s children and admirers to reissue his work and create new interest in him; also includes an interview with Derleth’s son, who talks about his father’s death wish in the last years of his life.
Schroth, Evelyn M. The Derleth Saga. Appleton, Wis.: Quintain Press, 1979. The only available study of Derleth’s Sac Prairie Saga. The body of work is interpreted from Schroth’s personal point of view, but the discussion does give the reader an overview of this important series of works, rated by some as Derleth’s finest literary achievement.
Schultz, David E., and Scott Connors, eds. Selected Letters of Clark Ashton Smith. Sauk City, Wisc.: Arkham House, 2003. August Derleth is among the most prolific correspondents in this collection of Smith’s letters, and this is an excellent source for an informal glimpse of the author in his own words.
Starrett, Vincent. Introduction to The Adventures of Solar Pons. London: Robson Books, 1975. A short introduction to Derleth and his Solar Pons creation. Since so little is available on Derleth, students who wish additional information on the Solar Pons series could also consult introductions in these collections: The Reminiscences of Solar Pons (1961; an introduction by Anthony Boucher and “A Chronology of Solar Pons,” by Robert Patrick), and The Return of Solar Pons (1958; introduction by Edgar W. Smith).
Stephens, Jim. Introduction to An August Derleth Reader. Madison, Wis.: Prairie Oak Press, 1992. A solid biographical and critical overview of Derleth and his works.
Wilson, Alison W. August Derleth: A Bibliography. Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow Press, 1983. The best full-length source available for information on the life and works of August Derleth. The book begins with a preface, an introduction, and a chronology, including interesting details on his activities and literary reputation. Lists and explains briefly all of his works, divided into “Fantasy World” and “Sac Prairie and the Real World.” Contains a helpful index by title.
Zell, Fran. “August Derleth’s Gus Elker Stories in One Volume.” Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Cue, November 10, 1996, p. 13. A review of Country Matters, arguing that the Gus Elker stories are formulaic and predictable but that they have preserved a bucolic world and way of life prior to television.
