Clark Ashton Smith - Revision history

Janet Kerschner at 06:16, 7 February 2026

2026-02-07T06:16:36Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 06:16, 7 February 2026
Line 1:		Line 1:
	[[File:Clark Ashton Smith, 1912.jpg\|right\|180px\|thumb\|Clark Ashton Smith]]		[[File:Clark Ashton Smith, 1912.jpg\|right\|180px\|thumb\|Clark Ashton Smith]]
	'''Clark Ashton Smith''' ([[January 13]], 1893 – [[August 14]], 1961) was a self-educated American poet, sculptor, painter and author of fantasy, horror and science fiction short stories. Along with [[Robert E. Howard]] and [[H. P. Lovecraft]], Smith was one of the three main contributors to the American horror and fantasy pulp fiction magazine ''Weird Tales''. His ~~work is marked chiefly by an extraordinarily wide and ornate~~ vocabulary, ~~a cosmic~~ perspective and ~~a vein of sardonic and sometimes ribald~~ humor.		'''Clark Ashton Smith''' ([[January 13]], 1893 – [[August 14]], 1961) was a self-educated American poet, sculptor, painter and author of fantasy, horror and science fiction short stories. Along with [[Robert E. Howard]] and [[H. P. Lovecraft]], Smith was one of the three main contributors to the American horror and fantasy pulp fiction magazine ''Weird Tales''. His extensive vocabulary, broad perspective, and humor have enduring appeal to readers.

			== Personal life ==

			== Theosophical influence ==
	Many of Smith's stories take place in worlds removed from ours, in the distant past or the far future. A group of these stories take place in the "Hyperborea". Other stories happen in Poseidonis and [[Lemuria]]. These ideas were inspired by the writings of [[Helena Petrovna Blavatsky\|H. P. Blavatsky]], as he acknowledges in a letter to [[H. P. Lovecraft]] written on [[March 1]], 1933:		Many of Smith's stories take place in worlds removed from ours, in the distant past or the far future. A group of these stories take place in the "Hyperborea". Other stories happen in Poseidonis and [[Lemuria]]. These ideas were inspired by the writings of [[Helena Petrovna Blavatsky\|H. P. Blavatsky]], as he acknowledges in a letter to [[H. P. Lovecraft]] written on [[March 1]], 1933:

Line 9:		Line 12:

	<blockquote>Zothique as I have conceived it belongs to the future rather than the past, and lies at the other end of the time-cycle from Hyperborea, Mu, etc. The peoples of Zothique, one might say, have rounded the circle and have returned to the conditions of what we of the present era might regard as antiquity. The idea of this last continent was suggested by the "occult" traditions regarding Pushkara, which will allegedly become the home of the 7th root race, the last race of mankind. However I doubt if the Theosophists would care for my conception, since the Zothiqueans as I have depicted them are a rather sinful and iniquitous lot, showing little sign of the spiritual evolution promised for humanity in its final cycles.<ref>See [http://www.eldritchdark.com/articles/reviews/68/introduction-to-# Introduction to 'Tales of Zothique'] by Will Murray</ref></blockquote>		<blockquote>Zothique as I have conceived it belongs to the future rather than the past, and lies at the other end of the time-cycle from Hyperborea, Mu, etc. The peoples of Zothique, one might say, have rounded the circle and have returned to the conditions of what we of the present era might regard as antiquity. The idea of this last continent was suggested by the "occult" traditions regarding Pushkara, which will allegedly become the home of the 7th root race, the last race of mankind. However I doubt if the Theosophists would care for my conception, since the Zothiqueans as I have depicted them are a rather sinful and iniquitous lot, showing little sign of the spiritual evolution promised for humanity in its final cycles.<ref>See [http://www.eldritchdark.com/articles/reviews/68/introduction-to-# Introduction to 'Tales of Zothique'] by Will Murray</ref></blockquote>

			== Writings ==

			Smith wrote stories for ''Weird Tales'', ''Amazing Detective Tales'', ''Fantasy Magazine'', ''Fantastic Universe Science Fiction'', ''Wonder Stories'', and other periodicals. He also wrote poetry. An extensive bibliography is available as''' [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clark_Ashton_Smith_bibliography Clark Ashton Smith bibliography]''' in Wikipedia.

			== Art and sculpture ==

			Smith made hundreds of paintings and drawings of fantasy scenes. In his later years, Smith created sculptures of soapstone, usually depicting weird creatures.

	== Additional resources ==		== Additional resources ==
	* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clark_Ashton_Smith "Clark Ashton Smith"] in Wikipedia.		* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clark_Ashton_Smith "Clark Ashton Smith"] in Wikipedia.
			* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clark_Ashton_Smith_bibliography Clark Ashton Smith bibliography] in Wikipedia.
	* [http://www.eldritchdark.com/galleries/by-cas/p/a/5 Gallery of Art by Clark Ashton Smith] in Eldrichdark website.		* [http://www.eldritchdark.com/galleries/by-cas/p/a/5 Gallery of Art by Clark Ashton Smith] in Eldrichdark website.

SysopJ: /* Video */

2026-02-06T22:46:02Z

Video

← Older revision		Revision as of 22:46, 6 February 2026
Line 16:		Line 16:
	=== Video ===		=== Video ===

	*[https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=2404691839951348 A view of some of Clark Ashton smiths drawings, paintings and sculptures] from The Art of Skinner. Posted on Facebook on January 18, 2026.		* [https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=2404691839951348 A view of some of Clark Ashton smiths drawings, paintings and sculptures] from The Art of Skinner. Posted on Facebook on January 18, 2026.
			* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKiLYuYZ20U "The Door to Saturn" by Clark Ashton Smith / Hyperborean Cycle] on YouTube. Posted by HorrorBubble on January 29, 2024. "The Door to Saturn" is a short story by Clark Ashton Smith that takes place in the fictional prehistoric setting of Hyperborea. First published in the January 1932 edition of Strange Tales of Mystery and Terror, the story was described as follows: "Beyond sea and sky the wizard Eibon pursues his outlandish wanderings." Well read and accompanied by Smith's illustration.
			* [https://www.youtube.com/shorts/t3QWc12M228 Averoigne] poem by Clark Ashton Smith. Read by Josh Greenwood.

	== Notes ==		== Notes ==

SysopJ: /* Additional resources */

2026-02-06T22:38:24Z

Additional resources

← Older revision		Revision as of 22:38, 6 February 2026
Line 13:		Line 13:
	* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clark_Ashton_Smith "Clark Ashton Smith"] in Wikipedia.		* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clark_Ashton_Smith "Clark Ashton Smith"] in Wikipedia.
	* [http://www.eldritchdark.com/galleries/by-cas/p/a/5 Gallery of Art by Clark Ashton Smith] in Eldrichdark website.		* [http://www.eldritchdark.com/galleries/by-cas/p/a/5 Gallery of Art by Clark Ashton Smith] in Eldrichdark website.

			=== Video ===

			*[https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=2404691839951348 A view of some of Clark Ashton smiths drawings, paintings and sculptures] from The Art of Skinner. Posted on Facebook on January 18, 2026.

	== Notes ==		== Notes ==

SysopJ: /* Additional resources */

2026-02-06T22:36:19Z

Additional resources

← Older revision		Revision as of 22:36, 6 February 2026
Line 12:		Line 12:
	== Additional resources ==		== Additional resources ==
	* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clark_Ashton_Smith "Clark Ashton Smith"] in Wikipedia.		* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clark_Ashton_Smith "Clark Ashton Smith"] in Wikipedia.
			* [http://www.eldritchdark.com/galleries/by-cas/p/a/5 Gallery of Art by Clark Ashton Smith] in Eldrichdark website.

	== Notes ==		== Notes ==

SysopJ at 20:58, 6 January 2025

2025-01-06T20:58:29Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:58, 6 January 2025
Line 2:		Line 2:
	'''Clark Ashton Smith''' ([[January 13]], 1893 – [[August 14]], 1961) was a self-educated American poet, sculptor, painter and author of fantasy, horror and science fiction short stories. Along with [[Robert E. Howard]] and [[H. P. Lovecraft]], Smith was one of the three main contributors to the American horror and fantasy pulp fiction magazine ''Weird Tales''. His work is marked chiefly by an extraordinarily wide and ornate vocabulary, a cosmic perspective and a vein of sardonic and sometimes ribald humor.		'''Clark Ashton Smith''' ([[January 13]], 1893 – [[August 14]], 1961) was a self-educated American poet, sculptor, painter and author of fantasy, horror and science fiction short stories. Along with [[Robert E. Howard]] and [[H. P. Lovecraft]], Smith was one of the three main contributors to the American horror and fantasy pulp fiction magazine ''Weird Tales''. His work is marked chiefly by an extraordinarily wide and ornate vocabulary, a cosmic perspective and a vein of sardonic and sometimes ribald humor.

	Many of Smith's stories take place in worlds removed from ours, in the distant past or the far future. A group of these stories take place in the "Hyperborea". Other stories happen in Poseidonis and Lemuria. These ideas were inspired by the writings of [[Helena Petrovna Blavatsky\|H. P. Blavatsky]], as he acknowledges in a letter to [[H. P. Lovecraft]] written on [[March 1]], 1933:		Many of Smith's stories take place in worlds removed from ours, in the distant past or the far future. A group of these stories take place in the "Hyperborea". Other stories happen in Poseidonis and [[Lemuria]]. These ideas were inspired by the writings of [[Helena Petrovna Blavatsky\|H. P. Blavatsky]], as he acknowledges in a letter to [[H. P. Lovecraft]] written on [[March 1]], 1933:

	<blockquote>The Book of Dzyan is new to me — I haven't read any great amount of theosophical literature. I'll be vastly interested in any dope you or Price can pass on to me. Theosophy, as far as I can gather, is a version of esoteric Yoga prepared for western consumption, so I dare say its legendry must have some sort of basis in ancient Oriental records. One can disregard the theosophy, and make good use of the stuff about elder continents, etc. I got my own ideas about Hyperborea, Poseidonis, etc., from such sources, and then turned my imagination loose.<ref>See [http://www.eldritchdark.com/writings/correspondence/45/from-clark-ashton-smith-to-h.-p.-lovecraft-(1933-03-01)# Letter to H. P. Lovecraft From Clark Ashton Smith] The Eldritch Dark</ref></blockquote>		<blockquote>The Book of Dzyan is new to me — I haven't read any great amount of theosophical literature. I'll be vastly interested in any dope you or Price can pass on to me. Theosophy, as far as I can gather, is a version of esoteric Yoga prepared for western consumption, so I dare say its legendry must have some sort of basis in ancient Oriental records. One can disregard the theosophy, and make good use of the stuff about elder continents, etc. I got my own ideas about Hyperborea, Poseidonis, etc., from such sources, and then turned my imagination loose.<ref>See [http://www.eldritchdark.com/writings/correspondence/45/from-clark-ashton-smith-to-h.-p.-lovecraft-(1933-03-01)# Letter to H. P. Lovecraft From Clark Ashton Smith] The Eldritch Dark</ref></blockquote>

SysopJ at 20:57, 6 January 2025

2025-01-06T20:57:29Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:57, 6 January 2025
Line 1:		Line 1:
			[[File:Clark Ashton Smith, 1912.jpg\|right\|180px\|thumb\|Clark Ashton Smith]]
	'''Clark Ashton Smith''' ([[January 13]], 1893 – [[August 14]], 1961) was a self-educated American poet, sculptor, painter and author of fantasy, horror and science fiction short stories. Along with [[Robert E. Howard]] and [[H. P. Lovecraft]], Smith was one of the three main contributors to the American horror and fantasy pulp fiction magazine ''Weird Tales''. His work is marked chiefly by an extraordinarily wide and ornate vocabulary, a cosmic perspective and a vein of sardonic and sometimes ribald humor.		'''Clark Ashton Smith''' ([[January 13]], 1893 – [[August 14]], 1961) was a self-educated American poet, sculptor, painter and author of fantasy, horror and science fiction short stories. Along with [[Robert E. Howard]] and [[H. P. Lovecraft]], Smith was one of the three main contributors to the American horror and fantasy pulp fiction magazine ''Weird Tales''. His work is marked chiefly by an extraordinarily wide and ornate vocabulary, a cosmic perspective and a vein of sardonic and sometimes ribald humor.

Janet Kerschner at 16:51, 10 February 2018

2018-02-10T16:51:57Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 16:51, 10 February 2018
Line 8:		Line 8:

	<blockquote>Zothique as I have conceived it belongs to the future rather than the past, and lies at the other end of the time-cycle from Hyperborea, Mu, etc. The peoples of Zothique, one might say, have rounded the circle and have returned to the conditions of what we of the present era might regard as antiquity. The idea of this last continent was suggested by the "occult" traditions regarding Pushkara, which will allegedly become the home of the 7th root race, the last race of mankind. However I doubt if the Theosophists would care for my conception, since the Zothiqueans as I have depicted them are a rather sinful and iniquitous lot, showing little sign of the spiritual evolution promised for humanity in its final cycles.<ref>See [http://www.eldritchdark.com/articles/reviews/68/introduction-to-# Introduction to 'Tales of Zothique'] by Will Murray</ref></blockquote>		<blockquote>Zothique as I have conceived it belongs to the future rather than the past, and lies at the other end of the time-cycle from Hyperborea, Mu, etc. The peoples of Zothique, one might say, have rounded the circle and have returned to the conditions of what we of the present era might regard as antiquity. The idea of this last continent was suggested by the "occult" traditions regarding Pushkara, which will allegedly become the home of the 7th root race, the last race of mankind. However I doubt if the Theosophists would care for my conception, since the Zothiqueans as I have depicted them are a rather sinful and iniquitous lot, showing little sign of the spiritual evolution promised for humanity in its final cycles.<ref>See [http://www.eldritchdark.com/articles/reviews/68/introduction-to-# Introduction to 'Tales of Zothique'] by Will Murray</ref></blockquote>

			== Additional resources ==
			* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clark_Ashton_Smith "Clark Ashton Smith"] in Wikipedia.

	== Notes ==		== Notes ==

Janet Kerschner at 13:53, 28 September 2017

2017-09-28T13:53:00Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:53, 28 September 2017
Line 17:		Line 17:
	[[Category:Artists\|Smith, Clark Ashton]]		[[Category:Artists\|Smith, Clark Ashton]]
	[[Category:Nationality American\|Smith, Clark Ashton]]		[[Category:Nationality American\|Smith, Clark Ashton]]
			[[Category:People\|Smith, Clark Ashton]]

Janet Kerschner at 14:21, 1 November 2016

2016-11-01T14:21:25Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:21, 1 November 2016
Line 1:		Line 1:
	~~{{Template:Article needs expansion}}~~
	~~<br>~~
	~~<br>~~
	~~<br>~~
	'''Clark Ashton Smith''' ([[January 13]], 1893 – [[August 14]], 1961) was a self-educated American poet, sculptor, painter and author of fantasy, horror and science fiction short stories. Along with [[Robert E. Howard]] and [[H. P. Lovecraft]], Smith was one of the three main contributors to the American horror and fantasy pulp fiction magazine ''Weird Tales''. His work is marked chiefly by an extraordinarily wide and ornate vocabulary, a cosmic perspective and a vein of sardonic and sometimes ribald humor.		'''Clark Ashton Smith''' ([[January 13]], 1893 – [[August 14]], 1961) was a self-educated American poet, sculptor, painter and author of fantasy, horror and science fiction short stories. Along with [[Robert E. Howard]] and [[H. P. Lovecraft]], Smith was one of the three main contributors to the American horror and fantasy pulp fiction magazine ''Weird Tales''. His work is marked chiefly by an extraordinarily wide and ornate vocabulary, a cosmic perspective and a vein of sardonic and sometimes ribald humor.

Pablo Sender at 19:35, 23 September 2014

2014-09-23T19:35:03Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 19:35, 23 September 2014
Line 3:		Line 3:
	<br>		<br>
	<br>		<br>
	'''Clark Ashton Smith''' ([[January 13]], 1893 – [[August 14]], 1961) was a self-educated American poet, sculptor, painter and author of fantasy, horror and science fiction short stories. ~~Smith was one of the big three of Weird Tales, along~~ with Robert E. Howard and [[H. P. Lovecraft]]. His work is marked chiefly by an extraordinarily wide and ornate vocabulary, a cosmic perspective and a vein of sardonic and sometimes ribald humor.		'''Clark Ashton Smith''' ([[January 13]], 1893 – [[August 14]], 1961) was a self-educated American poet, sculptor, painter and author of fantasy, horror and science fiction short stories. Along with [[Robert E. Howard]] and [[H. P. Lovecraft]], Smith was one of the three main contributors to the American horror and fantasy pulp fiction magazine ''Weird Tales''. His work is marked chiefly by an extraordinarily wide and ornate vocabulary, a cosmic perspective and a vein of sardonic and sometimes ribald humor.

	Many of Smith's ~~Weird Tales~~ take place in worlds removed from ours, in the distant past or the far future. A group of these stories take place in the "Hyperborea". Other stories happen in Poseidonis and Lemuria. These ideas were inspired by the writings of [[Helena Petrovna Blavatsky\|H. P. Blavatsky]], as he acknowledges in a letter to [[H. P. Lovecraft]] written on [[March 1]], 1933:		Many of Smith's stories take place in worlds removed from ours, in the distant past or the far future. A group of these stories take place in the "Hyperborea". Other stories happen in Poseidonis and Lemuria. These ideas were inspired by the writings of [[Helena Petrovna Blavatsky\|H. P. Blavatsky]], as he acknowledges in a letter to [[H. P. Lovecraft]] written on [[March 1]], 1933:

	<blockquote>The Book of Dzyan is new to me — I haven't read any great amount of theosophical literature. I'll be vastly interested in any dope you or Price can pass on to me. Theosophy, as far as I can gather, is a version of esoteric Yoga prepared for western consumption, so I dare say its legendry must have some sort of basis in ancient Oriental records. One can disregard the theosophy, and make good use of the stuff about elder continents, etc. I got my own ideas about Hyperborea, Poseidonis, etc., from such sources, and then turned my imagination loose.<ref>See [http://www.eldritchdark.com/writings/correspondence/45/from-clark-ashton-smith-to-h.-p.-lovecraft-(1933-03-01)# Letter to H. P. Lovecraft From Clark Ashton Smith] The Eldritch Dark</ref></blockquote>		<blockquote>The Book of Dzyan is new to me — I haven't read any great amount of theosophical literature. I'll be vastly interested in any dope you or Price can pass on to me. Theosophy, as far as I can gather, is a version of esoteric Yoga prepared for western consumption, so I dare say its legendry must have some sort of basis in ancient Oriental records. One can disregard the theosophy, and make good use of the stuff about elder continents, etc. I got my own ideas about Hyperborea, Poseidonis, etc., from such sources, and then turned my imagination loose.<ref>See [http://www.eldritchdark.com/writings/correspondence/45/from-clark-ashton-smith-to-h.-p.-lovecraft-(1933-03-01)# Letter to H. P. Lovecraft From Clark Ashton Smith] The Eldritch Dark</ref></blockquote>

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:53, 28 September 2017
Line 17:		Line 17:
	[[Category:Artists\|Smith, Clark Ashton]]		[[Category:Artists\|Smith, Clark Ashton]]
	[[Category:Nationality American\|Smith, Clark Ashton]]		[[Category:Nationality American\|Smith, Clark Ashton]]
			[[Category:People\|Smith, Clark Ashton]]