Derleth, August, 1909-1971
Variant namesAugust William Derleth, 1909-1971, was an author. Although Derleth's literary strengths are exemplified in his nostalgic writings about the Midwestern prairies, he is best remembered for his "weird" fiction, fantasy, and science fiction works.
From the guide to the Derleth mss., 1958-1965, (Lilly Library (Indiana University, Bloomington) http://www.indiana.edu/~liblilly)
American author.
From the description of Typed letters signed (108) : Sauk City, Wis., to Edward Wagenknecht, 1945-1971. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 270868052
From the description of Papers, ca. 1958-1965. (Indiana University). WorldCat record id: 49521127
Author and poet.
From the description of Letters, 1942-1971. (University of Iowa Libraries). WorldCat record id: 233125240
August Derleth's career started at age 15 with the sale of a story to Weird Tales. He was a prolific and varied writer. During his career he published over 100 novels, short stories, poetry volumes, biographies, histories, articles and essays. He wrote historical fiction novels as well as poetry, juvenile fiction, mysteries and science fiction/fantasy tales. Derleth himself was an avid reader; his personal library numbered approximately 12,000 volumes. He was also a nature enthusiast; his love for nature is apparent in many of his works. Derleth collected American commemorative stamps and comics; he reputedly had the world's largest collection of comics.
August Derleth began Arkham House Publishing to publish the works of H. P. Lovecraft. Ironically, the two never met. While Derleth was young, he and Lovecraft began corresponding with one another. They typically exchanged letters several times a month until Lovecraft's death.
- February 2, 1904: born in Sauk City, WI to William Julius and Rose Louise Derleth
- 1930: University of Wisconsin, B.A.
- 1930-1931: associate editor, Fawcett Publications, Milwaukee
- 1931-1971: free-lance write
- 1934-1943: contributing editor, Outdoors Magazine
- 1937-1943: served as director, Sauk City Board of Education
- 1938: winner of Guggenheim Fellowship (sponsored by Sinclair Lewis, Edgar Lee Masters and Helen Constance White)
- 1939-1943: special lecturer in American Regional Literature at the University of Wisconsin
- 1939-1971: publisher, Arkham House
- 1941-1971: literary editor and weekly columnist (1961-71) for the Capital Times
- 1953: married Sandra Evelyn Winters (two children, April Rose and Walden William)
- 1958: 1st prize winner in Scholastic Magazine's short story contest for The Tail of the Dog
- 1959:divorced from Sandra Evelyn Winters Derleth
- 1966: winner, Governor's Award. for distinguished service to the creative arts for Return to Walden West
- July 4, 1971: died
From the guide to the Inventory of the Arkham House Collection: SCI FI MSS 00229., 1930-1953, (Cushing Memorial Library)
| Role | Title | Holding Repository | |
|---|---|---|---|
| creatorOf | [August William Derleth, biographical materials] | University of Wisconsin - Madison, General Library System | |
| referencedIn | Aaron Bohrod Papers, 1932-1963 | Syracuse University. Library. Special Collections Research Center | |
| referencedIn | Abraham S. Burack collection | Boston University. School of Medicine | |
| referencedIn | Argus Book Shop correspondence, 1857-1955, 1930-1944 | Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library | |
| creatorOf | Atkinson, Brooks, 1894-1984,. Saturday review book review letters received, 1958-1967 (bulk 1960-1962). | Pennsylvania State University Libraries | |
| referencedIn | Auer, James M., 1928- . Papers, 1949-1973. | Wisconsin Historical Society, Newspaper Project | |
| referencedIn | August Derleth Collection, 1950-1995 | Syracuse University. Library. Special Collections Research Center | |
| referencedIn | August Derleth dinner [videorecording] / [production company unknown] | Wisconsin Historical Society, Newspaper Project | |
| referencedIn | August Derleth presentation [videorecording] / [production company unknown] | Wisconsin Historical Society, Newspaper Project | |
| referencedIn | August Derleth Society. Records, 1981-1991. | Wisconsin Historical Society, Newspaper Project |
Filters:
| Relation | Name |
|---|---|
| associatedWith | Abbe, George, 1911- |
| associatedWith | Anderson, Carl T. |
| associatedWith | Anderson, Sherwood, 1876-1941. |
| associatedWith | Argus Book Shop (Chicago, Ill.) |
| associatedWith | Arkham House |
| associatedWith | Asbury, Herbert, 1891-1963. |
| associatedWith | Asimov, Isaac, 1920-1992. |
| associatedWith | Asquith, Cynthia, Lady, 1887-1960 |
| associatedWith | Auer, James M., 1928- . |
| associatedWith | August Derleth Society. |
Person
Birth 1909-02-24
Death 1971-07-04
Male
Americans
Italian,
German,
English,
Spanish; Castilian,
French
Variant Names
Shared Related Resources
Derleth, August, 1909-1971
| Derleth, August, 1909-1971 | Title |
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