When H. P. Lovecraft died in March of 1937, the strange universe he had created was still fragile. His stories lived in pulp magazines, in scattered typescripts, and in letters exchanged with a small but devoted circle of correspondents. Much of the most important material—original manuscripts, revised drafts, and carbons—rested in DeLand, Florida, in the hands of Robert Hayward Barlow.

When H. P. Lovecraft came to DeLand, he expected a seasoned publisher. Instead, he met a gangly teenager with a small press. Together, they would make literary history.